Media Round-up: November 2019

Metro
When women MPs are forced to quit to stay safe, all of us suffer
Joint Letter , 1st November 2019

Financial Reporter
Barriers to home ownership having a greater impact on women
Rozi Jones, 1st November 2019

The UK Women’s Budget Group estimates that at present women are the ‘household reference person’ in only 31% of cases where someone is buying with a mortgage.

The Independent
Why we need to talk about what Brexit means for survivors of domestic abuse
Ellie Fry, 2nd November 2019

In its 2018 report on funding for the women’s sector, the Women’s Budget Group said: “There is a widespread concern that leaving the EU and its funding programmes will increase the competition for national funding pots.” The group also warned that domestic violence increases in periods of economic crisis, meaning that women’s services could be in even more demand with less funding.

Guardian
Single people are an electoral force in the US. Is the UK following suit?
Gaby Hinsliff, 7th November 2019

The median English home now costs eight times the salary of a single man on median male earnings, according to the Women’s Budget Group, and 12 times the salary of a single woman on median female earnings. More shockingly, it calculates that for a lone woman on median female earnings, no region in England is affordable to rent in the private market.

Metro
When mothers have to choose between food and childcare, women are not being paid enough
Sophie Walker, 14th November 2019

The Women’s Budget Group and others have repeatedly pointed out that investment in care yields millions of jobs and higher tax revenues, while businesses with equal numbers of women in decision-making roles make bigger profits.

Guardian
Improving the lives of women and girls
Joint Letter, 18th November 2019

This election we’re passing on all our years of experience. We’re calling on women and allies everywhere to hold their representatives to account on the decisions that matter most.

The Independent
Woman’s right groups urge all election candidates to pledge to tackle gender inequality
Maya Oppenheim, 19th November 2019

Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of the UK Women’s Budget Group, argued there is a “myth” that women have managed to achieve equality but noted the facts demonstrate this is “far from true”.

She said: “Women still do more unpaid care work which means we earn less, own less and are more likely to be poor. But we can do things differently. That is why we have joined forces to set out the policies that women need at this election.”

OpenDemocracy
We need to talk about the Institute for Fiscal Studies
John Weeks, 22nd November 2019

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is perhaps the most well-known of these organisations. Its analysis frequently crowds out that of other institutions, such as the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Women’s’ Budget Group.

Metro
As the manifestos are released, remember that tax is a women’s issue
Dr Mary- Ann Stephenson, 24th November 2019

At Women’s Budget Group we think we need to think about tax in a different way – as a vital source of funding for public services like the NHS, schools and care, and for the social security system that any one of us may end up needing.

The Big Issue
Women’s Budget Group demand social care and Universal Credit election fixes
Jenna Norman, 25th November 2019

Political parties are not the only ones releasing manifestos for the upcoming elections. Charities and other campaigners are also unveiling their wishlist to policymakers before we head to the polls.

The Women’s Budget Group are no different. the collection of women’s and human rights organisations from around the UK – including the Fawcett Society, Women’s Aid and Equality Now – shine a light on the inequalities that women face and ask politicians to do better to change that reality.

Refinery29
‘Sit Down & Shut Up’: Why Women In Politics Are Quitting At An Alarming Rate
Vicky Spratt, 29th November 2019

You can’t separate Brexit out from women’s issues; one is not more urgent than the other, because they are linked. As the Women’s Budget Group has pointed out, leaving the EU – particularly if we do so with no deal – will have a profound economic impact on women.

There are many reasons for this, the Women’s Budget Group says, not least because if the economy shrinks it will lead to job losses, particularly in sectors that are heavily dependent on trade with the EU. These include sectors such as clothing and textiles, which have a majority female workforce.