Liz Truss has won the leadership race to be elected the UK's Prime Minister after beating Rishi Sunak. She is only the third woman to ever hold the post, following in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher in 1975 and Theresa May in 2016. While it is important for young women and girls to see themselves represented in politics, the power of representation only extends so far; a state that hurts women is still hurting women, no matter who's in charge.
Truss succeeds Boris Johnson, who has left a wreckage of issues facing women and girls, with rape prosecutions at their lowest ever, the cost of childcare bankrupting parents, and leaving women of colour, disabled, LGBTQIA+ and working-class women to bear the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis.
So, will Liz Truss's appointment actually make the UK a safer place for women? Well, she's not got off to the best start. The PM has chosen not to appoint a minister for women, choosing to appoint Nadhim Zahawi to the role of minister for equalities instead, which apparently (via The Guardian) “covers women.” Erm, OK?
Framing abortion as a “debate” harms us all.
Caroline Nokes, the Conservative chair of the women and equalities select committee, has described this decision as “disappointing,” adding:
“Liz Truss spoke a great deal about how she knew what a woman was during the course of the leadership campaign; we heard the word woman used an awful lot. So it’s disappointing that it then gets dropped from the job title."
Blink, and you may have missed it, but Truss had actually been Minister for Women and Equalities since 2019. Few could tell you what she’s actually done for women in this time, and in 2021, even the Women and Equalities Committee accused her of treating this role as a “side hustle.” As Foreign Sec, she also oversaw a huge cut to overseas aid as Foreign Secretary which was widely considered to have an unequal impact on women worldwide.
Violence against women and girls
There are fresh concerns about the Online Safety bill, given reports that Truss intends to “dilute” the legislation in response to concerns over free speech. The PM said (via FT) “What I want to make sure is we protect the under-18s from harm, but we also make sure free speech is allowed, so there may be some tweaks required.”
Refuge has urged Liz Truss to prioritise tackling violence against women and girls, with the charity's CEO, Ruth Davison releasing the following statement:
“Refuge looks forward to working with the new Prime Minister to address violence against women and girls. There are quick and easy things that can be done which could make a real difference. The first step is ensuring the Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament. This has the potential to address online misogyny and abuse.”
Our research shows that one in three UK women have experienced abuse via social media, and for too long, digital platforms have been allowed to mark their own homework, resulting in a failure to properly regulate themselves. Refuge is also concerned about the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on survivors of domestic abuse and we need the new Prime Minister to act now by creating an emergency fund for domestic abuse survivors, to ensure women aren’t forced to stay with an abuser because they are unable to afford to leave.”
Regarding women’s work and safety, Truss pledged to introduce a National Domestic Abuse Register, which would help to break the cycle of repeat offending by abusive men. She has also said she will address the long waiting times for rape court cases, as well as equipping courts to use pre-recorded video:
Over the last two years, our nation has been shocked by a number of high-profile murders of women.
"Violence against women and girls doesn’t have to be inevitable. Women should be able to walk the streets without fear of harm and perpetrators must expect to be punished.
“Through increased police training, new offences, faster processes for rape victims and our Domestic Abuse Register, we will ensure victims are protected, and crimes are prevented in the first place."
It's creating an environment where bisexual survivors are less likely to seek support.
Abortion
Another key issue women face in the UK is the right to abortion. Earlier this year, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service called out Truss for ignoring their demands to publicly denounce the overruling of Roe v. Wade in the USA. BPAS said that both Truss and rival candidate Rishi demonstrated a “pattern of abstention when it comes to the issue of abortion.”
A spokesperson told The Independent, "In 2022, in the wake of the US decision to overturn Roe V wade, the UK needs a leader who will openly and vocally support a woman’s right to access abortion.
“Warms words from these leadership candidates about supporting women and girls amount to very little when they have both repeatedly failed to take part in a number of key votes to further reproductive choice and help protect women and girls."
Cost of living
While the cost of living crisis impacts us all (well, most of us), it's expected that women will be hit the hardest thanks to the gender pay gap and the unequal burden of caring responsibilities.
Truss has not explicitly outlined how she will support women during the crisis, but has promised to enact £30bn worth of tax cuts within weeks of taking office.
During a campaign appearance, Truss said, “The tax cuts I’m talking about will be delivered on day one because we have an immediate issue that families are struggling with the cost of fuel, with the cost of food.”
She also added that she will reverse the increase in National Insurance and put a “temporary moratorium on the green energy levy to cut fuel bills.”
56% of young women are worse off than last year, a new survey reveals.
Ultimately, Dr. Mary-Ann Stephenson from the Women’s Budget Group concluded that “all the [candidates for the role of] Prime Minister studiously avoided the fact that people are struggling to put food on the table” and that those people are more likely to be women. They’ve all been in government in recent years and “there isn’t a sense among any of them that they have been a champion for women,” she adds.
“What’s needed is more than just a symbolic policy; it’s an understanding that any of the candidates have actually grasped the scale of the problem." Uğur from the End Violence Against Women Coalition agrees, explaining that we need to see "the next Prime Minister prioritise tackling violence against women and girls meaningfully" by "investing in long-term, specialist prevention work.”
Seeing yourself attacked and misrepresented by your government and the media contributes to poor mental health for many transgender people.
