Gender Edit of Manifestos for Elections, May 2021

This ‘gender edit’ of political party manifestos in pulls out policies in five key policy areas included in our Manifesto for Closing the Gap on gender inequality in Wales.

It is not intended to give chapter and verse on what the parties promise across the spectrum for women, as many other policies will impact them, however it includes those policies which explicitly reference women or women’s equality and are within the scope of our five key policy asks of: • prioritising women’s health • high quality childcare and caring provisions for all • diverse representation and legally binding gender quotas • enshrining the UN’s CEDAW convention into welsh legislation and policy • ending violence against women and girls

The gender edit makes no comment, analysis, or critique on the commitments of the parties but has collated the key policy promises so that all commitments relevant to women’s equality can be seen in one place. Where there is no commitment relevant in a policy area, the column is left blank.

This ‘gender edit’ is based on the manifestos of those parties that are polling above 2% in either constituency or regional list seats for the Senedd elections on 6th May 2021.1

1 The March Welsh Political Barometer Poll, https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/electionsinwales/2021/03/22/the-march-welsh-political-barometer-poll/ 1

WEN Wales Plaid Cymru2 Wales Green Welsh Welsh Labour5 Welsh Liberal Abolish the Policy Ask Party3 Conservatives4 Democrats6 Assembly7 / Reform UK8

Prioritise Tackle pregnancy Highlighting the Create a mother Create a fairer Agree with Women’s and maternity great injustice of and baby unit in NHS, focusing on workforces and Health discrimination in levels of economic North Wales for health inequalities patients a range the workplace by & health inequality mums with severe and preventable of NHS and social supporting the in Wales, worsened post-natal mental harms. care recovery call to legislate to by Westminster- health challenges plans to ensure add reporting of imposed austerity, Embed period that people who retention rates for contributing to the Deliver dedicated dignity in schools have had their women returning high number of mother and baby and care delayed or from maternity deaths in Wales units in both expand our free impacted are leave to the from the pandemic. North and South period provision in supported as existing gender Wales communities and quickly as pay gap regime. Increase funding the private sector. possible, for areas of the including specific Will work to NHS heavily relied approaches for support parents’ on by Lesbian, conditions and mental health by Gay, Bisexual, illnesses such as extending and Trans, Intersex, cancer. standardising Queer and Asexual access to (LGBTIQA+) Welsh Liberal

2 manifesto: Let us face the future together: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/plaid2016/pages/10962/attachments/original/1618308502/Plaid_Cymru_Manifesto_2021_ENGLISH.pdf?1618308502 3 Wales manifesto: Transform Wales https://greenparty.click/Wales%20Green%20Party%202021%20Senedd%20Election%20Manifesto%20English.pdf 4 Welsh Conservative manifesto: A Plan for Recovery and Change: https://www.conservatives.wales/sites/www.conservatives.wales/files/2021- 04/2021%20Senedd%20Manifesto_Wales%20ENGLISH.pdf 5 manifesto: Moving Wales forward: https://movingforward.wales/documents/WEB-14542_21-Welsh-Labour-Manifesto_A5.pdf 6 Welsh Liberal Democrat manifesto: Put Recovery First (plain text version) https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/ldwales/pages/4055/attachments/original/1618513049/2021_Manifesto.pdf?1618513049 7 Abolish Statement of Policy: https://www.abolishthewelshassembly.co.uk/abolish-launches-statement-of-policy-for-senedd-elections-2021/ 8 Reform UK: Contract with the people of Wales: https://reformparty.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Reform-UK-Wales-Senedd-2021-Contract-with-the-People-of-Wales-2.pdf

perinatal health people, including Democrats will services across trans healthcare, continue to Wales, including HIV treatment and develop access to mental health telemedicine and specialist mother provision. remote and baby units consultations, within Wales. including for abortion advice Establish an and the Welsh additional service Gender Service. in North Wales to help families who need access to acute perinatal support.

