Pippa Bartolotti, Wales Green Party leader, offered the opinion that, as she saw it, ’despite all the changes we have seen in our modern world – women are still very much seen as 2nd class citizens’.
Speaking with The Herald, she said: “I have spent most of my life in a male dominated world, and I can tell you right now that not a lot has changed in 50 years. Women in Wales are still subject to the gender class system and currently receive 16.5% less in our pay packet than a man doing the same job. You don’t have to be a feminist to see that this is wrong on every level.”
She went on to say how her party viewed the topic, saying: “Fortunately almost every man belonging to the Green Party is a feminist, and that, along with a duty not to trash the environment on which we all depend, is why I joined up. Greens would abolish the gender pay gap for good. True equality is a long time coming, and it will not be handed to us on a plate. Until we resist this type of repression, we will never succeed in eliminating any other form of repression.”
Shadow Education Minister for Plaid Cymru Mid and West, AM Simon Thomas, was keen to discuss gender equality in terms of education and the current job market, saying: “As a father of a son and daughter I wanted to ensure that both had the same start in school. As an Assembly Member I want to make sure education attainment in Wales does not rely if you are a boy or girl or from what background you come from.
“One main issue for Plaid is breaking the link between poverty and exam results. The Fair Foundations programme is running across Wales in 15 of the 22 local council areas, including Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. An advisor works with schools and helps develop how to promote gender equality in classrooms. In a speech at Chwarae Teg’s first education conference last month on embedding gender equality in primary education I called for a non-gendered curriculum which empowers teachers to be flexible and challenging in the classroom and which will have space in which to explore these ideas. The Welsh Government can ensure that we understand the gender ratio for programmes such as Jobs Growth Wales, apprenticeships and work experience. The new obligation which the Assembly has just placed on universities to produce fee and access plans can be used to encourage better female recruitment into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. Plaid Cymru is seeking powers over Job Centre Plus so we can do more work to support young women in the job market. Between 19-24, young women are more likely to be NEETs (not in employment, education or training) than men. This is often because of caring or family responsibilities so our programme for the Welsh Government also includes an entitlement to full time school for three and four year olds and more support for childcare.”
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