A BETTER FUTURE FOR WOMEN A BETTER FUTURE FOR WOMEN FOREWORD

Labour Party values start from the belief that who you are or where you come from should never hold you back from achieving your potential. We have made great strides in improving equality for women, from the right to vote to the right to equal pay, and Labour has consistently lead this . Under the last Labour Government, the gender pay gap closed by almost a third, we opened 3,000 Sure Start Centres, extended maternity leave and introduced paternity leave, and transformed the way that police, prosecutors and courts dealt with cases of domestic violence. But progress for women has never been achieved by sitting back. In the last five years progress to close the gender pay gap has slowed. More women are low paid and on zero-hours contracts. Many families feel that they have never been so stretched. Instead of taking action the Tories have chosen to hit women harder, with women bearing 85 per cent of the impact of tax and benefit changes. Violence against women and girls is a national scandal. Rapes and incidents of domestic violence reported to the police have gone up, but the number of cases prosecuted and convicted has fallen. And there is still much further to go to change a culture that permits everyday sexism. Labour has a better plan for equality for men and women from the shop floor to the boardroom. We’ll do more to help women and men balance families and work through more free childcare. We will support the millions of women trapped in low paid work by raising the Minimum Wage and addressing discrimination. We’ll put tackling violence against women and girls back at the heart of government, and lead by example to increase women’s representation in public life. Labour has a proud record of working for equality. Building on that record will be at the heart of our agenda for government.

Ed Miliband Gloria de Piero

5 6 women for future better A with £6 in every £7 raised coming from with £6inevery £7raisedcomingfrom the country £1,100 worse off on average, benefit changes have left families across hit womenhard,andtheTories’ taxand have fuelledacostoflivingcrisis thathas Stagnating wagesandrisinginsecurity become more acute in the last five years. For manywomenthesechallengeshave elderly relative. children, grandchildrenorcaringforan cannot balanceworkwithlookingafter their skillsandabilitiesbecausethey find themselves pushed into jobs below pound amanearns.Toomanywomen earning onaveragejust81pforevery over-represented inpoorlypaidwork, under-represented inseniorrolesand face persistentchallenges.Theyare But despitethisprogress,womenstill beyond recognition. available towomenhaveexpanded The aspirationsandopportunities women overthepastfourdecades. Life haschangeddramaticallyformany unchallenged. at work,todomesticabusethatgoes barriers toequality,fromdiscrimination require ustodomorebreakdownthe Achieving thatgoalforwomenwill opportunity toachievetheirpotential. succeed wheneveryonehasthe Labour believesthatBritainwillonly Introduction

domestic abuse seriously. domestic abuse seriously. the criminaljustice systemtakes family life,andtookactiontoensure that balance theirworkcommitments with childcare, supportingwomen and mento introduced paternityleave,and extended Government extendedmaternity rights, and inpubliclife.ThelastLabour tackle discriminationintheworkplace 2010 EqualityAct,wehavelegislatedto Discrimination Actsinthe1970sto From theEqualPayandSex organise theirlivesinthewaystheywant. women canachievetheirpotentialand and championingchangestoensurethat Labour hasaproudhistoryofsupporting remains anationalscandal. abuse, violenceagainstwomenandgirls call every30secondsaboutdomestic sexual violenceandthepolicereceivea relationships saytheyhaveexperienced them. Whenoneinsixteenagers outdated viewsandbehaviourtowards casual sexism,discriminationand life canreinforceongoingproblemsof portrayal ofwomeninculturalandpublic Many arealsoconcernedthatthenarrow commitments withfamilylife. men andwomentobalancetheirwork leave systemaremakingitharderfor childcare costsandanoutdatedparental women’s pockets.Lowpay,rising •  • Labour’s betterplanforwomen’sequality makes ourpubliclifepoorer. that theexclusionofwomen’svoices ensure fairnessbutbecauseweknow in publicandseniorroles,notonlyto lead byexamplewhenitcomestowomen domestic violence.Andwewillalways healthy relationships,andtotackle grandparents. Wewilldomoretosupport childcare andbetterleaveforfathers modern familylife,withmorefree place a system that reflects the realities of maternity discrimination.Wewillputin women andstrengtheningthelawon low payinthesectorsdominatedby We haveaclearplanforequality,tackling choices atworkandhome. living standardsandsupportpeople’s and betterpaidjobsweneedtoraise economy thatcreatesthemoresecure on thisrecordbyworkingforan The nextLabourGovernmentwillbuild hours a week. hours a week. three andfour yearoldsfrom15to25 free childcarefor workingparentsof balance workandcare,byextending Support womenandmento better October 2019. October 2019. Wage tomorethan£8anhour by women most,byraisingtheMinimum Address the low pay that affects

