Latest news with #WomenandEqualitiesCommittee
Leader Live
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP compares UK parental leave to European countries
MP for Wrexham Last week the UK Government announced a long-awaited review into the pay and leave that new parents can get after the birth of a child. The system has not been reviewed for years and in that time, peoples' working habits and families have changed. The Women and Equalities Committee recently reported that the UK's parental leave system was "one of the worst in the developed world" with "fundamental flaws". According to the campaign group The Dad Shift, one in three fathers take no paternity leave at all (paternity leave is currently 2 weeks in the UK) and despite shared parental leave being available, UK Government data shows that it is rarely taken. The UK system is also confusing to navigate with eight different types of parental leave available. Statutory maternity pay is less than half of the weekly National Living Wage for example. There are some interesting comparisons and approaches across Europe. In Spain for example, fathers can have 16 weeks at full pay, including for those who are self-employed. There is no cap on the salary paid. It means parental leave is now equal between parents in Spain. In Denmark, fathers including those who are self-employed, can take up to 24 weeks off work at full pay supported by the state. After eleven weeks, the remaining 13 weeks can be transferred to the birth partner to be used as extra maternity leave. Parents also have the option to postpone up to 13 weeks of parental leave until their child is aged nine. Research by the Centre for Progressive Policy found that there was a 4% decrease in the gender wage gap in countries with more than 6 weeks of paid paternity leave. Furthermore only 18% of people they surveyed felt that 2 weeks of paternity pay in the UK was enough. So, there is plenty to work on and to consider. The review is expected to take 18months. If you would like to raise anything with me about this issue or any other, please contact my office on 01978 788854 or email
New Statesman
14-06-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Do our politicians understand the supreme court's gender ruling?
Illustration by Gary Waters / Ikon Images It was ironic that Sarah Owen MP opened her public questioning of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) chair by telling the public that the Women and Equalities Committee prided itself on 'listening, understanding and challenging respectfully to find progress on the matters we hold dear'. Over the two-and-a-bit hours that followed, there was little respect shown and not much listening going on at all. The hostile tone was set from the start. What was Baroness Kishwer Falkner going to do to improve the damaged reputation and loss of public trust in the EHRC, Owen asked in the session on Wednesday (11 June). Falkner responded: 'it's a real pleasure to be here… I don't think I could agree with your characterisation of the EHRC, and I hope as the time goes on in the next two hours that I will be able to prove those sentiments with hard facts.' Then the facts came: rather than trust being damaged, Falkner argued, it had rocketed under her leadership from just 35 per cent of the public holding the EHRC in a positive light when she assumed her role in 2020 to 81 per cent now. The Women and Equalities Committee, of which Owen is chair, has regular sessions with the leaders of the EHRC. This particular meeting comes after the Supreme Court's judgment in April that sex in the Equality Act 2010 meant biological sex. Predictably the judgment and the EHRC's response to it dominated proceedings. But few MPs seemed to understand what the judgment actually meant, let alone what the law is. 'Please do not be fearful,' Baroness Falkner said, explaining that in spite of the ruling, trans people are still able to invoke the provisions on direct discrimination, harassment, and indirect discrimination. They had not lost any rights, she insisted, as had the Supreme Court justices. It took more than 45 minutes for the Women and Equalities Committee to mention 'women and girls'. That was left to Conservative MP Rebecca Paul, who, with Rosie Duffield, sat physically apart from and in stark contrast to the rest of the committee. 'You said trans people have not lost a right, but they have,' Catherine Fookes, Labour MP for Monmouthshire, responded. 'They've lost the right to use the toilet of their choice.' 'I think we have a slight danger here of shooting the messenger', Baroness Falkner replied, explaining to the committee that in fact that 'right' had never existed in law. 'The Equality Act has always had exemptions for separate and single-sex spaces' and that these 'limited people to using only those facilities of their biology.' 'Whose rights win?' Sarah Owen asked, trans people or women? 'Trans people' rights are not going to change,' Falkner explained again. 'Women haven't won new rights. What has happened here is that a statute – the [Equality] Act has been interpreted by the highest court in the land, and it has been clarified. The rights remain extant as they always were when Parliament… passed the Equality Act.' Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe It took the Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, Rachel Taylor, close to eight minutes to establish that it was not – under the law – possible to have a women's only walking club that included trans women. 