Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Article 4 (General Recommendation 5, 25) - Temporary special measures to accelerate equality Special measures to accelerate equality In their 7th Periodic Report the Government (GEO) state that “the UK Government has introduced a number of special measures to improve equality between women and men and to facilitate gender mainstreaming during the reporting period through legislative and other measures.” However, we are not convinced that these include temporary special measures that result in substantive equality for women. The CEDAW principles on temporary special measures and General Recommendation 25 1 have not fully been utilised. Several of these measures have officially been announced but not made compulsory and our analysis shows that the Government is not prepared to introduce binding temporary measures. 2 For example the Government has introduced agreements with private industry to combat the gender pay gap but these are voluntary and ineffective. 3 (See Article 11 for more information) Temporary special measures such as women-only services and ring-fenced or special funding for women’s rights work would be a positive step towards realising CEDAW in the UK and should be explored. The monitoring of special measures that have been introduced is also not adequate and there are limited mechanisms in place to monitor their implementation or to measure their progress in accelerating equality for women. Recommendation: The Government must introduce further temporary special measures to address discrimination against women after recommendations from the UN and others, and the success of this in other countries Proportionate action needs to be taken to address the discrimination faced by women from the most marginalised and minority groups such as disabled women, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma women and migrant women, as this is where the largest impact can take place. However, very few temporary special measures have been introduced that focus on specific groups of women or affirmative action policies that have impacted on their rights. Women-only shortlists The Government has extended the ability for political parties to use women-only shortlists until 2030 4 alongside other voluntary action and encouragement. However, this does not constitute binding temporary special measures that will lead to substantive change and does not address 1. CEDAW General Recommendation No. 25 on article 4, paragraph 1, on temporary special measures (twentieth session, 1999) http://www. un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/recommendations/General%20recommendation%2025%20%28English%29.pdf 2. For example Fontanella-Khan, J. (2012) ‘UK fights Brussels on female board quotas’, Financial Times, 4th September 2012 http://www. ft.com/cms/s/0/b4146a14-f6b6-11e1-827f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2OBj6nD7B 3. Bird, A. (2012) ‘Gender pay gap is still too big’, The Guardian, 16th June 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/16/ gender-pay-gap-audits 4. CEDAW 55th session (2013) List of issues and questions with regard to the consideration of periodic reports: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Addendum: Replies of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the list of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of its seventh periodic report, 5th February 2013 http://www2.ohchr.org/English/bodies/cedaw/docs/ CEDAW.C.GBR.Q.7.Add.1.pdf 44 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013
the institutional discrimination and barriers to women’s participation and progression. Positive discrimination against women through the use of quotas has been discussed by the European Commission. 5 However, the UK Government has been vocal 6 about its objection to introducing binding temporary measures to promote women’s equality even though they have proved successful elsewhere and are supported by UN Women. 7 (See Article 7 for more information) 5. BBC News (2012) ‘EU defends women-on-boards plans’, BBC News Business, 14th November 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ business-20322317 6. Mason, R. (2012) ‘Female quotas ‘negatively affect’ business, says minister’, The Telegraph, 17th October 2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/politics/9615292/Female-quotas-negatively-affect-business-says-minister.html 7. The Indian Express (2012) ‘Enacting women’s quota bill will send a strong message: UN’, 3rd October 2012 http://www.indianexpress.com/ news/enacting-womens-quota-bill-will-send-a-strong-message-un/1011423 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013 45
Page 1 and 2: Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Page 5 and 6: Appendices (online only) Appendix 1
Page 7 and 8: • the continued discrimination ag
Page 9 and 10: • Develop a common model of analy
Page 11 and 12: Article 9 - Nationality: One third
Page 13 and 14: investment in social infrastructure
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10.46 10.47 10.48 applications (fig
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11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Article 11 - Em
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11.8 11.9 are 754,000 women working
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11.24 11.25 11.26 per week or they
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11.31 11.32 11.33 Introducing more
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11.37 11.38 Case study: 83 Jasmine
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11.42 11.43 11.44 11.45 At the 2012
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12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 of women and en
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12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 Translators
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12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 Barriers to
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12.25 12.26 12.27 12.28 Gypsy and T
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12.34 12.35 12.36 12.37 Older women
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12.41 12.42 Recommendations: • Th
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12.47 12.48 12.49 12.50 they are at
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12.55 12.56 12.57 Case studies: 128
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12.60 12.61 12.62 12.63 12.64 hospi
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13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Article 13
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13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 children ne
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13.25 13.26 13.27 13.28 because in
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13.32 13.33 Case study: 57 “As a
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13.36 13.37 allocation of resources
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13.41 13.42 Homelessness, including
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13.47 13.48 BME women would be left
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13.52 13.53 13.54 13.55 with some l
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13.60 13.61 13.62 effect to their p
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14.6 14.7 14.8 disabled and lesbian
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14.14 Gypsy and Traveller women suf
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15.14 15.15 15.16 purport to be vic
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15.28 15.29 15.30 15.31 has not pro
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15.35 15.36 behaviour by male priso
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16.5 16.6 people being forced into
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16.21 16.22 frequently women’s ac
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Recommendations: • Parents with c
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19.6 19.7 19.8 as well as for our c
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19.13 19.14 19.15 19.16 The Governm
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19.22 19.23 19.24 19.25 VAWG is a c
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19.30 19.31 19.32 19.33 DV is still
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19.38 19.39 19.40 perpetrators thro
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19.43 19.44 19.45 Support for victi
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19.49 19.50 19.51 19.52 Recommendat
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19.57 19.58 19.59 19.60 BMER VAWG p
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19.62 19.63 19.64 19.65 VAWG in hea
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19.70 19.71 19.72 Invisibility of s
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19.77 19.78 19.79 A number of repor
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19.85 19.86 means more provision. T
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Annex 1: The Devolved Administratio
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to 41.8% of rural men. 16 Rural are
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Annex 2: The UK’s relationship wi
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Annex 3: UK reservations and declar
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ESA - Employment and Support Allowa
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Annex 5: Acknowledgements Many than
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Women’s Resource Centre is suppor
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Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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