Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
A new report by the Fawcett Society has revealed that sexism is commonplace in local government with almost four in ten female councillors having experienced sexist comments from within their own party.
Surveying more than 2,300 councillors in a a year-long study with the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), the charity also found that 43 per cent of women believe that they are held back by assumptions about what they can do just because they are women, with one in ten having experienced sexual harassment from other councillors.
The Local Government Commission has also presented figures showing that, despite the proportion of women in Parliament increasing by more than half, from 18 per cent to 29 per cent since 1997, only 33 per cent of elected local councillors in England are women, an increase of just five per cent over the same period.
Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “Women councillors from all major parties are reporting sexism and sexual harassment from within their own parties and from other councillors. This problem is not confined to one party, and is commonplace across local government.
“We are sadly used to hearing about the misogyny our politicians experience from the public via social media, but this research shows that they are also experiencing it from within their own parties, including their male council colleagues.”
Dame Margaret Hodge, co-chair of the Commission, added: “We are seeing a culture in some parts of local government which would not be out of place in the 1970s. This in turn is linked to the under-representation of women in local government where we have seen very little progress over the past 20 years.”
Discussing representation, Lauren Lucas, head of Projects for the LGiU, said: “Women are not sufficiently represented in many council chambers across the country. Where they are, their involvement is, in many cases, discouraged. Despite decades of effort to advance women’s leadership across local government, this research shows that we have not made the progress we need.
“That is why the work of this Commission is so vital, looking at what can be done to support and encourage women to get involved in and stick with local government. A pipeline of women leaders across local government will ensure their voices are adequately represented at all levels.”
A final report is due in the summer and will make recommendations on how to address the key issues faced by women councillors and the barriers to female representation in local government.
Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
Fireco is a one-stop shop for trusted and compliant fire safety solutions! Our comprehensive product range includes smart fire door closers and retainers, notification systems, as well as fire door installation and inspection services. With our cloud-based technology, we offer the convenience of remote monitoring and management of connected devices, ensuring efficient and effective fire safety measures. By choosing Fireco, you can trust that our solutions are tailored to meet complex compliance requirements and provide you with peace of mind.
UKREiiF has quickly become a must-attend in the industry calendar for Government departments and local authorities.
The organisers of the world’s largest dedicated hydrogen event, World Hydrogen 2024 Summit & Exhibition have announced it’s return to Rotterdam in May 2024, with an expansion of a whole extra summit day. Sustainable Energy Council (SEC) are partnering with the Government of the Netherlands, the Province of Zuid-Holland, the City of Rotterdam, and the Port of Rotterdam to host an extended, larger scale Summit in 2024, to expand the event to meet the surging demand.
At GeoEnergy Design, we're on a mission to disrupt the traditional way heating and cooling ha
Professor Harith Alani, director of the Knowledge Management Institute at the Open University explains how AI can be used for good and bad.
Alex Lawrence, head of health & social care, techUK sets out techUK’s Five Point Plan for CareTech.