WEN Wales and Oxfam Cymru launch Feminist Scorecard 2022
New report calls for Women’s Commissioner for Wales amid major setbacks for gender equality
Welsh charities have called for a Women’s Commissioner as latest report highlights major setbacks on gender equality.
The Feminist Scorecard Report 2022, produced by the Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales and Oxfam Cymru, shows a series of snapshots of Welsh Government’s performance in six key areas for women’s equality in Wales.
This year’s version of the scorecard illustrated that much needs to be done if Wales is to be a feminist nation, and meet the ambition of Wales being the safest place in Europe to be a woman.
Contrasted with the previous version of the Scorecard produced on the cusp of UK Covid-19 restrictions in February 2020, it’s clear that the little progress that had been made was fragile, failing to stand up to the pressures of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The scorecard – which uses a traffic light system – highlights the actions required for progress. Areas such as caring responsibilities and fair finance require urgent attention and have regressed from amber to red since the last report.
Coronavirus has thrown into sharp relief the challenges that women and girls face and has exacerbated inequalities, particularly for women who experience intersecting discrimination. WEN Wales and Oxfam Cymru believe it is up to Welsh Government to take swift and decisive action to ensure that they will not be held back for many years to come.
Head of Oxfam Cymru Sarah Rees said:
“Our previous Scorecard was published as we entered what can only be described as an unprecedented global upheaval in the shape of a pandemic.
This was a time when the unfair workload placed on women was truly laid bare for all to see; a responsibility that grew as women took on an ever-increasing load as the primary carers of our society.
Now, amid a global cost of living crisis, women’s workload is once again escalating dangerously.”
Women’s Equality Network Wales Director Catherine Fookes said:
“Now is the time for Welsh Government to create the role of a Women’s Commissioner, who would champion and be the guardian of women in Wales, as the Children’s Commissioner and the Older Person’s Commissioner are for their respective constituents.
The role would provide cross-governmental leadership and help drive out the systemic misogyny and inequality that women in Wales continue to face.
If we don’t act now, progress on gender equality will be lost for another generation of women.”
Notes to Editors
You can read the Feminist Scorecard 2022 here > https://wenwales.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Feminist-Scorecard-Report-2022.pdf
The Feminist Scorecard is produced by Oxfam Cymru and Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales. It was researched and written by Laura Shobiye, PhD researcher, and edited by Dr Jessica Laimann, WEN Wales.
For each policy area, we considered relevant Welsh Government statements, the Programme for Government, legislation, policies and practice, examined evidence from specialists in each field, analysed statistics where available and spoke to experts in each of the fields. We are very grateful to everyone who shared their time, knowledge, and data. We rated each area using a traffic light system (red, amber, and green), indicating the level of progress towards equality for women and girls in Wales.
The Feminist Scorecard 2022 will be formally launched on the 12 July 2022 at the Senedd. The launch event will take place in the Senedd Media Briefing Room from 12:15 – 13:15, and is sponsored by Sioned Williams MS.
A community launch will take place on the 13th July 2022 at The Temple of Peace in Cardiff, so that the results of the 2022 Feminist Scorecard can be shared and discussed. We invite community members, third sector partners, and MSs to join us for a chance to connect. Book your place here.