•  •  •  •  •  •  selection contests. selection contests. shortlists inLabourparliamentary through theuseofallwomen Lead byexampleinpubliclifeincluding refuges andRapeCrisisCentres. stable centralfundingforwomen’s sexual violence,andprovidingmore standards intacklingdomesticand commissioner toenforceminimum women andgirls,byappointinganew Step upactiontostopviolenceagainst relationship education. introducing compulsorysexand Support healthyrelationshipsby discrimination. the lawagainstmaternity the genderpaygapandstrengthening employees topublishinformationon requiring companieswithover250 Work toclosethegenderpaygap,by leave. share inparents’unpaidparental Consult onallowinggrandparentsto increase paternitypay. Double paidpaternityleaveand

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7 A better future for women 8 women for future better A •  •  In Britaintoday: discrimination atwork. access tojusticewhentheyface £1,200 lockingmanywomenoutof employment tribunalclaimantsofupto harder bytheintroductionoffeesfor workplace unfairnesshasbeenmade work forworkingpeople.Andtackling sharp endofaneconomythatdoesn’t insecurity, withwomenoftenatthe five years by a rise in low pay and Britain has been characterised in the last ethnicity, disability,orsexuality. only bytheirgender,butage, with manywomendisadvantagednot unfair treatmentfromtheworkplace, further togoeliminateallformsof years aftertheEqualPayActwehave most likely to be low paid. Over forty-five with thejobsdominatedbywomen millions trappedinpoorqualityjobs, chance of flexibility at work leaves progression opportunitiesforthe too often trading off decent pay and A workplaceculturethatleaveswomen 1. maternity discrimination. forced outoftheir jobeachyeardueto As manyas60,000 womenarebeing in lowpaidindustries. jobs forwomensince2010have been the LivingWageand60percent ofnew A quarterofwomennowearn below A fairdealatwork discrimination to make it harder for discrimination tomakeitharderfor strengthening thelawonmaternity discrimination intheworkplace, We willgofurthertotackle sectors. productivity andpayinlowpaying Commission tosetuptaskforces toraise with newpowersfortheLowPay retail andhospitalityarebettervalued, dominated bywomensuchascare, will domoretoensurethatsectors first year of the next Parliament. And we become LivingWageemployersinthe tax rebate for firms who sign up to We willpromotetheLivingWage,witha more than£8anhourbyOctober2019. raise theNationalMinimumWageto clear plantotacklelowpay,andwill women acrossthecountry.Wehavea further toimprovetheworkinglifeof The nextLabourgovernmentwillgo against discrimination. Equality Actstrengthenedprotection women acrossthecountry,and2010 Wage helpedliftthepayofmillions introduction oftheNationalMinimum to addressthesechallenges.The The lastLabourGovernmenttookaction •  tribunal fees. tribunal fees. introduction ofemployment by over80percentsincethe Sex discriminationclaimshavefallen

the taxpayer do not rise. the taxpayerdonotrise. get aquickerresolution,andthecoststo have properaccesstojustice,employers of reformstomakesurethatworkers employment tribunalfeesystemaspart it. WewillabolishthisGovernment’s face discriminationareabletochallenge Labour willensurethatthosewhodo Equality Act. discrimination provisionsofthe2010 protected, implementingthedual age, ethnicity,sexualityordisabilityare disadvantage atworkbecauseoftheir may facemorethanoneformof And wewillensurethatwomenwho gap intheirannualreport. 250 workerstopublishtheirhourlypay requiring companieswithmorethan action onthegenderpaygapby while onmaternityleave.Wewilltake employers todismissfemaleemployees •  •  •  •  Labour will: employment tribunalfeesystem. Abolish theTory-ledGovernment’s discrimination. Strengthen thelawagainstmaternity year ofthenextparliament. rebate for firms who sign up in the first Promote thelivingwagewithatax October 2019. to morethan£8anhourbefore Increase theNationalMinimumWage 1 1

