From a talk delivered at "Creating a Manifesto for Bristol South" event held by Green Party Candidate for Bristol South Tony Dyer on January 31, 2015.
The impact of austerity on women's equality has been a growing concern since 2010. Independent research bodies, academics, and practitioners have highlighted in numerous reports how reducing public spending has a disproportionate effect on women. The Fawcett Society presents regular reports on the impact of public spending cuts on women that highlight the problems in details.
As a practitioner who works with women regularly, I see how many women are becoming poorer and financially dependent.
If we look at women in Bristol. the context in which we live is already putting us at a disadvantage when it comes to the economy, health and wellbeing, decision making, and safety.
Women's economic security:
- Over 40% of women living in Bristol South and Bristol East constituencies earn under the living wage (£280) per week;
- 25 % of children in Bristol are living in poverty; 29% in Bristol South and 60% in Lawrence Hill. 75% of these children live in lone parent families 92% of lone parents are women. The changes which require lone parents to move from Income Support to Jobseekers Allowance when their youngest child is 5 is likely to lead to an 8.5% drop in real income by 2015;
- The occupational areas targeted for development by the West of England LEP are male dominated industries - aerospace, high tech manufacturing, low carbon, creative digital and professional and managerial. The policies and budgets behind these developments rarely take into account ways to get more women in board.
