MNHQ here: webchat with MPs Jess Phillips and Flick Drummond

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello,

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Jess Phillips MP and Flick Drummond MP, co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Women and Work, on Monday 23 January at 2pm.

Monday sees the release of the APPG’s first annual report, which explores the broad theme of ‘women returners.’ It has considered ‘a range of diverse issues which impact on the ability of women to return to the workplace, particularly after taking maternity leave or fulfilling caring responsibilities.’

Jess Phillips is the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley. Before this, Jess spent five years working for Women’s Aid, and served on Birmingham City Council, where she was appointed Birmingham’s first ever Victims’ Champion. Since being elected to Parliament in 2015, Jess has served on the Women and Equalities Select Committee and the Backbench Business Committee. Last year she authored a guest post on Mumsnet in support of the Reclaim the Internet campaign.

Flick Drummond is the Conservative MP for Portsmouth South. Prior to her election in 2015, she worked as an insurance broker, Ofsted lay school inspector and was a member of the TA Intelligence Corps. Flick now sits on the Women and Equalities Select Committee, where her work has included contributing to the Gender Pay Gap inquiry, in which she called for more flexible working conditions to be offered at the start of employment. Flick cites her own experience of re-entering the jobs market after raising her children as important in giving her a first-hand account of the unique difficulties that women face in the workplace.

So if you'd like to talk to Jess and Flick about women and employment, returning to work, their experience of being women MPs (or just plain MPs), sounding off on Twitter or anything else that takes your fancy, do please join us on Monday. As always, please do keep in mind our webchat guidelines - one question each (follow-ups if there’s time) and please be polite!

Thanks
MNHQ

@Tweasels

Jess, I follow you on Twitter and get quite upset at the level of abuse you get from random men generally but more so from Corbyn supporters. Do you think there is a problem with misogyny in the far left of our party?

Yes.

Jess

Why is no-one listening to women everywhere ? What are you frightened of ? Does it not concern you that even though many people are asking for help, you are in a position where you are simply unable to address it??

Speaking of gynaecological problems, how do you feel about the prospect that a woman who rejects a (male) self-identified-woman healthcare professional doing her cervical smear may find herself accused of a hate crime for not respecting that person's woman status?

Is there any circumstance in which people with female reproductive systems can justify defining themselves as such and distinguishing themselves from people with male reproductive systems? Or is that always bigotry?

@SunnyL

I'd like to focus on the provision of support for PND particularly for those attempting to return to work. There was mention recently of employers being given support on how to deal with employees with mental health issues. Will this include specific consideration of PND?

I speak as someone who after a 6 month wait is about to commence a CBT course but is having to take annual leave to access this course. I'm also having to find and pay for my own childcare (there is no creche) to access this treatment.

6 months is the difference between someone committing suicide (believe me I contemplated it) and getting better.

I'm so sorry to hear that you had to wait so long, it's a mental health issue that can be misunderstood in the workplace, so I hope you get some support. There needs to be a lot of training in all areas of mental health for employers, and I hope that your company will be one of the first to take it on.

If gender is to become a legally protected characteristic, what definition of gender are we using. Facebook has 72+ gender identities,

This is why women are leaving the party in droves.

@VickyMirdle

Some excellent questions here already which I heartily concur with. Seeing as no one's asked the longstanding obligatory one yet... what is your favorite biscuit?

I just wouldn't limit myself is the answer. Why limit yourself? There's a whole world of biscuits out there.

@VickyMirdle

Some excellent questions here already which I heartily concur with. Seeing as no one's asked the longstanding obligatory one yet... what is your favorite biscuit?

Anything chocolate.

Yy, what are you afraid of Jess, Flick?

And what will your silence cost women and girls?

facepalm

And there we have it - a biscuit does have greater importance than women's concerns with the erosion of their protected spaces & rights.

Jess: You use the word SEXISM, which is discrimination based on SEX and not on gender identity.

If you vote for the equalities legislation in February, you will endorse the removal of sex as a protected category.

Can you really not see this as a HUGE problem?

How do you feel about the Girl Guides allowing anyone who feels like a female to join what was once a previously female only organisation.

Why won't you answer?

This is about as useful as the patronising bilge I received from the very lazy MP Andrew Murrison.

Why can't women have protections without having to bring in trasnwomen to our cause?

And why won't you answer? Are you frightened of the trans activists?

I'm copying & pasting FishInAWetSuitAndFlippers' question. Fish is the mother of a transgender child. Even if you aren't prepared to discuss trans issues with us because you think we're bigots or you're scared of the trans backlash (either seems possible), at least answer her question.

I would like to ask your thoughts on transgender children.

It used to be very difficult to be offered any hormone blockers, now that is the default position, and if they are refused there is no other help available for children with gender identity disorder.

My child has the same issues now as they did before they were offered blockers, but, because we declined them as I feel my child is too young we now have no support at all.

Desperate parents who have very confused, possibly suicidal, children are being forced to take an all or nothing approach and this is impacting everyone and causing more problems than its solving.

If the new policy of self identification isn't helping women, children or people genuinely struggling with gender identity disorder then who is it helping?

If I answered every question from my employer with "hmm, good point, I'm going to commission a report into that, or "I've got vague platitudes to say about that", I wouldn't have a job.

I agree.

MNer asks question about thing they think is bad. MP replies "Yes, that's bad."

Um, and?

Do you think they've been briefed NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES to talk about trans* issues? Or, worse, do you think they don't understand what we're asking?

Is a chocolate biscuit still a chocolate biscuit if it's not got any chocolate on it, but says it's chocolate?

Is it, or will it become, illegal for women to have women only groups without including trans-women?

Why won't you answer?

There are other questions to be answered, not just the ones or topic you want!

I agree with everyone else on the thread that it's disgraceful to see our most significant concern being yet again swept under the carpet, but I do have a different question I should like to ask, which is about what the practical demands of the MP role are. I was discussing with my sister yesterday whether a single parent of a primary school aged child based in the north of England could ever possibly hope to discharge a role like that - and we both thought definitely not. What changes do you envisage could be made to the role of MP to broaden access? Also please answer the trans questions as they are extremely important.

Oh thank the Gods you are recognising our concerns and answering the really important questions

I'm copying & pasting FishInAWetSuitAndFlippers' question. Fish is the mother of a transgender child. Even if you aren't prepared to discuss trans issues with us because you think we're bigots or you're scared of the trans backlash (either seems possible), at least answer her question.

I would like to ask your thoughts on transgender children.

It used to be very difficult to be offered any hormone blockers, now that is the default position, and if they are refused there is no other help available for children with gender identity disorder.

My child has the same issues now as they did before they were offered blockers, but, because we declined them as I feel my child is too young we now have no support at all.

Desperate parents who have very confused, possibly suicidal, children are being forced to take an all or nothing approach and this is impacting everyone and causing more problems than its solving.

If the new policy of self identification isn't helping women, children or people genuinely struggling with gender identity disorder then who is it helping?

^^^ repeating Datun's question

Is it, or will it become, illegal for women to have women only groups without including trans-women?

26 mins to kill - are we really going to watch tumbleweed rather than have either MP answer the questions being asked?

Us women are so easily ignored.