WNC Commissioners' Awayday 3 October 2008

Personal & Professional Introductions from Commissioners

Many expressed delight at the diversity of experience around the table. At the same time there were numerous connections and similarities:

Discussion on the WNC's Role, Relationships with WNC Partners and Commissioners' Responsibilities

The introductions were followed by a brief discussion on the role of the WNC, its relationship with strategic partners, its independence from Government and Commissioners' responsibilities.

There was full agreement on the basic remit of the WNC as expressed in the governance paper included in the Induction Pack. It was emphasised that WNC is an independent body and WNC Chair, Baroness Joyce Gould is emphatic about maintaining that.

The Commissioners discussed the age-old challenge of `representation' and how to reflect women's views from across the country, and in all their diversity. There is also concern about how to empower women so they can represent their own voices to Government. A related concern for the Commissioners is how to meet the expectations of both Government and WNC partners as regards reflecting women's views.

The WNC Chair, Baroness Joyce Gould, has been in contact with Commissioners to discuss ways of taking forward the needed expansion in outreach, and their individual and collective roles in that process.

Concern was raised as to how to match the expectations of the WNC (from Government and from Partners) with its limited budget.

It is also important to recognise what the WNC is not:

Priority Issues Affecting Women Raised during the Awayday

During the Awayday, several issues affecting women in the UK were raised by the Commissioners. The following appear to be of particular priority as these were raised throughout the day in a variety of ways:

Devolution/regional-national issues: The new group of Commissioners not only include representation from all the four UK nations, but also from diverse regions within England. This moves the focus of attention away from London and introduces an important diversity. There was a felt need to ensure a greater two-way flow of influence, so that policy reflects the varied experiences of women in different regions/nations and also so that examples of best practice from the regions/nations can be shared more widely.

A related issue was questions regarding the meaning of `government' - is it UK, or GB (especially for example if Government Equalities Office is only GB)? Where does local government fit into the WNC's role?

Equal pay: There is enormous concern at the continuing gender pay gap. There is also concern that policy and any interventions from regulatory bodies should focus on equal pay within the context of wider social change. There was a discussion of the relationship between the issues of equal pay and parental choice.

Public appointments: There is general concern at the continuing poor representation of women in public appointments. There is a need to ensure a fresh pool of people as well as review practical obstacles to an increase in the public appointment of women; these include inappropriate application forms that fail to reflect the gendered nature of life skills and professional experience.

The following (in no particular order) are the additional issues that were most frequently mentioned during the Awayday:

Questions Arising and Needing Further Discussion

The Awayday was brief and simply a starter for the newly expanded group of Commissioners. Thus several issues were raised for further discussion. In no particular order of priority:

Developing a Strategic WNC Focus: There was a discussion on the potentially enormous remit of the WNC, and how to focus this strategically, especially recognising that significant levels of consultation have already happened (“an over-consulted and under-listened to sector”). What implications does this pre-existing level of consultation have for the structure of the 2009 biennial Partners Meeting? Is the way forward to decide priority issues for the WNC and then consult back with Partners?

A related concern is the need for the WNC to balance working at the strategic policy level with responding to requests from partners to provide practical remedies and take practical measures to address women's status.

Raising the WNC's profile: Further discussion is needed on how to raise the strategic visibility of (a) the issues that the WNC focuses on, and (b) the WNC's own profile. A related concern is of how to convey to the WNC Partners the new energy and vitality of the expanded group of Commissioners, as well as provide leadership in the sector within existing resources. An additional concern is how to convey the point that any gain for women is a gain for society as a whole.

Relationship between WNC and EHRC: The Commissioners were keen to see the development of mechanisms for an ongoing dialogue between the WNC and EHRC, allowing the mutual strengthening of their work. There was a particular emphasis on close working in relation to the new Equality Bill.

Devolution: The impact and practicalities of devolution on the work of the WNC and policy-formation and implementation was a constant concern. How can the WNC and Commissioners work to ensure that devolution rises beyond fragmentation, and that devolution enriches work towards improving women's status rather than rendering it simply more complex? Can there be a conversation within the group of Commissioners on the diverse experiences of women in the four nations, especially regarding statutory regulatory frameworks for equality and anti-discrimination. How does working with devolved bodies compare with working with national bodies that have branches? How to ensure that women in the devolved nations still have direct access to Westminster?

Future political and economic environments: While the WNC is not a political organisation (big `P'), Commissioners are beginning to consider ways in which any future possible change in Government may relate to the WNC's work.

The Commissioners are also aware that the current economic environment will have implications for women's lives, especially employment issues, and also for resourcing of policy designed to promote women's status.

Common Themes during the Awayday

There were a few themes that ran across the discussions during the Awayday.

Similarity & diversity: In for example addressing VAW, and equal pay and devolution/.regional experiences, there was repeated mention of the need to properly reflect the specificity of individual women's experiences, as well as the need to recognise the shared nature of women's experiences across diversity and differences. For example, while BME women or those from specific religious communities may experience VAW in a particular way, cuts in funding for anti-VAW services are common to both BME and non-BME organisations. Similarly, while older women experience particular problems in equal pay (especially pension provision), the gender gap remains for all women. The question is how to balance reflecting diversity and specific needs while also retaining the overall picture.

The need to share positive experience/best practice: There is a recognition that there is a wealth of best practice and positive experience across the country and that this needs to be shared more broadly. Telling the story of “things that go well” helps convey the societal gains made by improving women's status as well as offers examples to be replicated in other areas.

WNC/08/03/04

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