Women's Views on News |
| Assembly Women’s Week coming up Posted: 29 Feb 2016 11:07 AM PST
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mitchel McLaughlin, MLA, has announced that he will host the first "Assembly Women's Week" beginning on 7 March. The week will see a range of events held in the province’s Parliament Buildings all with the theme of supporting and increasing female participation: Facing the Challenge, Leading the Way: 6.30pm, 7 March, Long Gallery. Hosted by UTV’s Deputy Political Editor, Tracey Magee. ‘Facing the Challenge Leading the Way’ brings together three women who have played leading roles in some of the most challenging areas of recent Northern Ireland society and politics to discuss their experiences, female leadership, the obstacles women face and how they overcame them. Women on Board: 1.30pm, 8 March, Senate Chambers; chaired by Judena Leslie, Commissioner for Public Appointments. The demand for women to serve on corporate and public boards has never been greater. This Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust (NIABT) event, ‘Women on Board’ will give attendees the opportunity to put questions to experienced board members on gender equality and barriers and enablers that women face when taking up roles on boards in Northern Ireland. Seen and Heard: 5.30pm, 9 March, in the Long Gallery. Why are most commentators men? Where are all the women? Broadcasters regularly say that it is hard to find women to give their views on radio, television or in live debates. No matter how expert they may be in their field, many are hesitant to take part. 'Seen and Heard' will see Margaret E Ward, well-known entrepreneur, journalist and broadcaster, host a debate with prominent representatives from the world of broadcasting to discuss under-representation of women as commentators in the media and how it can be addressed. An Inclusive Commonwealth: 7pm, 10 March, in the Great Hall. To celebrate Commonwealth Day 2016, and as part of Assembly Women's Week, you are invited to attend 'An Inclusive Commonwealth'. Women from each of the five Commonwealth regions will speak about the importance of cultural inclusivity in Northern Ireland, and the role female leaders have to play. The event will also showcase music, dance and culture from throughout the Commonwealth. Know Your Power: 6.30pm, 11 March, in the Great Hall; a screening of the film 'Suffragette' followed by a conversation with Helen Pankhurst, great grand-daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst. The award winning film 'Suffragette' tracks the story of women who played an important role in the early feminist movement. Turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives in their fight for equality. Please email to register to attend any of these events. Announcing the Week, Speaker McLaughlin said: "During my time in office, I have sought to continue to highlight the need for greater female representation. "If the Assembly is to respect the community it represents it must better reflect the fact that the majority of our population is female. "The current level of only 23 female MLAs out of a total of 108 is simply indefensible. "There may be different views on how to address it but there can be no doubt that it requires dedicated effort from all of us including our institutions and wider society but there is also no political party that does not have more to do in this field. "There have been some very positive developments recently with the appointment of our first female First Minister, 40 per cent of Ministers in the Executive are now female and, closer to my own responsibilities, a majority of the elected representatives on the Assembly Commission are women. "However, this momentum cannot be maintained without vastly increasing the number of female MLAs in the Assembly. "Last year the Assembly and Executive Review Committee released a significant report on "Women in Politics". In order to continue to highlight this issue as we draw closer to the elections, I hope “Assembly Women’s Week” will provide a platform to debate the barriers that women face in a range of fields and to encourage women to put themselves forward. "I believe that "Assembly Women's Week" and some of the exciting initiatives which will be part of it will be an extremely positive way to draw this Assembly mandate to a close with a focus on an agenda which is vitally important to the future of our politics."  |
| The crisis facing the elderly and their carers Posted: 29 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST
The Political Studies Association Research Commission into the Crisis of Care in Austerity Britain will be reporting in September 2016 on the current crisis that is playing out in the provision of care for older people. The Commission aims to focus particular attention on the impact of austerity on those delivering care to older people. The crisis of care in Britain is intensifying, however it is largely discussed in terms of rising costs of care to the state, but rarely in terms of the costs to those engaged in doing this work. Low pay and poor conditions of work for those engaged in care work is a major concern, as is the wellbeing of those in their care. And the majority of care is performed by family members, including grandparents, with women making up a disproportionate share of these carers. The British welfare state has been important in organising, resourcing and delivering supporting care work in the country, and its contraction is having a significant impact on people's lives. Women in particular have borne the brunt of welfare restructuring, not just in terms of job losses but also because they have had to fill the gaps in social support which has been decimated as a result of cuts in state funded services. The Commission will focus on a number of issues, including: (a) an analysis of how care for older people is governed – especially in England – and identifying current shortcomings in public policy and areas of market failure; (b) the impact of the experience of caring on paid and unpaid carers and other family members; (c) a concern with how the experience of caring and being cared for plays out within Britain's black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and migrant communities – both within BAME households and for those employed in the care sector. The Commission’s public call for evidence is now open. If you would like to contribute evidence to the PSA Commission on the Crisis of Care in Austerity Britain then please read this document: Public Call for Evidence. Please submit responses and other documentation here. A one-day evidence-gathering event 'The Work of Care' will take place on 11 March 2016 at St Michael's House, Coventry. It will focus on the issues facing care workers and unpaid care workers and will bring together a range of speakers, including carers, care workers, academics and policy specialists. The chair and moderator for this event will be Belinda Phipps – chair of the Fawcett Society and co-chair of the PSA Research Commission on Care. To see the list of speakers, click here. The event is free and open to the public, but spaces are limited so please register by sending an email via this contact form.  |
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