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

You should know that the first MP who publicly declares that they support the rights of women as a SEX to specific SEX-BASED protections will have an avalanche of support from women's rights groups throughout the UK.

@MollyHuaCha

I would like to discuss part time work. In theory, it appeals to women returners. But in practice, it is invariably poorly paid and low status. I used to teach full time. Now I'd love a part time job in a school - I have a lot to offer! But all I find are adverts for lunch time supervisors...

We're desperate for teachers. Please keep applying, because there will be a job-share out there for you. Have you thought about doing supply teaching? This is often a good way of getting steady work in a school.

@FishInAWetSuitAndFlippers

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?

Have you contacted the Tavistock Clinic or some of the other trans parents support groups like Mermaids?

I can't imagine what it would be like to be in your situation. Being certain about anything is difficult as an adult, let alone as a child and as a parent I'm never certain I'm doing the right thing. Of course there should be other help. Like with many things there should be a mixture of medication, talking therapies, support groups and other healthcare. There isn't enough in so many fields, and only having one answer will inevitably never suit everyone.

Thank you for answering the biscuit question - my follow up is... what is the definition of a woman; that is without referring to a tautology in your answer or referencing gender stereotypes that perpetuate and uphold sexist values.

Hi all

We understand that this is an issue that raises strong feelings - but we don't want our webchat guests to be harangued. We think the points been made very clearly and there's not much to be gained by continuing to post broadly the same thing, so we think it's time to leave it there now, folks.

My follow up question....

With this idea of having paternity leave following maternity leave, how would fathers take off the first two weeks or so when the baby is born? Would that be factored in?

Yy Hairy there is so much support from women out there, but women are largely uninformed or scared of speaking out. We need a brave female MP to stand up for us.

We understand that this is an issue that raises strong feelings - but we don't want our webchat guests to be harangued. We think the points been made very clearly and there's not much to be gained by continuing to post broadly the same thing, so we think it's time to leave it there now, folks.

The problem is they haven't answered the question, "what is a woman?" which pretty much renders all of their replies meaningless and wasted.

Oh. I guess my follow up won't be answered then?

@MollyHuaCha

I would like to discuss part time work. In theory, it appeals to women returners. But in practice, it is invariably poorly paid and low status. I used to teach full time. Now I'd love a part time job in a school - I have a lot to offer! But all I find are adverts for lunch time supervisors...

We recommended in the Women and Equalities Committee report on Equal Pay that flexible working should be able to be requested from day one, not after twenty-six. We await the government's response.

Message received loud and clear.

Mermaids???

the cult like trans organisation where Susie Green took her son to thailand at sixteen to be chemically castrated?

The group who supported a woman transing her child against the child's best interests and was vilified in court for her sexually innappropriate behaviour toward her child?
The same organisation that falsely claims you should let your child transition or they'll commit suicide based upon bogus stats?

Mermaids is a dangerous organisation. Do your research.

That was eerily similar to a Trump Press Briefing.

Apparently we need schooling on approved questions.

Brilliant....

Yet another time where us silly women are told to shut up and that our concerns are not important.

This thread is like watching a car crash in slow motion.

OK, if Jess doesn't feel like answering the question that most people asked, can she account for her crass comments on Cologne NYE

Have you contacted the Tavistock Clinic or some of the other trans parents support groups like Mermaids?

Have you actually had a look at what goes on in mermaids? It isn't a support group, it's a cult. They hand out scary and false statistics and advice on how to play the system to get drugs quicker and also encourage parents of 3 year olds into thinking boy+doll= girl and girl+car = boy.

@AssassinatedBeauty

My follow up question....

With this idea of having paternity leave following maternity leave, how would fathers take off the first two weeks or so when the baby is born? Would that be factored in?

Obviously this isn't government policy at the moment, but good idea - it should be factored in. I couldn't have coped without my husband in those first two weeks, especially being as I septicemia.

Mermaids

obviously not

Thank you. I also have had two births where I needed support from my partner for those early days.

If it's not a problem and our concerns over trans rights are unfounded, then why can't/won't the questions be answered?

20 minutes left.

Yes fish went to Mermaids and was dropped when she decided not to go down the hormone route.

I'm pretty sure she went to the Travistock too. She has now had to finance therapy for her child herself as there is no other recourse.

Other than Mermaids, can you let parents of transgender children on here know who they can ask for help?