The main political parties have a lot of work to do if they’re going to win the votes of women in the general election.
Female wellbeing is falling faster in the UK than in the EU, with UK women sadder and more stressed out. Young women have become the highest-risk group for mental ill health. And just last year, 92% of women surveyed by Adidas said they felt concerned for their safety on a run.
We’ve had 14 years of Conservative rule, the party that has always claimed to have women’s rights at the forefront. They have had three female prime ministers: Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990), Theresa May (2016-2019), and Liz Truss (2022), who lasted an embarrassing 44 days in office. But can this really be celebrated if all our instances of female leadership simply lead to more instability and chaos?
Now that all manifestos have been released, let’s take a look at what Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party claim they will do for women in the run-up to the general election on 4th July…
The Labour Manifesto
Women and work
- Labour says equality is at ‘the heart’ of their missions and they plan to ‘make work pay’.
Reproductive healthcare and maternity rights
- The party has pledged to strengthen rights to equal pay and protections from maternity and menopause discrimination and sexual harassment.
- They have promised to train thousands more midwives with the aim of closing the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap.
Violence Against Women and Girls
- Labour party has a “straightforward vision for policing and criminal justice”. They say they will reintroduce visible neighbourhood policing, and introducing a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, funded by tackling waste, to make the streets safer for women and girls.
- It will also says it will introduce specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force, as well as introduce domestic abuse experts for victims to speak to specialists.
Online safety
- Labour plans to strengthen Stalking Protection Orders and give women the right to know the identity of online stalkers.
- They acknowledge an increase in misogynistic content online driving a culture of violence against women, and plan to “build” on the Online Safety Act.
The Conservative Party Manifesto
Women and work