PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Why the story we tell ourselves about violence against women matters, and what happens next
WHAT IS A CAUSAL STORY? Smoking cigarettes Being less healthy Lung disease Death
CAUSAL STORY AND PREVENTION Primary prevention Secondary prevention Tertiary prevention Educating young people about risks of smoking Taxing cigarettes Smoking cessation programmes Screening for smoking-related illnesses Smoking ban Treating smoking-related illnesses Improving health of smokers e.g. Specialist maternity services
SO WHAT DOESN’T CAUSE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN? Alcohol Poverty External stress Mental illness Poor relationship skills Anger Culture Sexual frustration Unwitting ignorance
SO WHAT CAUSES VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN? Women’s inequality with men Violence against women
THREE DOMAINS OF INEQUALITY Care Decision-making Work
THE VALUE OF HOUSEHOLD WORK £1.4tn 23% OF GDP, 2010
WHO DOES THE DOMESTIC (LEISURE) WORK? Women: 26 hours Men: 16 hours
THE VALUE OF CHILDCARE £343bn
WOMEN DO THE MAJORITY OF CARING (At least) 59% of unpaid carers are women 74% of Carer’s Allowance claimants are women Women are twice as likely to give up paid work in order to care.
THREE DOMAINS OF INEQUALITY Care Decision-making Work
SEX AND POWER 3029
POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN SCOTLAND 35% MSPs 34% MPs 17% MEPs 25% Councillors
THREE DOMAINS OF INEQUALITY Care Decision-making Work
THE LABOUR MARKET AND WOMEN Pay gap Occupational segregation Glass ceiling Men’s work / women’s work Women in the boardroom Inflexible working Childcare Discrimination Pay and reward Value
Every system is perfectly designed to get the result that it does. EQUALLY SAFE Every system is perfectly designed to get the result that it does.
HOW TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN? Multiple levels Individual Relationship Community Society Across sectors Economy Education Health Justice Social security Multiple time-frames Short term (2-5 years) Medium term (5-10 years) Long terms (10-20+ years)
What is the difference between men and women’s experience? GENDERED ANALYSIS On what is the money spent? Who benefits from the spend? What are the differences in participation? What are the differences in outcome? What is the difference between men and women’s experience? Women’s role as carer, domestic labourer, or provisioner Women’s experience of men’s violence Women’s lack of access to resources, including money, transport, time Why is it different? Gender disaggregated data Gender competence in decision-makers or policymakers Better gender mainstreaming Policy or practice shift or increase in coherence What needs to change?
Quotas on boards, in councils, and in the Scottish Parliament CONCRETE CHANGE Care “Daddy months” of parental leave, provided on a use-it-or-lose-it-basis (UK Government) Social care, social work, and health services provision should not be contingent on, or shaped around, assumed care roles of women Representation Quotas on boards, in councils, and in the Scottish Parliament Parties and public bodies are required to publish equalities data about candidates, and board members Skills & work Early years curriculum has tackling gender stereotyping as one of its core outcomes Social security system has individual payments for members of the household, supporting and entrenching women’s economic autonomy
Contact details Emma Ritch Executive Director Engender Emma.ritch@engender.org.uk @EmmaRitch @EngenderScot