9 A better future for women 10 women for future better A about how they balance work and care. about howtheybalanceworkandcare. too oftenrestrictsfamilies’choices services. Andanoutdatedleavesystem reduced openinghoursandcutsto many morearestandingemptydueto Sure Startcentreshavebeenlost,and up to£1,560ayear,whilehundredsof childcare throughtaxcreditsreducedby Families haveseensupportwith an increasingburdenonfamilies. have risenbyover30percent,placing In the past five years childcare costs providing somechildcare. and eightmilliongrandparentsare retire earlytocareforafamilymember, members. Nearlyoneintenwomen grandchildren, aswellforotherfamily with manyolderwomencaringfor increasingly anintergenerationalissue, ageing population,familycareis demands ofworkandfamily.Withan increasingly strugglingtobalancethe realities ofmodernlife,withparents system thathasnotcaughtupwiththe Families todayarefrustratedwitha 2.  Helping familiesbalanceworkandcare families. childcare, openingup50,000 placesto require children’s centres to offer National PrimaryChildcareService, and primary schools,backedupby anew childcare from8amto6pmthrough children alegalguaranteeofaccessto olds, giveparentsofprimaryschoolage working parentsofthreeandfouryear free childcarefrom15to25hoursfor available and affordable. We will extend Labour willdomoretomakechildcare be involvedinchildren’slives. grandparents whoincreasinglywantto childcare, andforfathers help families,withmoresupportfor Labour governmentwillgofurtherto first ever paid paternity rights. The next and maternityleave,broughtinthe Sure Start,expandedchildcaresupport The lastLabourgovernmentintroduced •  •  •  In Britaintoday: grandparents to provide childcare. grandparents toprovidechildcare. One inthreeworkingparentsrelyon ‘necessity ratherthanchoice’. they organiseworkandcareisthrough Half ofparentssaythatthecurrentway 750 fewerSureStartcentres. 40,000 since2010andthereareover Childcare placeshavefallenbyover their job. their job. take time off work without fear of losing unpaid parentalleave,enablingthemto grandchildren toshareinparents’ more involvedincaringfortheir allowing grandparentswhowanttobe support theyneed.Wewillconsulton caring forafamilymembergetthe And wewilldomoretohelpeveryone at theNationalMinimumWage. pay totheequivalentofafullweekswork paternity leave,andincreasing with theirnewbaby,doublingpaid We willgivefamiliesmoretimetogether •  •  •  •  •  Labour will: losing theirjob. to take time off work without fear of unpaid parentalleave,enablingthem their grandchildrentoshareinparents’ want tobemoreinvolvedincaringfor Consult onallowinggrandparentswho paternity paytoover£260aweek. weeks, andincreasethelevelof Double paidpaternityleavetofour children’s centres to offer childcare. childcare placesbyrequiringSureStart and openupanadditional50,000 We willprotecttheSureStartbudget, through theirlocalprimaryschool. access tochildcarefrom8am6pm, Give parentsalegalguaranteeof the banklevy. four yearolds,paidforbyanincreasein hours forworkingparentsofthreeand Extend freechildcarefrom15to25 2 2 11 A better future for women 12 women for future better A •  •  •  In Britaintoday: serious crimes. experts sayareinappropriatefor resolutions, aformofjusticewhich up, there is a worrying use of community rape anddomesticviolencearegoing fallen atatimewhenreportedcrimesof only haveprosecutionsandconvictions turned backonjusticeforwomen.Not In the last five years the clock has been offenders are properly punished. confronted withrobustlawsandthat and wehavefurthertogoensureitis is stillfartoorifeinourcommunities, them. Violenceagainstwomenandgirls tools theyneedtocriticallyaddress and oftensexistimages,withoutthe increasing proliferationofsexualised people areconfrontedwithan women andgirlswithrespect.Young violence, ourculturestillfailstotreatall From everydaysexismtounacceptable domestic violence. At least750,000childrenayear witness violence. say theyhaveexperiencedsexual One insixteenagersrelationships current orformermalepartner. Two womenaweekarekilledby 3.  Tackling violence againstwomenandgirls tolerance of violence and abuse. tolerance ofviolence andabuse. respectful relationships andzero teaching aboutconsent,online safety, the pressurestheyface.Itwill include bombarded withinthemedia, aswell stereotypes andimagesthey are the toolsandresiliencetonegotiate the education willhelpgiveyoungpeople of others.Sexandrelationships confidence to feel entitled to the respect relationships andhavetheself- importance ofequalandrespectful boys andgirls-needtounderstandthe attitudes andcultures.Ourchildren– preventative measureinchallenging believe thisisthemostimportant education inschools,becausewe compulsory sexandrelationships introducing age-appropriate We willworktopreventviolence, domestic andsexualviolence. minimum standardsinpreventing Commissioner toenforcenational and GirlsBill’,setupa first UK-wide ‘Violence against Women heart ofgovernment.Wewillpublishthe biggest priorities,puttingitbackatthe against womenandgirlsoneofits Government willmaketacklingviolence of domesticabuse.ThenextLabour prosecutors andcourtsdealwithcases transform thewaythatpolice, The lastLabourgovernmentworkedto Yarl’s Wood detention centre. Yarl’s Wooddetentioncentre. the allegationsofabusewomen at order anindependentinvestigation into their countriesoforigin.Andwewill or aresurvivorsoftorturerapein who are pregnant, victims of trafficking, detaining womenintheasylumsystem Labour willalsoendthepracticeof violence cases. widening accesstolegalaidindomestic funding forrapecrisiscentres,and Refuge Fund,providingstable by violence,establishingaNational to help women who have been affected has been identified. And we will do more proceed withtheircasewhereasuspect a reviewofpolicedecisionsnotto sexual exploitationtherighttodemand stored, andgivevictimsofrapechild suspects havetheirDNArecordedand changes toDNAretention,sothatrape unrestricted license.Wewillmake sexual violencewillnotbegivenan that peoplewithahistoryofdomesticor violence andtightengunlicenserulesso resolutions asaresponsetodomestic (FGM), bantheuseofcommunity to preventFemaleGenitalMutilation We willconsultonstrengtheningthelaw