Ending Make the Develop and Expand services Strengthen the Establish a Violence reporting process implement a and ensure Violence against commission to against of sexual Wales-wide increased Women, Domestic determine what Women and violence and strategy to tackle sustainable Abuse and Sexual education, justice, Girls (VAWG) abuse as gender-based funding for Violence Strategy and council straightforward violence, including prevention, to include a focus services can do to as possible, domestic violence, protection and on violence against create a safer, ensuring that all rape and sexual support for women in the street fairer society for incidents are abuse, Female women who have and workplace as women and girls. investigated and Genital Mutilation experienced well as the home. that all survivors (FGM), and domestic abuse Safeguard are offered the trafficking. This will and sexual Expand the ‘Ask funding for support of an include providing violence. and Act’ and ‘Don’t specialist services Independent education across be a Bystander’ for victims of Sexual Violence Wales on violence Support training and violence to Advisor. against women and communities to awareness adequately girls to increase challenge campaigns. meet anticipated Ensure that all awareness. violence against demand during victims and women, domestic Gender inequality and after the survivors have abuse and sexual is still an pandemic. Ensure the access to well- violence in all its entrenched effective delivery of funded forms, especially unfairness and Deliver the full the Violence

counselling Against Women, through utilising violence against recommendations services. Domestic Abuse education. women, domestic in the Gender and Sexual abuse and sexual Equality review to To complement Violence (Wales) Adopt a zero- violence remains achieve a these policies, a Act 2015. tolerance culture all too common. fundamental shift Plaid Cymru across Welsh We want to make in policy, Government will Government to Wales the safest budgeting, create an arms- Provide sustainable ensure place in Europe to procurement, and length Criminal funding for no discrimination be a woman. commissioning. Justice Research domestic violence on the basis of Institute in order support centres, sex, gender, Ensure the to embed refuges and rape sexual regular reporting academic crisis centres, orientation, of sexual expertise on including funding to ethnicity, harassment and justice and provide more safe language, religion hate crimes community and secure or motivated by safety in the accommodation for disability misogyny and Welsh women and their ensure that Police policymaking children. and Crime process. Commissioners Train school staff in act upon them. Ensuring ticket spotting and fares and stopping sexual Ensure that the provision don’t harassment and duty on public only favour bullying, to ensure services to Ask ‘traditional’ that schools are and Act in relation working and safe places for all to violence travel to learn in with against women patterns, and specific training on and girls is used public service identifying racism, and embedded providers are homophobia, across our trained on sexual transphobia, communities, harassment in misogyny and including the public spaces. attacks on disabled private sector people such as hotels and night clubs. Gaining more support for the Extend the duty to

Welsh Ask and Act Government’s beyond the public strategy on sector in relation Violence Against to Violence Women, Domestic Against Women, Violence and Domestic Abuse Sexual Violence and Sexual (VAWDVSV). Violence (Wales).

Welsh control of We believe in an justice and policing approach that could more prioritises the comprehensively protection of sex support this workers, making strategy. the industry safer and reducing Reclassifying harm. misogyny as a We will: hate-crime to help ● Adopt the women feel safer in Merseyside our communities. model across police forces treating crimes against sex workers as hate crimes and working closely with sex work projects that offer services such as harm reduction, counselling, and outreach. ● Make use of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors to act as intermediaries

where sex workers have been victims of crime. ● Provide funding for services to adopt multi- disciplinary and case management approaches to reduce harm.