'I think I'm clear on your answer that if I want to set up a women's walking association that excludes cis [non-trans] men, then I cannot include transgender women. Is that what you've said?' Falkner nodded in reply. During the exchange, Owen chimed in: 'How could you tell, and how could Rachel tell whether I was a cisgendered woman or whether I was a trans woman, can you tell Baroness Faulkner by looking at me?' 'I could make an informed judgment,' the EHRC chair replied. 'Society is not based on policing outside toilets,' she continued. 'Society is based on trust', Falkner explained, 'on trust that in a workplace which provides single-sex toilets, that the people who will use those toilets will generally… abide by that.' Responding to a question from Rosie Duffield about intimidation and bullying of EHRC members, Baroness Falkner's voice faltered with emotion. 'What bothers me more than my own personal security is that our staff should be able to come to a place and work in safety', she told the committee, 'and that has been somewhat lacking in the last several years.' She began to share a 'reflection' – comparing the 'dignified, respectful' responses of women who felt their rights had been threatened, to those advocating for trans rights. Women, Falkner said, had frequently used the 'last resort of a tribunal or a court to pursue justice for themselves or their loved ones.' Yet, while appreciating that trans people were a vulnerable group, 'the level of agitation they can cause in terms of personal attacks, libellous attacks, defamation,' and attacks on EHRC staff's family members stood in stark contrast. 'It has got to stop', Falkner said. During this impassioned statement, Owen cut her off, to audible gasps and shocked sighs of 'no' from some of those listening. The committee chair wanted to make sure there 'wasn't an inadvertent, unwitting tarnishing of all campaigners and activists'. Kishwer Falkner leaves the EHRC in November, as her (already extended) term ends. The government kept her in post for another year to provide stability in leadership of the equalities regulator. But the signs are that her preferred successor, Mary-Ann Stephenson, will receive no more civil a response from Owen's committee when they question her later in the year. Immediately after her candidature was announced on 5 June, trans rights activists began scouring for evidence of potential unsavoury views and behaviour. 'Dr Stephenson has a reputation for transphobia,' one Reddit user wrote, urging others to help compile a list of alleged misdemeanors. 'Please don't put vague things… it needs to be along the lines of 'she did transphobic thing X at date Y in location Z.' So far, the offences Stephenson has apparently committed include signing a couple of open letters in the Guardian in 2015 and 2017, defending the right to free speech and saying that women should not face violence for voicing their opinions, and in 2020 appearing on a podcast for feminist charity FiLiA and at a Woman's Place UK conference (where she spoke about women in the workplace). Stephenson also appears to have donated to lesbian barrister Allison Bailey's employment tribunal, in which she accused her chambers of discriminating against her for holding gender-critical beliefs, in part because it was unfairly influenced by Stonewall, Europe's largest LGBTQ charity. Even well-known trans campaigners have questioned whether this amounts to anything. 'There is no question that FiLiA has strong gender-critical tendencies, as had WPUK,' Steph Richards from TransLucent commented. 'However, FiLiA is a genuine feminist group with a wide range of campaigns. Likewise, the now-defunct WPUK was not a single-issue organisation… neither FiLiA nor WPUK are/were single-issue organisations dedicated to removing the human rights of trans people.' Regardless, a co-ordinated letter-writing campaign is underway to launch objections to Stephenson taking up the EHRC role. The clerk of the Women and Equalities Select Committee has responded almost immediately to those who have written to object, even taking the time to do so on a weekend. 'Thank you for writing to the Committee. The Committee notes your demands,' he said to one letter writer. 'The Committee expects to cover the concerns you raise when it meets with the EHRC next week,' he replied to another – something that appeared to have been borne out by the session with Baroness Falkner. In a further reply, the clerk pointed out that while 'select committees do not have power of veto in appointment hearings… if they really didn't like a candidate, a failure of the committee to support the appointment could make the government further reflect on whether to take it forwards.' To some, it might seem odd that anyone would object to Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson's candidature. She has impeccable credentials for the role: 30 years of experience working on equality and human rights issues within the UK and internationally, and a PhD in equality law. Before her current role as director of the Women's Budget Group, she has been director of the Fawcett Society, chair of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition and a board member of Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC). It will be up to Falkner's successor to make sure, following the Supreme Court judgment, that the new code of practice for service providers who have duties under the Equality Act is followed. The consultation on it has already received 5,000 responses, with a couple of weeks left to run. Falkner and John Kirkpatrick, the CEO of the EHRC who gave evidence alongside her, insisted they were in the mood for listening. But one thing it would not result in is a challenge to the highest court in the land. 