Women’s voices must be heard in Brexit debate
Dr Eleri Evans argues that as the EU has been instrumental in driving forward equality, the rights of women are particularly vulnerable to the impact of Brexit
AS WE move closer to leaving the European Union there has been much talk of loss – loss of jobs, loss of investment and a loss of belonging. But there has been little talk of what these losses mean for women in Wales, who are more vulnerable to the impact of Brexit than women in other parts of the UK.
Wales is set to lose £680m funding from the EU annually which will have a disproportionate effect on women.
That is why I was glad to represent Wales Assembly of Women at a meeting of the United Nations Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw). Often called an international bill of rights for women, Cedaw is an important piece of international legislation that underpins women’s rights in the UK.
The meeting in Geneva was a chance for women’s organisations across the UK to advise the UN Cedaw Committee on their key concerns before the Committee questions the UK and Welsh Governments on their record on women’s rights early next year.
In Wales, women form 52% of the population yet they do not hold an equal share of power within Welsh life.
Only 18% of council leaders in Wales are women, some 43% of Assembly Members are women and only 6% of chief executives or equivalent of top 100 businesses are women. LGBT, disabled, workingclass and BME women face additional barriers in accessing power.
And yet we know, increasing women’s participation and leadership makes a positive impact on politics and business. Research by McKinsey & Co found that in the UK, greater gender diversity on a senior management team corresponded to higher performance with an increase in financial performance.
That is why I am pleased that several of the recommendations to the Cedaw Committee focus on improving the representation of women in Welsh political and public life.
I am hoping the Cedaw committee will encourage Welsh Government to create a Minister for Women who will explicitly and exclusively guarantee and enhance the rights and freedoms of women in Wales. The role would ensure Welsh Government has a gendered understanding of the impact of all decisions on women in Wales.
In addition, I am hoping the Committee will urge Welsh Government to endorse the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform in Wales to include legal quotas to ensure representation is gender balanced within the National Assembly for Wales and that electoral law should be changed to enable candidates to stand for election based on transparent jobsharing arrangements.
Under the Cedaw convention special temporary measures could be put in place in time for the next Assembly Elections in 2021.
With equal representation of women in the National Assembly, women will be in a better position to shape the political agenda, to advance gender equality and to fight against the rollback of legal rights for women that looks set to accompany our departure from the EU.
Research has found that women Assembly Members are much more likely to raise issues, ask questions and intervene on equal pay, domestic abuse, women’s health and child care.
Professor Jackie Jones, chair of Wales Assembly of Women, who wrote the Welsh submission to the Cedaw Committee, called for the Cedaw Convention to be incorporated into UK and devolved laws to help alleviate some of the harshness of continuing austerity and Brexit.
She said: ‘Austerity measures alongside the negative impact of Brexit are causing severe hardship in Wales and all over the UK – increased food banks, poverty, homelessness, lack of access to justice due to legal aid cuts and an increase in violence to name a few.’
In the run up to the meeting, Wales Assembly of Women, an independent campaigning organisation, worked with the Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales to develop a Wales-specific Cedaw response. In it we argue that leaving the EU will mean a rollback of legal rights for women, reduced funding for women’s organisations and extra pressure on specialist services.
It is noticeable that women’s voices have been absent from both the EU referendum debate and the ongoing conversations since – even though the EU has been instrumental in driving forward equality, particularly in relation to gender and workers’ rights. Let’s make sure the voices of women in Wales are not lost as a result of Brexit.
■ Dr Eleri Evans is vice chair of the Wales Assembly of Women