High quality Establish world- Adapting working Expand free Roll out baby Introduce childcare and class early years life with the childcare bundles for new universal free caring education and flexibility to work provision to parents to more part-time provisions for childcare, offering from home and a two-year-olds. families. We will childcare from 9 all 30 hours a week, broader definition also fund childcare months to school free for all of work so that Help those on the for more families age, expand children from 24 domestic and other lowest incomes where parents are provision of months to school caring work is by funding a in education and before and after age, regardless of equally valued. Our programme for training. school care and the family’s work economy depends children in receipt introduce status. upon care and of free school We will continue to universal part- support for healthy meals to cover all support our time holiday care We will establish working lives and school holidays flagship Flying for 5-13 year olds a national free, communities and for the whole of Start programmes Welsh-medium this should be the next Welsh for children in some Equalise pay and early years reflected in our Parliament term. of our most conditions across education and economic deprived the social care childcare service, arrangements and Delivering communities. sector, ensuring Meithrin Cymru, taxation effective and Launch a National that all care giving high quality compassionate Social Care workers are paid provision for Supporting good social care is one Framework to set the Real Living children aged 12 quality services as of the greatest fair commissioning, Wage.

months until they part of financial challenges and fair workforce are eligible for full security and responsibilities conditions, and a Streamline social time education. equality, especially facing more balanced care services and for women who governments as care market practices, working We will invest in often take the people continue between public, towards the the childcare burden of unpaid to live longer. We voluntary, and creation of a workforce, caring work. We will develop a private providers. single National including will work for plan for We will legislate to Care Service and increasing the services that are sustainable social strengthen the integration of number of free at the point of care for the future partnerships to health and care in degree-qualified access, and are by establishing a deliver better Wales. nursery teachers. supported by Cross Party integrated care and positive health and Commission to health, paying Implement wide- Parents should be quality of life consider long- attention to the ranging changes supported to take measures. term sustainable responses to our to commissioning, periods of leave funding solutions White Paper on giving more that reflect Providing social for social care, Rebalancing Care power to local modern working support for and guarantee to and Support. The commissioners, practices, disabled people, provide Framework will and to people including flexible older people and parliamentary deepen themselves to working. We will carers, early and time to deliver its collaboration with source their own support a legal quickly so that all recommendations the voluntary sector services. ban on employers can have fulfilled . and identify making a woman lives. priorities for post- Committed to redundant during Covid Wales. trialling a pregnancy, and Safeguarding the Universal Basic Help prevent until six months NHS as free at the Income (UBI). families breaking after return from point of delivery, up by funding maternity leave, fully in public advocacy services other than in very hands, and aligning for parents whose limited social care with children are at risk circumstances. NHS provision. of coming into care.

Seek the And we will invest £20m to provide devolved powers Advocating for the to replace additional specialist immediate support for children Carer’s Allowance introduction of a with a Universal with complex

Carers Income – Universal Basic needs who may be non-means tested Income (UBI). on the edge of and equal at least UBI supports care. We will to the level of Job people to explore Seekers contribute to opportunities for Allowance society through radical reform of - for all carers caring activity. current services for providing more children looked than 35 hours after and care of care. leavers. We will continue to support We believe that and uphold the paid statutory rights of parental leave, to unaccompanied be taken by one asylum-seeking parent or shared, children and young should be people extended from the current 39 weeks to 52 weeks. We will continue to push for full devolution of competencies to provide a seamless transition between the end of paid parental leave and eligibility for access to our national childcare offer.

Guaranteed minimum wage of £10 an hour

for care workers.

Build a National Health and Care Service where personal care is free at the point of need.

Reform the care assessment process so it focuses on identifying personal care need, and is no longer based on arbitrary definitions of ‘health’ or ‘social’ care.

Over the next five years we will hold roadshows throughout Wales serving the dual purpose of promoting healthier lifestyles and promoting care careers.

Improve the quality of care by ensuring health and social care staff have

access to Continuing Professional Development.

Improve the ability of people including vulnerable groups such as people with dementia and young children to access care in Welsh.

