Women: Rights Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateBaroness Williams of Crosby
Main Page: Baroness Williams of Crosby (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Williams of Crosby's debates with the Department for International Development
(11 years, 2 months ago)
Lords ChamberIs the Minister aware that this country was one of the first to pass an equal opportunities Act, but it was a long, slow process to move on from there to change the culture and attitudes not only in this country but world wide? Female genital mutilation is an example. Does she not think that progress is being made?
That sounds like a very good idea. Given that the noble Lord taught me history, perhaps he will take it forward.
My Lords, I thank my noble friend and the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, for their spirited responses in this brief discussion. I want to ask about one area where, sadly, the move towards equality has been extremely slow—the finance sector. Perhaps my noble friend can say something about what steps are being taken and how successful they are in increasing the proportion of women on the boards of major banks and other finance-sector companies.
We are pushing very hard to increase that. I note that the number of boards in the FTSE 100 that have no women on them has fallen to six, down from 21 in 2011. We are acutely aware of this.