‘Our new councils must tackle gender inequality’
We are calling for Wales’ newly-elected councils to prioritise action to deliver a gender-equal Wales, says Tomos Evans, policy and public affairs partner at gender equality charity, Chwarae Teg
WITH councillors now settling into their roles in county halls across Wales following last week’s election, it is important to turn our attention to what our local representatives will be doing over the next five years.
Local councillors make decisions that affect many aspects of our lives, which means that local authorities have multiple tools at their disposal to tackle the structural inequalities experienced by women throughout Wales.
If we are to make Wales more equal, it is vital that our new councils and council leaders use their next five years in office to make change happen.
That’s why Chwarae Teg has set out calls to action in five key areas that can make a real difference to women’s lives, moving us towards a Wales where women of all backgrounds and experiences, are empowered to achieve and prosper.
As this year’s election results put into sharp relief, women are stubbornly underrepresented at a local government level.
Despite some good news stories, such as both Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan achieving gender parity, overall just 36% of those elected last week are women. Even fewer of those elected are women from an ethnic minority or have a disability. The example of Monmouthshire, in particular, shows the vital need to take positive action to diversify our local representatives.
We know that representation matters. When women are in the room, different issues are discussed and different perspectives are considered.
This is why it’s imperative that council leaders prioritise action to increase the number and diversity of women councillors in Wales.
This should include establishing and moving towards gender-balanced cabinets, retaining the ability to join council meetings remotely, and funding and delivering programmes to increase the number and diversity of women standing in local elections.
As this year’s election results demonstrate, progress towards truly representative local councils remains far too slow. We cannot and must not be in this same position in five years’ time.
Childcare continues to be a barrier to women entering and progressing in work; women are four times more likely to cite looking after the family or home as the reason for not engaging in the formal, paid economy.
We can support more women into good, well-paid jobs and careers if we make sure that childcare is accessible and affordable for all parents.
Councils play an important role in providing information about childcare, as well as ensuring that childcare needs are met.
Taking steps to improve access to information about childcare support is the second area we are calling for council leaders to focus on, by ensuring that Family InformationServices are well resourced and offer a genuine one-stop-shop for information.
We are also calling for councils to lead by example by providing adequate childcare support for council staff and councillors.
Social care and its importance to society is all too often undervalued by all of us. Despite the past few years having shown us how critical the social care sector is for our health and well-being, the sector continues to see workers – that vast majority of whom are women – on insecure contracts and low pay.
The third area we want to see prioritised by our newly elected councils is the value of social care.
In both the commissioning and running of social care services, councils must adopt ethical commissioning principles such as paying the real Living Wage, limiting zero hour contracts, making jobs more secure and providing the workforce with clear opportunities for progression.
We know that all too often planning and transport decisions ignore the needs of women and girls, despite evidence showing us that women and girls use transport and public places differently to men. When using public transport, women take shorter journeys, multiple times a day.
Women are less likely to have access to a car and much more likely to feel unsafe in public places.
The fact that women’s needs are not part of the planning process actually makes gender inequality worse.
This is why we our fourth call to action focuses on the way decisions about public spaces and public transport are made. Placing the lived experience and safety of women and girls at the heart of these decisions is essential.
Councils should ensure that the public transport workforce are trained on how to monitor, report and prevent incidents of sexual harassment or abuse and that all new developments are well-designed and well-lit.
Fifth, and finally, councils will soon be deciding how to spend the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund. It is vital that these funds are used to tackle the root causes gender inequality.
We know the importance of Wales’ third sector in tackling inequalities for specific groups of people and communities, so we are calling on local leaders to engage with the sector so we can jointly come up with plans to make sure that the new funding regime is a success for everyone in Wales.
Bringing about a gender equal Wales will take time, but we will only make progress if everyone plays their part.
Over the next five years, if councils across Wales take action in these five areas, we can make a real difference to women’s lives and move us that much closer to a truly gender equal Wales.