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Sir Keir Starmer greeted supporters with a scarlet tie and a huge smile on his face this morning after Labour's landslide victory in the general election, but what does the party's historic win mean for women and what do campaigners hope to see next?
From childcare and healthcare to domestic abuse, we asked charities and women's groups for their views…
ChildcareLabour has pledged to open more than 3,000 new nurseries across England, and its nursery pledges also include plans to offer free breakfast places in all primary schools. But some charities suggest the nursery system needs more radical reform.
“Labour needs to set out much more ambitious plans for childcare to make it truly affordable, accessible and reduce inequality,” said Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality and women’s rights in the workplace. “The announced increase in places is a good start – next we need to invest in the workforce to provide those places.
“Our child care system needs a rescue and then radical reform so that all children can benefit, not just those whose parents already work,” Olchawski adds.
Victoria Benson, chief executive of single parent charity Gingerbread, adds: “We must also see the toxic two-child limit removed – unless this happens, more children will live in poverty. Labour must demonstrate its commitment to improving the lives of the UK’s two million single parent families and we look forward to ensuring our voices are heard.”
Parental leave and flexible working are also two areas that Labour has pledged to improve.
“Making parental leave a right from day one is just one of a number of family-friendly policies planned by Labour,” says Kate Palmer, director of employment services at Peninsula UK.
“We can expect a new right to bereavement leave, and it will also be illegal to dismiss pregnant employees during the six months following their return from maternity leave, except in very specific circumstances.
“In addition to changes to family leave, they have committed to further extending flexible working rights,” Palmer adds. “For HR, the new flexible working rights could lead to more parents adopting flexible working arrangements and balancing work with their childcare commitments.”
Women's health care
Tackling NHS waiting lists is among Starmer's top priorities, and with the growing focus on the “gender health gap”, many groups are urging him to put women's health at the forefront of new policies.
“We want to see more funding put into women’s health research to diagnose and treat problems more quickly and effectively,” says Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women. “We would also like to see pressure put on workplaces to embed policies and a culture that support women’s health, so that we don’t lose talented members of the workforce due to difficulties with their reproductive and gynaecological health.”
One of the policies proposed by the Labour Party requires companies with more than 250 employees to have menopause action plans. They will be required to publish and implement the action plans and set out how they will support female employees going through the menopause, with possible provisions including paid time off, changes to uniforms and temperature screening in the workplace.
“It’s encouraging to see them committing to equal pay and protection from menopause-related discrimination in the workplace,” says Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause In The Workplace.
“I look forward to learning more about what a Menopause Action Plan might contain and would welcome the opportunity to help shape it.
“It is absolutely critical that this plan is not a box-ticking exercise – action must be taken to achieve lasting change for women, our employers and our country,” Garlick adds.
Domestic abuse
Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women's Aid, says she is positive about the Labour Party's approach to tackling violence against women and girls, but urges the Government to back up these ideas with adequate funding.
“Women's Aid welcomed the pledges made by the Labour Party to halve violence against women and girls within a decade of being elected, but for this pledge to be delivered, urgent and sustainable investment is needed,” says Nazeer.
“The government must commit to investing at least £427m a year in specialist services so that women and children receive the support they deserve.”
Labour has also proposed implementing “Raneem’s Law” (named after Raneem Oudeh, who was murdered aged 22 by her ex-partner Janbaz Tarin in 2018), which aims to transform the way police handle cases of violence against women and girls.
Other previously announced promises by the party include the introduction of specialist rape and sexual assault units in every force, domestic violence call operators in every 999 control room and a new “perpetrator programme” targeting the 1,000 most dangerous abusers and sex offenders who pose a risk to women.
