International Women’s Day

Baroness Northover Excerpts

Friday 8th March 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Northover (LD)]

My Lords, I am glad that we have a debate for International Women’s Day and I thank the Minister for opening it. It was not always like this: the noble Baroness, Lady Gale, will recall her battles in the Labour period to ensure that we had this debate. I and some others joined her in that. I then needed to do the same in the coalition, and I said, “It’s automatic, or it should be”. As a Minister, I found myself opening or winding on several of these debates—which have become automatic. We owe a lot to the noble Baroness, Lady Gale, for making sure that this is the case.

As we heard, this debate is still very much needed. I am delighted that the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, has decided to give her maiden speech today. I need to insert a wild card here; I hope to be here all the way through. Anyone taking part in the debate knows that they must be here for the winding speeches, and will want to hear the answers to their points; but, on this International Women’s Day, my daughter is expecting a baby—a baby girl, we understand, but who knows? What is more, she sees her midwife at 11.30 this morning, who may hurry things along. For some reason known only to my daughter, she thinks that I am calm in a crisis. If things do move along, she wants me on hand. I am delighted and honoured to do my best to assist, although with some trepidation—but do not mention it to her.

Maybe this is a case in point. It has traditionally been women who have taken on key caring roles, and that has had an impact on their economic position. Much else flows from that. It will be my daughter who takes the lion’s share of parental leave. My son-in-law’s allowance is less generous; at least he gets leave—it used not to be the case—but it is not yet equality. What we need is properly paid parental leave for both parents. It is no accident that this has been happening in Scandinavian countries; that is where there is the best gender equality.

We know that there is no country in the world where there is full gender equality yet. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 shows this. The rate of progress has slowed between 2006, when the first edition of the report was published, and 2023. The UN’s gender snapshot of 2023 finds that, if current trends continue, more than 340 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030. Close to one in four will experience moderate or severe food insecurity. It is no accident that greater equality is connected to economic position.

I had the privilege, on behalf of this House, of attending the most recent annual Reykjavik Global Forum, which focuses on the position of women. The key necessities for greater gender equality were identified there as equal parental leave—meaning equal, properly paid parental leave—equal pay, equal representation and ending gender-based violence. It is circular: these need to be addressed if we are to secure greater economic equality, and greater economic equality helps to address these issues.

What has happened since we last debated the position of women in the world—besides my daughter being pregnant? In the UK, as worldwide, the cost of living has hit women harder than men. Has the Treasury done a gender impact assessment of the effects of the Budget and, if so, has it been published? I remember, as a DfID Minister in the coalition, needing to point out that the Treasury needed to do that gender impact assessment for the United Kingdom, just as we asked developing countries to do.

The Women’s Budget Group finds, for example, that single men will gain an average £500 more a year than lone mothers from the cuts to national insurance. More significantly, high inflation and cuts have eroded the budget for public services, meaning that unprotected services will see real-terms cuts in day-to-day spending, according to the OBR. That includes local government and justice. These cuts will impact women more than men, because they are more likely to use and work in local services. As for the justice system, we already know that rape cases, for example, have to wait years rather than weeks to be heard. It is appalling that this is likely to get worse, not better.

The situation internationally can be dire for many women and girls, yet we have cut our aid budget. The international development White Paper says that it puts women and girls front and centre but, without the wherewithal to deliver it, it is an empty promise. A key aim here must be to support sexual health and reproductive rights; they are essential to women, their families, communities and countries. In her reply, could the Minister tell us what ODA has been reinstated since the 80% cut?

We know that we face the major challenge of climate change. The poorest are the most vulnerable to climate change, women and girls especially. They often lack the resources required to adapt to the changing climate and ensure their protection. With increasing droughts, women and girls are expected to travel longer distances to collect water and firewood, exposing them to potential violence. The destruction of households and livelihoods and the loss of livestock and crops due to severe drought have become a reality for communities hard hit by climate change. As the climate and nature crisis accelerates, urgent action is needed to ensure that existing gender inequalities are not exacerbated.

In February 2023, the Government published their UN-required UK Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan. It recognises:

“Increasingly climate security and conflict are interlinked. Women”


and

“girls … are affected differently”.

It includes, as a priority, ensuring that gender is addressed, including through the use of international climate finance.

The FCDO’s March 2023 international women and girls strategy and its November 2023 White Paper both highlight the disproportionate impact on women and girls of climate change. Yet, a recent review of UK aid commitments to international climate finance by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact found that, despite the commitments, the UK has not done this. In fact, attention to gender appears to be decreasing. Perhaps the Minister can comment.

This century has seen an increase in the intensity and impact of conflict and violence on civilians globally, with Afghanistan, Ukraine, the conflict in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, and Sudan. The Mines Action Group reports that about 80% of the victims of small arms and light weapons are women and children. Our development budget and strategy should not just say that it recognises this but translate that into the necessary actions.

We need to ensure that there is far greater economic equivalence between men and women, whether in the UK or globally. We also need to ensure that there are more women in positions of leadership, as the noble Baroness, Lady Gale, has just said. In Reykjavik, I heard one Icelandic Minister say, “Women are often told that they are too young, too old, too single, too married, with not enough experience or with too outdated experience to be leaders”. Does that sound familiar?

There is so much that we need to do. We are not on track either in the UK or worldwide. I look forward to the contributions of others and to the Minister’s reply to this debate, and I cross my fingers that my new granddaughter stays just where she safely is, at least for the moment.