•  •  •  •  •  Labour will: crisis centres. crisis centres. and providestablefundingforrape Establish aNationalRefugeFund recorded andstored. that rapesuspectshavetheirDNA Make changestoDNAretention,so in domesticviolencecases. Ban theuseofcommunityresolutions tackling domesticandsexualviolence. enforce minimumstandardsfor Appoint anewcommissionerto all schools. relationship educationcompulsoryin Make ageappropriatesexand 3 3

13 A better future for women 14 women for future better A use of all women shortlists in Labour use ofallwomen shortlistsinLabour representation, includingthroughthe measures toachieveabetter balanceof We willpromotepositiveaction the chancetoparticipateinpublic life. when itcomestoensuringwomen have Labour willcontinuetoleadby example •  •  • In Britaintoday: three-quarters male. Cabinet andGovernmentthatis action topushforwardequality,witha Democrats havestoodbackfromtaking The ConservativesandLiberal ambitions. their too oftenheldbackfromachieving explicit discrimination,womenare about whatwomencandoandbe,to poorer. Fromoutdatedstereotypes and afactthatleavesourpubliclife visible signofcontinuinginequality, positions ofpoweracrossoursociety,a Women remainunder-representedin FTSE boardsarewomen. Six percentofexecutivedirectors chief executives. councillors, andoneinfourcouncil Women makeupjustoneinthree women. of MPsinthelastparliamentwere MP waselectedlessthatonequarter Nearly 100 years after the first female 4. Equality in public life

people to achieve their potential. people toachievetheirpotential. face careersadvicethathelpsallyoung while atschool,puttinginplaceface-to- that girls’aspirationsarenotnarrowed engineering. Wewilldomoretoensure but under-representedinscienceand careers suchashospitalityandretail, still seewomenconcentratedinlowpaid because ofwhotheyare.Atpresent,we career or position should be off limits every girlgrowingupknowsthatno profile positions will help ensure that Better representationofwomeninhigh do notseeaction. considering theuseoflegislationifwe progress towardsboardroomequality, We willcontinuetodriveforward they serve. bodies looklikethecommunities that thepeoplewholeadourpublic appointments tobewomenensure a goalfor50percentofministerial representation onpublicboards,setting And wewillgofurthertoensureequal Party parliamentaryselectioncontests.

•  • •  Labour will: no ambitions are off limits. schools, ensuringthatgirlsknow Provide facetocareersadvicein boards tobewomen. ministerial appointmentstopublic Set a goal for fifty per cent of party parliamentaryselectioncontests. use ofallwomenshortlistsinLabour country itserves,includingthroughthe Parliament that better reflects the Remain committedtoachievinga 4 4 15 A better future for women PB 6902_15 Reproduced from electronic media, promoted by Iain McNicol, General Secretary, the Labour Party, on behalf of the Labour Party, both at One Brewer’s Green, London SW1H 0RH.

A better future for women 16