Legally We aim to Replacing ‘First Adopt a zero We will build on the We are committed binding achieve a 50:50 Past the Post’ with tolerance culture work of the Senedd to improving the gender gender balanced a proportional across Welsh Committee on diversity of our Senedd, at the voting system in Government to politics. Whilst quotas and same time Wales. Wales ensure no and develop progress towards positive increasing Green Party discrimination on proposals to gender balance in action for representation of welcomes the the basis of sex, improve the the Senedd is increased people of colour, report ‘A gender, sexual representation of laudable, it is diversity LGBT+, disabled Parliament that orientation, the people of fragile. The and working-class works for Wales’ ethnicity, Wales in their representation of women. published in language, religion Parliament. women in local November 2017 of or disability government trails We will implement the Expert Panel Work with partners significantly the on Assembly to establish an behind the recommendations Electoral Reform, equalities legal Senedd and not of the Expert chaired by service to provide once in its twenty- Panel on Professor Laura support on unfair or year history has a Assembly McAllister, and discriminatory woman of colour Electoral Reform, supports its employment been elected to in particular on recommendations: practices. the Senedd. Single ● The Assembly We will explore Disabled people

Transferable should be legislation to are routinely shut Voting, gender expanded to address pay gaps out of politics at quotas and between based on gender, all levels. That expanding the 80 and 90 sexual orientation, has to be Senedd. members ethnicity, disability, addressed and ● Assembly and other forms of we are ready to We will make the Members should discrimination and play our part in Senedd’s be elected from ensure public tackling that electoral system multi-member bodies and those deficit. more proportional constituencies of receiving public in a way that will between four and funding address We will: promote six members by a pay disparities. ● Introduce a achievement of single-transferable programme of this goal. vote We will implement Citizens’ or flexible list targets around Assemblies, We will create a system Gender Budgeting tasked with cabinet-level post ● Gender quotas so that all decisions understanding, of Minister for should be by a Welsh agreeing, and Equalities and introduced Government are shaping Women’s ● Candidates seen through a recommendations empowerment should be able to gender lens. and actions to dedicated to stand for election Create a Race tackle the big implementing the to the Assembly on Disparity Unit issues facing our recommendations the basis of alongside an country in the of the Gender transparent Equality Data Unit years ahead. This Equality Review job-sharing. to ensure an could include in full. inclusive evidence social care base to inform funding, the We will set decision making in climate challenging government. emergency, and targets for public spending. public sector We will expand our ● Increase the recruitment for Access to Elected number of ensuring Office programme Members of the people with to encourage more Senedd to diverse Women, Black, between 80-90 characteristics Asian, and Minority ● Introduce the are visibly Ethnic and disabled Single

represented in people to stand for Transferable Vote government at elected office. for all elections in all levels – with Wales. a particular We will implement ● Ensure focus on the the sufficient funding under- recommendations for programmes representation of Reflecting Wales which support of women and in Running Wales: people not people of Diversity and traditionally colour in senior Inclusion Strategy represented in positions. for Public politics to access Appointments in public office, Wales (2020- 9 including tackling We will reduce 2023). harassment, the gender pay bullying, and gap by discrimination in increasing the public life. pay for social care workers, awarding real term wage increases for NHS workers, ending zero- hours contracts, and including the provision of gender balance in public procurement contracts.

9 Accessible here: https://gov.wales/diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-public-appointments

Enshrine the Enshrine the Incorporate the Incorporate UN UNs United Nations’ United Nations Conventions, Convention Convention on Convention for the such as the UN the Elimination of Elimination of all Convention on on the all Forms of forms of the Rights of Elimination of Discrimination Discrimination Disabled People all Forms of Against Women against Women (UNCRDP), the Discriminatio (CEDAW) into and the UN UN Convention n Against Welsh law. Convention on the on Elimination of Women Rights of Disabled all Discrimination (CEDAW) into People into Welsh Against Women law. (CEDAW), the Welsh International legislation Covenant on and policy Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the UN Principles for Older People, into Welsh law.

About WEN Wales: Our vision is a Wales free from gender discrimination. A Wales where all women and men have equal authority & opportunity to shape society and their own lives. To add your voice to our movement, join us as a member for free.

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