'We are not going to issue a letter to government saying we think the Supreme Court has got this wrong and you need to establish a new Supreme Court,' Falkner made clear. 'That's not going to happen.' As MP after MP demanded to know how the EHRC was planning to win back the trust of trans people, Baroness Falkner made perhaps the most prescient point of the hostile encounter. 'I'm going to be slightly personal here,' she replied. The trans community, she said, supposedly had a great deal of trust in her predecessor, David Isaac, who had also been a chair of Stonewall. 'Perhaps we have to recognise that when people are lobbyists or advocates for a particular cause, the cause that they represent generates greater trust from that particular group.' But it was the EHRC's job to be impartial. 'Trust is something that we all want, but it is a commodity which is built up through credibility, impartiality and fairness.' If trans people accepted that the EHRC's job was to interpret the law of the land, then they will find the final code of practice is something they can trust, Falkner said. The session ended where it began, with Falkner civil, the chair, Sarah Owen otherwise. 'We're hoping that the settlement of this issue by the Supreme Court will lead to a calming down of the atmosphere,' Falkner said. Many share that hope. But committee hearings like this will certainly not help. [See more: Inside the SNP civil war] Related
7NEWS
11-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Nick Kyrgios loses high-profile Wimbledon commentary role after BBC ‘disgrace'
Nick Kyrgios appears set to miss Wimbledon entirely after it emerged he had been dropped by the BBC just days on from his latest injury setback. The 30-year-old has not played at the All England Club since losing the 2022 final to Novak Djokovic, having suffered a combination of knee, foot and wrist injuries. He had hoped to play doubles at the French Open but withdrew because of a knee injury and has since confirmed he would have to sit out the grass season. 'Just wanted to give everyone a quick update — l've hit a small setback in my recovery and unfortunately won't make it back for grass season this year,' Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. 'I know how much you've all been looking forward to seeing me out there, and I'm genuinely sorry to disappoint. 'This is just a bump in the road though, and I'm already working hard to get back stronger than ever. 'Thank you for all your continued support — it means everything to me. See you soon!' When Kyrgios missed Wimbledon through injury last year he picked up a commentary gig with the BBC alongside Australian tennis legend Ash Barty. But while Barty's return was greeted with much fanfare, it was a different story for Kyrgios as his 2021 court case involving former partner Chiara Passari returned to the spotlight. He was accused of pushing her to the ground but the case was dismissed by a magistrate. 'The BBC should hang its head in shame at this appointment,' Women and Equalities Committee chair Caroline Nokes said last year. 'It's a disgrace and shows the utter contempt our national broadcaster has towards women. 'Not content with consistently underpaying their own female staff and forcing out women once they hit a certain age, they now bring a man who admitted assaulting a woman on board for Wimbledon.' The BBC opted against taking action at the time but it has now been revealed Kyrgios will not return to the commentary team for 2025. The Australian's previously solid plans to appear in the tournament likely played a role in the split, though last year he was announced by the BBC before he had ruled himself out of playing. The BBC's decision not to re-sign Kyrgios comes just weeks after it was embroiled in controversy surrounding football legend Gary Lineker, who subsequently left his role as the public broadcaster's highest-paid presenter. Kyrgios has also not received a call-up to work for ESPN on its US coverage of Wimbledon, according to the Telegraph. He previously worked for the network at the Australian Open. Kyrgios has long seen the commentary booth as a career opportunity, with injuries over the past three years accelerating his path. He returned to the court in the Australian summer but still faces an uphill battle to resurrect his tennis career. The former world No.13 has played only four singles matches this year, claiming his first tour victory in two-and-a-half years at the Miami Open in March. His Wimbledon withdrawal means his first-round exit at this year's Australian Open will remain his only grand slam appearance — of a possible 11 — since the start of 2023. Last week, would-be French Open doubles partner Jordan Thompson gave an insight into how much Kyrgios had struggled with his luckless injury run. 'He was pretty down. He told me he doesn't know how much more of these injuries he can take, and you've just got to feel for him,' Thompson said. 'Because as much as he says things in the media, I think he loves playing tennis and he loves being on court, so it's disappointing that he can't be here on the court.'
