All the main political parties have answered our What About Women? questions, now tell us what you think...

Welcome to your weekly What About Women Election Campaign update

This week...

Week 2 of the What About Women? campaign saw all the political parties we asked come back with some initial responses to our questions. We say initial because the parties have the option of adding to or developing their positions as we approach polling day. Fawcett and our WAW campaign partners are now poring over their answers and over the coming weeks we’ll be letting them and you know if we think their plans will progress or regress women’s equality and women’s rights. But now it’s over to you - our Fawcett Supporters to tell us and them what you think. Each of the parties’ pages has a comment box where you can comment on their answers or ask a question.

Click here for Labour
Click here for the Conservative
Click here for the Liberal Democrats
Click here for the Greens
Click here for Plaid Cymru
Click here for SNP

We went along to hear what the parties said about their plans for women at the Women's Question Time, hosted by Eaves Housing for Women, a London based women’s housing and domestic violence organisation.

On equal pay... Caroline Lucas (Greens) and Lynn Featherstone (Lib Dems) committed to bringing in mandatory pay audits, Vera Baird ( Labour) said the new equality bill would give government power to require such mandatory pay reporting if companies did not do so voluntarily in 3 years and Theresa May said the Conservatives thought companies should only be made to undertake audits once found guilty of discrimination.

Fawcett is in discussion with the parties about arranging an opportunity for Fawcett and the wider WAW campaign members and supporters to question them on their manifestos and we will keep you posted.

What About Women? in the news

It’s been a busy week for What About Women? from the Parliament Channel, to the GMTV sofa, via the letters page of the Guardian and comment in the Telegraph, the campaign is taking off - we’ve even gone state side!

The week in the media started with Ceri writing to the Guardian in response to Guardian article on the parties targeting women’s and in particular “middle class mum’s” votes. Whilst we welcome the increased engagement with mothers, we hope the parties don’t think this is enough by itself. We have asked them to think about women much more broadly than just their role as mothers. Women, mothers or not, want to hear much more such as how will the parties consider women in any public services cuts, or increase our political representation or seriously tackle violence and media stereotyping that is teaching a whole new generation of young girls and boys that women are to be seen and not heard.

The BBC’s Parliament Channel wanted to talk representation with Ceri, and MPs Emily Thornberry (Labour) and Justine Greening (Conservative) and Ceri also joined Net Mums on the sofa on GMTV to explore why the women’s vote is going to be so important in this election.

Mary Riddell of the Telegraph did an excellent job of explaining just that, it’s a shame the people who commented on the piece aren’t so enlightened!! Word of the campaign has also reached the feminist blogs, including 'The F Word' and much further afield where the influential American political site Politics Daily has picked up the campaign.

We also press released and gave several comments on the Stern Review on the Treatment of Rape Victims. Whilst we welcomed Baroness' call for more victim support, we said it was important to continue to increase conviction rates and address the still unacceptably high attrition rate (the number of reported rapes cases that get dropped for various reasons including women withdrawing complaints, lack of evidence etc).

Next week will be crowded due to the pre–election budget but we’re aiming to squeeze in there and make sure women’s voices are heard in the debates about the future of our economy and our country.

Remember to let us know if you get local media interest in your letters and events and we will tell Fawcett supporters across the country about it.

Coming up...

Next week sees the HM Treasury budget report. Fawcett and our campaign partners will be asking ‘What About Women?’ both before and after the budget announcement. Whilst all the parties’ answers on women and the economy to date have acknowledged the importance and impact of economic policy on women's lives, as yet none of them has made a clear commitment to “gender proof” their budget plans, e.g. consider how they would impact differently on women and men and ensure that they do not worsen gender inequality.

Events

The Women’s Resource Centre is holding a 2010 London Local Elections Hustings. This will be an opportunity for voluntary and community sector organisations to ask questions of councillors from the main political parties and get their voices heard. This event is being held on 24th March, 2pm-5pm at the Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EA. For more information please see their website.

Sheffield Fems are hosting a What About Women? general election hustings on Tuesday 23rd March, 7.15pm at The Quaker Meeting House Sheffield.

This hustings is being organised to ask prospective parliamentary candidates in Sheffield ‘What About Women?’. Members of the public will question candidates on how they plan to tackle inequalities between women and men if they are elected MP. Each candidate will have 15 minutes to speak on their parties policies towards women on a national and international scale, followed by questions from the floor.

The event will be chaired by Patricia Daniels, standing in the Northern College and the speakers are: Jack Scott (Labour) standing in Hallam, Jillian Creasy (The Green Party) standing in Central Bristol, Nicola Bates (Conservative) standing in Hallam and Paul Scriven (Lib Dems) standing in Central Bristol.

See Sheffield Fems website for more information.

Actions

1 min - If you haven’t already, sign up – the more people sign up the more media and political clout we have.

5- 10 mins – tell us what you think of the parties’ answers. You can comment on anything but this week we would particularly like your views on their economy answers.

5- 10 mins – if you are not a Fawcett member – then join up and put on the fabulous ‘This is what a feminist looks like’ t-shirt when the parties come knocking looking for your vote.

30 mins – Download the activist pack and write/ email your local PPC’s and ask them ‘What About Women?’

Thanks for your support,
Fawcett