In what ways has 12 years of tory rule impacted you as a woman

[SuspiciousHedgehog]

I would like responses detailing how you feel that the last 12 years of economic policy has affected you in ways that are unique or much more likely due to your sex.

Good and bad, please

Yes they are causing us to be dependent on men.
I had a chronic condition and was unable to work. As my DH had a full time job andvit was means tested I got nothing. We was on the line of benefits. I had to rely on him supporting me. He is a fab DH and we got through it but had he bern an abuse tight wad, I would have had to leave him to get any financial help at all. I am sure loads of women have been affected in this way.

What this debate comes down to is whether or not you think parenting, especially motherhood, is a valuable contribution to our society or not.

If you understand the basics about population change over time, then you might think that reproduction is quite important for future economic stability and minimising the necessity of economic immigration.

I think even some tories can see that.

Anyhow, THIS is definitely a feminist issue. It's quite a centrist position to want to support women to raise healthy children

If you only want 100% self supporting women to breed, in this economic context, you are left with a very small pool of ladies who prob need ivf by that point in their lives.

That's not gonna be how we fund the NHS of tomorrow

Unless you want rid of the NHS?

I'm happy to be female & have never felt 'less than' a male.. although I'm clocking on now so don't have have any fierce feminist leanings! Surely we complement each other?
As for the Labour vs Conservative - oh, it's getting old on MN now. Surely no-one in the history of MN has changed anyone's vote by a snippy post on here!

Unless you are a single parent many of your issues listed are through choice, not due to your sex.

for example having to go PT, and childcare.

@OnomatopoeiaFlea

But the gender pay gap relates directly to this, and that's a problem that some have listed here as effecting them under the Tory govt.

Because men are recruited into higher paid roles more than women, women often bear the brunt of childcare because they cannot afford to switch roles and have a woman earning a lesser salary than her partner.

It isn't as simple as a 'choice'.

It's not looking good for this generation of children, who have only known austerity.

There's such a small window in their lives when investment pays back tenfold.

It's quite disastrous once they reach secondary age, if they have already disengaged.

The answer isn't Cruella's 'tough on crime' that's not getting to the root. A lot of crime is preventable by investment in children's services, that's something I am totally convinced of.

Schools in a state and teachers underpaid - disproportionately affects women. More women are teachers, more mum's having to pick up the pieces at home of an underfunded school system.

Childcare costs disproportionately impact women. The 30 hours thing seemed good, but is a fallacy as doesn't cover the cost. Again, more likely to impact female owned businesses, lots of nurseries going out of business.

The gender health gap. Women's health hugely underfunded. Nurses bursaries scrapped.

And what's to come? They're currently ripping up all EU laws protecting women's rights in the workplace. Terrifying.

Yes I fully agree, Because LABOUR used PFI to pay for a new hospital near my area and because of this the could not afford to maintain or update the one in my local town. They have had to move the maternal unit from my local hospital to the new one, along with other depts.

As such all the people who live near me, if you don't have a car, now have an extra 2 hr. journey on average on public transport and up to 1 hour extra by car to get to the new one.

LABOUR screwed my area with PFI payments.

Perhaps the 'very good personal decisions' involved marrying a doctor or at least a private ambulance subscription.

I find it hard to believe people who blow their own trumpet so hard, they turn purple.

@Blocked I know! It's so transparent I can't believe people fall for their vile and divisive techniques. They bang on about 'labour not knowing what a woman is' whilst having no regard or priority for making life easier and safer for women in society!

What’s the point in asking if you just want one answer? Just say if so

Also I think Tory female PMs have (not always through fault of their own) done more damage to young women's aspirations to enter politics than they've done good.

Theresa May was seen as wholly ineffective. Liz Truss an absolute disaster who virtually tanked the economy overnight. And Liz Truss came across as completely uninspiring, wooden, clueless, scared. Not aspirational, not brave, not a leader. Both criticises heavily by right wing media.

Meanwhile disgraced liar Boris Johnson was touted to return in a Churchillian flourish by the same media.

