What Women Want

Shocking statistics uncovered today about women in the workplace by the Equalities review, which states that a woman with a child under the age of 11 is 45% less likely to receive a job than a man. The Independent reports that the review is set to suggest that women are discriminated against much more often in the workplace than their male counterparts(nothing new there then)

Much more needs to be done to tackle issues that affect women head on. Plaid are recommending extending the childcare budget as part of our Manifesto pledge, but I also believe that we should be looking in to enhancing the gender budgeting programme as promoted by the Equal Opportunities Commission so that women can create a clearly defined work/life balance without childcare becoming a chain around their necks.

We also need to campaign much more vigorously on other areas which affect women, and be careful not to label women's concerns as 'childcare' only, regardless of it's enormity as an area of policy. The pay gap campaign should be at the top of the political agenda, yet it never seems to be a fashionable enough cause for many politicians. Perhaps in the run up to International Women's Day on March the 8th we will see more progressive policies coming to view. Certainly, with the Assembly election in May looming, we should be mindful that women are a large voter group, and are looking for policies and parties to reflect what they want from a party in Government.