As I've said many times, in a male dominated, male focused and primarily male serving system, the women who are permitted to rise through the political ranks and speak in parliament and be ministers got there by winning the game of Patriarchy. They did not get there by making the wrong noises or going off message. The few who have managed, such as Joanna Cherry, we see how they are punished for stepping out of line. It took me well over four decades of life as a woman to realise how very serious for women it is that women have such unequal representation in power.
But more than fifteen years ago equality impact assessments were a standard thing, impartiality and professional responsibility and critical thinking of policy was a standard thing in local government and national government. There has been a massive, massive failure here and heads should roll that such prejudiced imbalanced policy ever made it into law, based on one political lobby.