Women's Issues Have Seen A "Sea Change" In Parliamentary Attention

MPs and campaigners have declared there has been a parliamentary “sea change” on women's issues, as a range of topics primarily affecting women are taking an ever more prominent place in politics.

Analysis of Hansard shows just how much has changed when it comes to addressing women’s issues. Sexual harassment and sexual violence – women were victims of 86 per cent of sexual offences recorded by the police in the year ending March 2022 – used to only be mentioned in Parliament a few times a year. In the last 10 years, there has been an exponential rise in parliamentary discussion of both. Sexual harassment has been mentioned 880 times in the last 10 years, compared to 76 times in the previous ten years from 2004. 

Similar patterns can be seen with other women’s issues, including the gender pay gap, women’s health, childcare – an issue where women still primarily feel the burden – girls' education, menopause, and birth trauma. Menopause had been mentioned 84 times in all the years on record prior to 2014, but has been mentioned 446 times in the ten years up to now.

Some of the discussion has translated into government policy: This year, the Government has expanded childcare provisions, with eligible working parents of two-year-olds being able to access 15 hours of free childcare support from April 2024.

Just in the past week, a number of women’s issues have taken centre stage in Westminster. The Government announced a new restriction on sex offenders legally changing their names would become law after years of campaigning by cross-party MPs and survivors groups. On Monday, the cross-party APPG on Birth Trauma published a harrowing report that has called for an overhaul of the UK's maternity and postnatal care after hearing