The National
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK's paternal leave system 'one of the worst in developed world'
THE UK's paternal leave system is 'one of the worst in the developed world', a parliamentary report has warned. The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC), a cross-party group in the House of Commons, says that the system 'entrenches outdated gender stereotypes' and requires 'substantial change'. Introduced in 2003, statutory paternal leave allows new fathers to take up to two weeks of paid leave, with those eligible receiving £187.18 a week or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower. The report states that it is 'completely out of kilter with the cost of living', as this comes to below half of the National Living Wage and real Living Wage, in addition to being below rates in other European countries. READ MORE:Woman jailed in Scotland for sharing 'monkey torture' videos online The committee has called the two weeks' leave 'completely out of step with how most couples want to share their parenting responsibilities'. In comparison, Sweden entitles parents to 480 days of parental leave, which can be split into 240 days each if it's a parental team of two. Ninety days are reserved exclusively for fathers. Fathers in the UK do not have day-one right to paternity leave, unlike mothers. Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, called current paternity entitlement in the UK 'woefully insufficient and outdated'. (Image:) 'I would urge the UK government to overhaul statutory leave to 4-6 weeks and increase the statutory pay of £187.18/week or 90%, which should be more comparative with the increase in the cost of living and energy costs.' she said. 'Paternity Pay has to reflect modern family challenges yet it seems out of touch. Increasing paternity pay would be one way to incentivise couples to have bigger families as fertility rates have declined in recent years.' The SNP MSP, who also serves as convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee in Holyrood, noted that the Scottish government provides a baby box for parents with new babies. The report suggests several recommendations, including calling on parliament to pave the way towards increasing paid statutory paternity leave to six weeks, which it calls a 'medium-term objective'. It recommends a phased introduction of increases to statutory pay across the system to bring rates for all working parents up to 80% or more of average earnings or the real Living Wage. The WEC's report also looks at reforming shared parental leave, which allows up to 50 weeks of a mother's statutory leave and 37 weeks of her pay entitlement to be transferred to the father/co-parent within the first year. While beneficial to those who can access it, it is not universal, with the report urging that the scheme be made accessible to self-employed fathers. It also calls the shared parental leave system 'extremely difficult for most parents and their employees to understand.' Campaigners from The Dad Shift, who call for improved paternity leave in the UK, are set to picket outside Holyrood and in London on Wednesday afternoon.
Epoch Times
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Paternity Leave in UK One of Worst in Developed World, Committee Finds
The UK has 'one of the worst leave offers in the developed world for fathers,' according to a report by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC). The WEC It also found that the UK's rate of statutory paternal pay is 'completely out of kilter with the cost of living' and has not kept pace with inflation. WEC Chairwoman and Labour MP Sarah Owen She said the system is 'in urgent need of an overhaul to fit with the reality of working parents' lives,' and that reform must start with longer and better paid paternity leave. The report came ahead of the government's review of paternal leave entitlement and as the Employment Rights Bill moves through the House of Lords. International Comparisons The committee examined evidence from other models for parental leave around the world, finding that Nordic countries in particular have far more generous paternal leave terms. Related Stories 6/9/2025 5/30/2025 Norway, for example, introduced four weeks of non-transferable leave and pay for fathers in 1993. Today, parental leave for mothers and fathers is paid at 100 percent of earnings for 46 weeks, or 56 weeks at 80 percent, both with an upper cap. Spain has transformed its system in recent years after starting in a similar place as the UK. The country introduced 13 days of paid paternity in 2007, and between 2017 and 2021, gradually increased this to 16 weeks, equal to maternity leave and paid at 100 percent of earnings. Spain also made six weeks of that leave compulsory for mothers and fathers. The WEC said they heard from experts who recommended that the UK should similarly consider making a period of paternity leave compulsory, 'as a way of shifting the culture and challenging gendered stereotypes around family responsibilities.' Day 1 Paternity Leave Rights The WEC has called on the government to draw on lessons from Spain's reform of paternal leave, and incrementally increase the period of paid leave for fathers to six weeks over the course of this Parliament. The committee also urged ministers to remove the requirement that men must be employed for at least 26 weeks before being entitled to paternity leave, saying it should be available from the first day of employment. Commuters on London Bridge on Jan. 22, 2024. Victoria Jones/PA Wire Lack of paternal leave provision for self-employed fathers was also deemed 'deeply unfair,' with MPs calling for the introduction of a paternity allowance, similar to maternity allowance for self-employed mothers. The report also highlighted the flaws of Shared Parental Leave (SPL), which allows for parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave, so one or both parents can decide when to take leave in a more flexible way. The committee said SPL was 'extremely difficult for most parents and their employers to understand,' and called for it to be simplified and made more financially attractive to boost uptake. Reform Needed The WEC chairwoman said, 'It's essential the Government's proposed review addresses the system's fundamental failings, including low statutory pay, inadequate leave periods for fathers and others, exclusion of many working parents and guardians, plus design flaws and unnecessary complexity in the Shared Parental Leave scheme.' Owen called on ministers to commit to meaningful reforms in the medium term, 'with a view to going further towards a more gender equal parental leave system.' She said: 'Tinkering around the edges of a broken system will let down working parents. While much-needed substantial change to our paid parental leave system will require considerable financial investment, this would be outweighed by wider societal and economic benefits.' Responding to the recommendations of the report, a government spokesperson told The Epoch Times: 'This government is committed to making sure parents receive the best possible support to balance their work and home lives as part of our Plan to Make Work Pay. 'We know the parental leave system needs to be improved and will be carrying out a review to ensure it best supports working families, and through our Employment Rights Bill we will remove the 26-week continuity of service requirement for paternity leave.' The government said that as part of its review, it will consider all current parental leave entitlements, including paternity leave and pay and the length of leave available to fathers.
