Live webchat about women and work with Maria Miller, Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, TODAY, Thursday 22 November, 1pm to 2pm

[FrancesMumsnet]

Hello, we're very pleased to announce that Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Minister for Women and Equalities will be joining us for a live webchat on Thursday 22 Nov between 1pm and 2pm.

Maria has been the MP for Basingstoke since 2005 and has previously held shadow education and family briefs. Before entering Parliament, Maria worked in advertising. She is married with three children.

This is Maria's second Mumsnet webchat.

Maria is keen to hear your thoughts on how to get more women into work, with a particular focus on getting the right childcare in place for women. She also wants to hear your thoughts on how the government can make workplaces more equal environments, where women can better realise their potential.

Do join us for the webchat. As ever, if you can't make it, please post up your advance questions here.

Thanks,

MNHQ

'Minister for women and equalities? Who's that? Why does such a post exist?
There are gender issues which affect women methinks, but conversly there are gender issues which effect men.
Why is there no Minister for men and equalities?'

I bet that's what Maria's cabinet colleagues say every time she turns up for a meeting.

Do you think she will be on Questiontime next week?

Oh maybe not. They already have a Conservative lined up - David Jones MP.

"For every inequality that women experience their are similar experiences for men."

Oh spot the whiner.

When 2 men a week are being murdered by their partners and they're paid less than women for having penises, then I'll sympathise. When 25% of them can look forward to being raped or sexually assaulted with a less than 1% chance their attacker will be jailed, you'll have a point. When 1 in 4 of them live with chronic domestic violence, you'll have a point.

As for women having a vice-like grip of childcare - why aren't men marching in the street for the right to paternity leave? Why aren't they demanding the right to go part time and give up their pension rights? And how come the majority of non-resident parents (90% of whom are men) do not pay maintenance? Let's face it, if they're prepared to financially abuse their children, they're not fit people to be in charge of them and it's a bloody good thing they're not.

Women are more likely to get care and control of children on divorce because they have been the primary carers of children, they are the ones who have downshifted their careers and taken part time work. When men do that, they will be more likely to get care and control. Stop whingeing and do it instead of moaning that women actually have a few legal rights nowadays.

Gah.

I wasn't aware that men were banned from childcare . What a ridiculous thing to say!

Looks like Maria Miller has more than just being piss poor at web chats to worry about

From the DM - 'Asked why she suddenly stopped claiming on the Wimbledon home in 2009 as the expenses scandal erupted, she replied: 'Because I think there was a lot of concern about the rules and, er, a lot of concern about, you know, the whole issue, and it?s something I felt that I didn?t want to be, sort of, mixed up in, the fact that I...I just made that decision.'

Arf!

She said she'd love to come back again, maybe we should get her back on to discuss crockery. She obviously knows a fair bit about it.

£90K claimed for this second home that her parents lived in. £90K of public money, subsidising her parents.