So yes they may have had 3 female leaders, but it's not done anything to advance the cause.

Or perhaps I worked hard, went to university got a good degree. Found d a job and improved myself and my personal situation, I also did not waste money and holidays and fancy clothes and invested it for my own future.

Sorry should I be ashamed of that?

Sorry, are we not allowed to make links between poorer outcomes for women and children, and a government that lurches further to the right every time it stalls?

Are we not allowed to discuss this because it makes you uncomfortable?

Who made you boss of the margins of what is permissable to discuss?

How is it possible to be so arrogant?

Absolutely. I'm fact the govt & politicians are stuck in the dark ages. Ignoring best practice for education, early years, rehabilitation etc because it doesn't sound good in a soundbite or it's against their ideology. EVEN THOUGH IT'S RIGHT FOR THE COUNTRY. Drives me mad.

I've had two children in the last 6 years. The drop off in avaliability of services for new mothers and babies is stark. Virtually nothing except the mandatory 6 week check for my second. I think I would have really struggled had I given birth to my first child in the last couple of years.

Generally, it feels like a lack of belief, or hope, in the future is visable everywhere in goverment policy. We are far too inwardly looking and worried about the now, and not working towards a better tomorrow.

One of the reasons I started this discussion is to present a juxtaposition to that particular narrative, virulent here
'what a woman is'

The opposing arguments being very much broader and deeper.

I oppose the hegemony of gender ideology with the best of them, but it's not worth throwing out baby with the bathwater.

Thank you to everyone who is contributing to a broader understanding of the particular impact that political ideology has specifically upon women.

💐
Keep going. Keep speaking up. Have hope. I believe most people want change, pressure is mounting

Being a mother is one of the greatest gifts you give of yourself to the world. Conscientious parenting is a gift to society

I agree with every word of this.

Traditionally, somebody like you would be a core voter, in the eyes of the tories, but they now whistle a different tune to a different audience. A very divisive one, thanks for your thoughts

Anyone is welcome to parp their trumpet on my thread.
I might laugh at it

The subject of my thread is actually pretty serious, though

@SuspiciousHedgehog You can post whatever you like!
I'm not arrogant at all - fine if you want to disagree, I really don't care! I'm very happy with my lot in life, & am genuinely sorry that you are not.

@mamabear715 Well said 👋

SuspiciousHedgehog only wants an echo chamber of people who agree with them.

Do you mean the post where someone said they had a poor start but did well.. I really don’t get what’s wrong with turning things around or why you’d laugh. But each to their own

I am pregnant and due to give birth any minute. Maternity care is so understaffed that I am worried that I won't have any kind of assistance giving birth, let alone care afterwards. Not enough beds in the hospital means that I may well get turfed out too soon, or turned away when in labour. If I get infected postpartum or my baby gets sick, an ambulance won't get to me. I live 45 minutes from the nearest A&E, so driving while sick isn't really feasible.

Gender pay gap. Enough said.

Nursery fees of over £80/day. I don't even earn that much, so I am paying to work. No child benefit because DH is just over the threshold, but based on the sky-high prices of the South-East and the stupidly high student loan repayments, we are really struggling to make ends meet.

I work in the public sector so pay year on year compared to rent has gone down.
Sure start has been scrapped and that was a really really good scheme.
Gove has made education much worse for primary kids IMO and I left primary teaching because of that. The constant testing and emphasis on SPAG and handwriting is awful for kids mental health.
They've brought in university fees which makes it much less straightforward to send my kids to uni if they want to go when the time comes
They've drained the health service and blamed it on immigrants and the feckless poor (obvious bullshit but seems to have taken people in)
They've caused Brexit, meaning that the country as a whole is worse off.
I think it was them that brought in shared parental leave, but that was after my babies, that might have been a good thing? They also brought in gay marriage, also a good thing.

If you were my neighbour and told me this, I would be on standby to drive you there, wherever possible. Have you any local connections you could call on?

This sounds especially frightening, I would hate to be in this position. Makes me angry for you