Nicky Morgan holds not one but two ministerial posts - but you'll probably only know her for the education one. Writer Emma Barnett points out how most of us don't even know who the Women's Minister is...
Last week, I was delivering an evening lecture to a group of successful and dynamic women. The topic? Female ambition. In a nutshell, my theory is that women aren’t less ambitious than men – it’s just that there are a series of invisible barriers we have to navigate, that often mean we end up losing custody of our ambition, without us even realising it. Cue lots of nodding of heads and pertinent questions from the floor.
I concluded that the lead on ensuring gender equality must come from the very top. And then it dawned on me. How many of these 100 women could name the UK’s Women’s Minister? I asked them and not a single hand went up. Not one. Do you know who she is? Did you even know that the Government had such a position in the Cabinet?
For your information, the current Women’s Minister is an individual called Nicky Morgan – who is far more famous for her other ministership – y’know, being the Education Secretary.
That’s the first thing you need to know about the person designated as the UK’s chief female – while it’s not her fault, it isn’t considered enough of a role to be somebody’s sole job. The Women’s Minister brief is an add-on – which is also a handy metaphor for how so many people and organisations around the world regard gender equality: as an afterthought.
The second is that this country has had a Women’s Minister since 1997 – when Tony Blair created the post, but we’re still hardly aware of it. And the third point to make is that the Women’s Minister shouldn’t be popular. Well-known, yes. But popular? Never. She or he should be a total nuisance to the Government and anyone or anything else that prevents women from realising their full potential on account of their sex. I was firmly told this once by Dame Tessa Jowell – who held the position twice during Labour’s most recent time in office.
Tessa said, ‘It’s the Women’s Minister’s job to be unpopular; to be a thorn in the side of the Government.’ The London Mayoral hopeful also confided that you immediately become the butt of a lot of sexist jokes in the Commons. But while the Women’s Minister should strive to be unpopular in order to improve British women’s lot, being totally unknown is just not on.
While all political energy and attention is lavished on the Labour leadership battle (and whether it will spectacularly fail to appoint its first female leader – again), I feel that Nicky Morgan should be using the summer to cause waves of her own. Where’s the outrage about the structural and cultural prejudices that inhibit British women every single day?
We may have all the equality we could dream of enshrined in law, but societally women are still very much swimming against the tide. This is where a big education move needs to come in for boys and girls – ironically something Morgan is very well placed to do, with regards to her other job.
Sexism isn’t the blatant bottom- slapping prejudice of old. It’s more insidious than that and requires a sophisticated approach to first identify it and then break it down.
Essentially, the UK’s chief woman needs to identify herself to the British public and be a real firebrand – leading where others must follow.
Obviously, in an ideal world we wouldn’t need a Women’s Minister. That’s the UK I would like to live in. However, in the meantime – we need one that’s as famous as suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst (who incidentally would have made an awesome Women’s Minister, what with getting arrested and regularly annoying the Prime Minister). We’ve had a Women’s Minister for the last two decades – but there’s no point having one for the next 20 years if the electorate has never heard of them. I think the role ought to be scrapped if this invisibility continues.
A favourite quote of mine comes from the American actress Roseanne Barr: ‘The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it.’
Well, Nicky Morgan has been given power. The real hard stuff. Now I’d like to see her seize the opportunity to become a household name in her women’s role.
*** The Telegraph’s Emma Barnett tweets @emmabarnett and her TED talk: The Secrets That Snails Can Teach Women About Success, can be found on YouTube{
Do you agree with Emma? What do you want the Women’s Minister to tackle? Email us at feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk and tweet us at @Grazia_live