Women's Views on News |
| Drop in applications to study midwifery Posted: 21 Dec 2016 03:16 PM PST
Applications for midwifery, nursing degrees and other allied health university courses have fallen by almost a quarter in England. Research conducted by the higher educational body Universities UK reported a shortfall of over 20 per cent that comes after the government announced plans last year to scrap the NHS bursary for student midwives and nurses. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) estimated that the government plans to axe the NHS bursary was likely to saddle student midwives with over £100,000 of debt. Debt that they will still be repaying in 2050. Some higher educational institutions have reported receiving almost 50 per cent fewer applications than this time last year. And a recent report in the The Times revealed that this year's drop in applications for midwifery and nursing degrees was 'twice that of other courses'. The shortfalls in applications are worst in London and the South East. Jon Skewes, director for policy, employment relations and communications at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: 'The RCM has spent the past 12 months warning the government of the potential impact removing the student bursary would have on application numbers. 'Sadly we can now see the effect we warned of and it is appalling that some higher education institutes in England are reporting receiving 50 per cent less applications for midwifery and nursing degrees than this time last year. 'The government claimed that the removal of the bursary would in create more than 10,000 new training places for midwives, nurses and other allied health students. 'The RCM, along with other trade unions, warned that this was a wreckless decision that would affect the midwifery shortage further – and unfortunately the research now confirms our worst fears. "Many potentially great future midwives have no doubt been deterred due to the financial costs now involved in becoming a midwife or a nurse. "We already know that many people who train to become midwives are those who already have a first degree, and women with children and other financial commitments already make up a large proportion of our current midwifery student base. "Since the plans were announced in November 2015 the RCM conducted a survey of student midwife members which revealed that a third (32 per cent) are already graduates when they start to train as a midwife. "Of those, three-quarters (73 per cent) borrowed when they studied for that degree. "To burden young women and men with such large amounts of debt that they will struggle to repay with a modest NHS salary is unjust and frankly just wrong. "Maternity services in the UK are already struggling due to a shortage of 3,500 midwives in England alone, this shortage is also likely to deepen if EU citizens currently working in the NHS lose their working rights post Brexit and now the damage of the Government decision to remove the student bursary is evident. "The RCM is deeply concerned that this will further affect the staffing shortage not only in our maternity services, but right across the NHS."  |
| Brexit, women’s rights and Europe Posted: 21 Dec 2016 03:11 PM PST
In August, the European Women's Lobby (EWL) met with British members to discuss the way forward after the BREXIT vote, and how to unite in fighting for the Europe we want – based on well-being, equality, social justice. And a society in which women's contribution to all aspects of life is recognised, rewarded and celebrated – in leadership, in care and in production; all women have freedom of choice, and freedom from exploitation; and no woman has been left behind. The purpose of the meeting was to build a shared understanding amongst women's organisations looking at how BREXIT has altered the landscape for women's rights and for organisations working for women and girls in the UK as well as those who work internationally. Various parties came together to pool information – and created a common action plan. Zarin Hainsworth, chair of the UK NGO CSW Alliance hosted the meeting. The CSW Alliance brings together the organisations in the UK which work domestically or internationally to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and who use United Nations processes such as the Commission on the Status of Women. Joanna Maycock, secretary general of the European Women's Lobby, speaking at the meeting, said the EU has put in place laws guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, equality in the workplace and minimum rights to maternity leave. However, she continued, despite the progress there is still a long way to go in achieving equality, as we saw in the results of the 2014 Gender Equality Index. Whilst the EU is far from perfect it is an essential international framework providing legislation, funding and opportunities for feminists to connect and innovate. The EU provides a crucial international space for women's organisations to address inequality and discrimination against women. Austerity, she continued, has been a disaster for Europe, and an even greater disaster for women who have been doubly impacted by cuts to public services such as schools and access to health services, precarious part time work and unemployment. The situation is even worse for migrant and ethnic minority women; for disabled women; for LGBT women and for younger women. What is more, women were practically absent from the conversation preceding the referendum as they are also sidelined in the discussion about the kind of Europe we are building. The debate preceding the referendum has bred a climate of fear, hate and violence. Racist attacks have increased since the results were announced. Mainstream parties have tried to neutralise the populists by copying their rhetoric. This has in turn served only to pull the debate further to the extremists, contributing to a terrifying level of racism and hatred of others. This is not the Europe we want, and we think it is not the kind of Europe most people in Britain want either. It is time for all progressives to stand up and be counted; to unite in fighting for the Europe we want. EWL is taking action. We are, she said, launching an initiative to map the far right political parties and movements across Europe to better understand and expose the misogynist and violent core of their messages and intent. We want to draw from that proposals for actions to counter that, with our progressive allies. There are so many issues to consider when it comes to the impacts of Brexit for gender equality and women's rights and we need to be smart in a place of great uncertainty about the terms and the outcomes of Brexit, she continued. Here are my initial thoughts: In general an absolute priority must be given to understanding and protecting all the women's rights that have been outlined in EU Law and directives AND transposed into UK law; UK women's organisations must continue to build and strengthen alliances and networks with European and international women's organisations for solidarity, information and joint work; Contribute to the broader fights against the far right across Europe which have a racist and misogynist agenda. We will be doing a study of the misogynist agendas of far right parties across Europe and using that as a platform to campaign. We need to work in solidarity with other movements in this regard; Set out a clear statement of demands to UK government about the negotiations and ensure that your sisters in Europe know that so we can use them towards our own governments – including free movement and women's rights. We need to make sure the rights of women are not undermined in the negotiations. Dr Roberta Blackman Woods, Labour MP for Durham, speaking about the impact of BREXIT on women, said 'It is predominantly men leading the 'Brexit' negotiations, and we need to make sure that women's rights are prioritised during these negotiations.' 'There are', she continued, 'many EU projects which support women in the UK, particularly related to employment including reskilling, retraining and initiatives to reduce the gender employment gap. 'I will be holding the government to account to ensure that these important schemes aren't lost, and I hope that the government will announce that they will be matching the funding for initiatives like these. 'I also expect the government to enshrine EU laws regarding equal pay and benefits for part time workers into UK law at the earliest opportunity; female part time workers outnumber their male counterparts almost three to one, so this is clearly a very important issue for gender equality in the workplace. 'We need all MPs, regardless of whether they voted to remain or leave, to sign up to continue to support worker's rights and women's rights going forward. And there is, she pointed out, 'definitely a role for civil society organisations to play in the 'Brexit' process, particularly in terms of advocating for women'. To read about the other discussions that were part of this meeting, click here.  |
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