Caucuses are groups of members who share protected characteristics and choose to organise together to further the interests of their members, and to make our work and the change we achieve truly intersectional. They raise the visibility of their members’ needs and experiences, and campaign to dismantle structural inequalities both inside and outside the party. Their activities will vary according to their own priorities and could include anything from increasing the diversity of our candidates and making our events more accessible, to proposing policy ideas for our manifestos or leading campaigns.
A maximum of seven groups may be formally recognised as Women’s Equality Party caucuses for:
- Race
- Sexual orientation and gender reassignment
- Disability and chronic illness
- Socio-economic status*
- Age
- Pregnancy
- Marriage/civil partnership
They will each be allocated a seat on the Steering Committee, with a maximum of three seats being filled in 2022. Each caucus will work at the intersection of discrimination against women and the protected characteristic(s) they represent. They will represent all WE members who have a minority characteristic within their protected characteristic(s) - for example, a ‘sexual orientation and gender reassignment caucus’ would not be expected to represent the interests of heterosexual members.
Some groups won’t meet the criteria or wish to become a caucus, and they will instead be given the opportunity to gain recognition as advocacy groups. Advocacy groups won’t be endorsed by the party or given a seat on the Steering Committee, but they will have the chance to meet with and represent their ideas to the Steering Committee, along with other benefits.
