WOMAN'S HOUR TODAY!

[heldinadream]

Today's WH is as follows - Woman's Hour Election Debate. In a special extended 90 minute programme, Nuala McGovern hosts the Woman's Hour Election Debate. Senior women from the main political parties of Great Britain outline their priorities for women and answer your questions. Taking part are: Scottish National Party spokesperson for Consular Affairs and International Engagement Hannah Bardell; Reform UK candidate Maria Bowtell; Green Party spokesperson for Housing and Communities Ellie Chowns; Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper; Conservative Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work Mims Davies; Labour Party Chair and Shadow Secretary for Women and Equalities Anneliese Dodds, and Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts.

Questions via text 84844 or WhatsApp - 03700100444

I intend to send something like the following - Given that you are all designated senior women politicians, speaking as such on Woman's Hour, can we possibly decide an answer to the question - What is a woman?

Send in yours!

This is from the reform website on schools:

"No gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping. Inform parents of under 16s about their children’s life decisions. Schools must have single sex facilities."

I agree with this.

They also say they want to 'ban transgender ideology in schools' which I don't agree with - it should be discussed but as a belief (an illogical one with no evidence base) alongside other religions and criticism and debate welcomed. But teachers should not be actively promoting it and punishing children who don't pretend to believe, which is where we're currently at.

The whole document reads as a bit rushed (Rishi took everyone by surprise because he's presumably got a nice job offer for August) but they speak more common sense on this than most of the other parties.

They want to support women to stay at home with young children if they want to. Which many women do.

They don't have a policy to ban women from working fgs.
This barefoot and pregnant trope is so anti women.

How did we get to a point where supporting mothers to be with their children is anti women?

Feminism has really lost its way.

What about pregnant MEN?

Yes - why don't they ask about men in maternity?

Is it because its only (whisper it "women", the real ones that is) use maternity services.

It’s not wataboutery - you said they give a monkeys about women, I pointed out that they don’t. And it’s extraordinary that you call me rude when so far you have called me an arse and told me to shut up!

That would be bizarre. Why would it be mostly women? There's no reason I can think of, unless the maternity wards are pink and glittery?

What she said was that women SHOULD have more children. Not if they want to or make it easier. She clearly said they should.

She also said most women want to be in the home with children, which I dispute.

I also don't see anything in their manifesto to financially support women. In fact the benefits section is all about motivating people back into work. We know women being financially reliant on men leaves them vulnerable. There's real contradiction in their policies and I don't see them as pro-women at all.

They’re professional politicians responding to stick and carrot. Tell the truth (that men can’t be women and that there is a conflict between trans demands and women’s safety) and find yourself ostracised, unpromotable, on the end of a witch hunt and death threats (stick). Fudge the issue and refuse to see the problem - get promoted as a good little woman (carrot). They’re just toadies climbing the slippery pole. Nuala is operating in the same carrot and stick environment of course. I usually feel she tries her best unlike full on trans handmaiden Anita Rani.

Wait, the SNP candidate thinks endometriosis is a women's health issue. TRANSPHOBE!!!!!!! Our biology is NOT relevant!

Oh my Goddddd a women's health group. What the fuck is that? Define it! This woman is driving me up the wall.

So strange that they are so bothered by immigration and the population, yet encourage having more children. Having children is a financially risky decision and leaves women much more vulnerable.

Yes they really have so little self awareness over their hypocrisy. I really question the intelligence level of these women. Their lack of critical thinking is something to behold.

No, those two go hand in hand, and have done for centuries.

It’s not about too many people, it’s about too many of the wrong people (Them) and not enough of the right people (Us).

Stop Them entering the country, make the women of Us have loads more babies. The jingoistic solution throughout time.

Didn’t the Catholic Church hold a view for centuries that it was a woman’s duty to have more Catholics?

The class bias is quite obvious.

Lots of women have shitty jobs and would much rather be at home doing the work of raising their children, rather than underpaying someone in a nursery to do it. The current situation takes that choice away from those women.

I know plenty of people who do not have 'career' based jobs who were forced back into jobs they hated and had to put their babies into nursery when they would have rather received the state funding themselves to stay home.

