Build Back Equal
Over the last six months the government has failed women and the most vulnerable. The Women's Equality Party is ensuring that we not only build back better from the coronavirus crisis, but that we Build Back Equal.
We were told by the Government that Coronavirus was a “great leveller” but we always knew it would be the great revealer. It shone a light on the deep inequalities in our country, and the poorest and most vulnerable are being hit the hardest:
- The health and care workers who saw us through this crisis are not even paid a real living wage and their work is classified as “unskilled”.
- Black people are twice as likely to be killed by the virus compared to white people, even when you take into account other factors such as age and health.
- Parents have been expected to carry on working without any childcare or support, and a quarter of nurseries will be forced to close by April.
- The sectors where women work have faced the biggest closures and more women have been furloughed or made redundant than men.
- The number of women killed by their partners doubled during lockdown. A rise in abuse cases coupled with lack of resources for service providers led to a violence crisis and failed the 1.6m women a year who experience domestic violence in the UK. Funding cuts to refuges of around 50% since 2011, along with a surge in reported incidences of abuse meant that 60% of those turning to refuges for support this year were turned away.
This is political. We need to stand up and fight for equality.