Janet Veitch CoChair Womens Budget Group The state and womens equality New architecture Women and Equality Unit becomes the Government Equalities Office Equal Opportunities Commission becomes the Equality and Human Rights Commission ID: 236548
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Women’s Equality: Meeting Points between the State and the Academy
Janet Veitch
Co-Chair, Women’s Budget GroupSlide2Slide3
The state and women’s equality
New architecture:
Women and Equality Unit becomes the Government Equalities Office
Equal Opportunities Commission becomes the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Women’s National Commission reviewed but retainedSlide4
New Opportunities, Meeting Points
Government Equalities Office:
-- an independent government department; a focal point for equalities within government.
-- leads on equalities in the UK, for the UK within the EU, and for the UK at the UN
-- leads UK delegation at annual Commission on the Status of Women
-- produces UK report and leads UK delegation at quadrennial CEDAW examinationSlide5
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Independent, statutory oversight of equalities law
Three-yearly ‘State of the Nation’ report, measuring progress on equalities
Researching/commissioning research on equalities and human rightsSlide6
Women’s National Commission
Voice of women to government: around 500 organisations in membership
Hosts standing committees between government and women’s organisations, and academics, on key issues for women’s equality
Produces UK shadow report to CEDAW; gives evidence to CEDAW Committee
Board of Commissioners include academic expertsSlide7
Academics Influencing the State
Women’s Budget Group
Many academic members
Regular meetings with HM Treasury
Submits evidence to select committees
Exemplar project: Gender Expenditure Analysis Project, used academic expertise
Build state capacity to undertake gender responsive budgeting, teaching gender analysis
Supports evidence-based policy makingSlide8
Problems, Questions, Benefits
Who owns the research
Research typically requires a longer timeframe than government, which needs answers today
Is a feminist agenda compatible with that of the state?
Tensions between the academic and the political
Research can inform public policy and drive progress on women’s equality Slide9
Women’s equality: how can the Academy and
the State
best work together?
Via NGOs, where research can inform lobbying
In partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Via public appointments, e.g. the WNC
The creation of regular spaces for discussion, e.g. through the UNESCO Chair