Calling Labour members: Lead for Women
by Jess McCabe // 10 June 2010, 11:57
Labour members may want to sign this letter to all the candidates for party leader, urging them to Lead for Women:
Will you lead for women?We are writing to you as women activists from across the Labour Party, who want to contribute our views to Labour’s leadership candidates regarding the involvement of women within the Party.
We are proud of Labour’s record on equality - the fact that there are more Labour women in Parliament now than from the other Parties combined is a testament to the leadership that we have shown. However, we are also concerned that the attrition rate of women in the Labour Party is too high - too many women are put off politics before they even contemplate standing for election - and that there are still far too many barriers that stop women from being meaningfully involved at every level in the Party. Those barriers are exacerbated for LGBT, BAME and disabled women - Labour not only needs more women, but more diverse women too. That the 2010 election has been widely referred to as ‘the election in which women were invisible’ shows a clear and pressing need for action.
Click here for the whole letter and info on how to add your support. The Lead for Women campaign also has a Facebook group.
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Lynne Miles // Posted 11 June 2010 at 15:39
Done!
Kate // Posted 11 June 2010 at 16:37
Nearly done, but I don't back the 50:50 shadow Cabinet quota. It's a shame that that is fast being positioned as non-negotiable for feminists.