It's always from the point of view of women with meaningful careers - not everyone has that for a variety of reasons and would like the choice to focus on their children in the pre-school years not be forced to do jobs they don't particularly enjoy.

There are lots and lots of jobs in our society that are essential and really just aren't that fulfilling, usually underpaid. The women who speak on woman's hour always entirely ignore working class women.

Absolutely this. They absolutely do prefer ideology over evidence and safeguarding.

Many women do want to stay longer with their young children and feel forced out to work.

It's presumed by the Tories and Labour and seemingly many feminists that women back to work as soon as possible is what women want.
I don't think that's true for many women.

And I'm not sure being dependent on the state instead of a man is working out that well for many women.

There is a issue with falling birth rates which is going to impact us all soon.

You can argue it's not a problem because you'll just increase immigration to fill in the gaps. But I'm not sure that's the progressive compassionate position you think it is!

And even if that's your plan that's very different from the unmanaged levels of immigration we have now.

All of these are reasonable positions you are free to disagree with, but they're not the misogynist/ racist/ fascist/ other insult that suggests a bad thing you imply.

They're normal rational debatable views.

That's why people are going to vote Reform they're sick of being slandered for reasonable normal views.

Absolutely it's 'feminism' for women with fulfilling careers who are financially secure.

That's not most women.

It's just the women on Women's Hour, the women who listen to it, and posters on here.

Most women want children.
Most women want to raise them with the father.
Most women want to spend more time with their young children then they can financially afford to do.

(All of which is good for the children too btw in case anyone cares about them and not just women.)

I'm not sure why supporting those women raises such anger with feminists.

I agree that there are plenty of women who would rather stay at home with their kids. Its why the SAHM is a feature amongst high earning couples. Its also why so many mothers work part-time if they can.

Agree with this.

Reform only seem to be looking at when kids are under 4 and front loading child benefits for women to stay at home in that age range.

After that, they want people off benefits and in jobs. 2 strike rule for job offers, within 4 months, or benefits withdrawn. This isn't going to help women make a choice between jobs they don't enjoy or that are severely underpaid and undervalued. It's going to force them into those jobs or lose benefits.

Because you seek to police my ridiculous views. @GC5. If you don’t want to be called an arse then you should refrain from calling people ridiculous. HTH.
Ongoing whataboutery I see. Why am I not surprised. Who do you think performed well in the opening discussion?

Stop Thementering the country, make the women Ushave loads more babies. The jingoistic solution throughout time."

How do you think Reform are going to make you have babies? 🤣🤣

Are you worried about their policy of forced impregnation?
Or their policy of banning women from the workplace?

Or just terrified because they think more babies would be a good thing?

Your hyperbole is quite ridiculous and it's the reason people are moving to Reform.

I don't think those choices raise the anger of feminists.

I think the lack of support and how vulnerable women are left if they make that choice is what fruatrates feminists.

Women working part time and taking a hit on pension and future earning prospects. Women also taking on the majority of caring responsibilities and housework as well as working part time. Women losing their jobs or promotion because their partners can't or won't take time off for ill children because their job is the full-time one they rely on. It all leaves women vulnerable and that's hard to see. We need better protection for women on all fronts for this to be a true choice for families.

Yes Sahm or part time is a privilege for wealthy women.

I'd like a party that supported more women who want to to do that instead of only giving support if you leave your baby in daycare.

No one is supporting that yet I don't think, but I'm glad Reform are at least recognising women and babies as important.

I make this point all the time. Reform will not get into government in this parliament so you can vote for them secure in the knowledge they won't get to do what they want.

The purpose of small parties in our FPTP voting system is to influence the debate. The larger parties will be watching the electorate's reaction to Reform and they will amend their approach accordingly.

We have already moved Labour away from self-id through the reaction to the SNP's policies. Voting Reform to send the same message is entirely logical, if nauseating.

I agree on the policies that need to be addressed.

But I do see women rejecting even the notion that supporting mothers to be with their children for longer should be discussed.
The barefoot and pregnant trope gets trotted out immediately.