Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) – a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. This year, the theme is ‘Choose to Challenge’ which speaks to the notion that by challenging ourselves and those around us we can make the world a better place.
In the spirit of this theme, I am pleased that last week marked the start of the Defence Select Committee’s Sub-Committee titled ‘Women in the Armed Forces: from Recruitment to Civilian Life.’, the first oral evidence session of which I chaired on Thursday.
The process of preparing for this committee has been a challenge in itself; starting with the recognition that, whilst the past decade has seen many improvements for women in the Armed Forces, service leavers and veterans, with 9 out of 10 of the women who contributed telling us that they would recommend a career in the military for a woman, challenges still remain. These challenges were certainly highlighted in the evidence session.
Nonetheless, whilst the scale of the process seemed daunting, I have been buoyed by the fact that the number of responses to the call for evidence has been exceptional – possibly the most the Defence Select Committee has ever seen. After the Secretary of State for Defence lifted the Defence Instruction Notice banning serving personnel from engaging with Parliamentarians, we ran an anonymous survey and had 4106 responses, meaning 9% of women who serve in the regular British Armed Forces have submitted evidence to this inquiry. I look forward to continuing the inquiry to ensure the voices of female Armed Forces personnel and veterans are heard.
As I wrote in The House Magazine today, one has to stick their head above the parapet to pioneer change – and I hope my doing so on this inquiry will start the conversation which so many military women have wanted to have for decades.
Across Parliament, much is also going on to celebrate IWD. For one, the ‘Women in Westminster’ Celebration is underway in a special edition of The House Magazine. In normal times, these awards would have involved an in-person celebration of inspirational and influential women in Parliament, politics, journalism, public affairs and public service. However, understandably, it has been slightly different this year.
Nevertheless, I was honoured to have been included as one of the top fifteen “women to watch”. As the first female Conservative MP for Wales and the only sitting female MP since records began that has served in the regular Armed Forces, it is an honour to be included along with some of my brilliant 2019 intake colleagues.
Outside of Parliament, it was also a pleasure to be able to speak at the relaunch of the Welsh Conservative Women's Organisation (CWO) with Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales. The CWO was founded in 1919 to represent the interests and ideas of the women of the Conservative Party. The CWO is a support group for all women who are sympathetic to the values of the Conservative Party, it is a forum for sharing ideas and experiences, a place to find support and mentoring with woman, and men, who support women putting themselves forward for public office.
At the relaunch I spoke about the journey I have been on to become an MP; the ups and downs along the way, but also the opportunities my position now offers me to help improve the lives of other women. Given the challenges that women face in politics, no matter their political affiliation, it was a pleasure to be able to support other Conservative women and share my own thoughts. All political parties have made great strides in recent years in terms of increasing female participation, but there is still certainly further to go. Therefore, I welcome the work that groups such as the CWO are doing to continue this process.
I also recently spoke with the Farndon Women’s Institute (WI) about my experiences in Parliament and the work I am doing in Wrexham. Groups like the WI have always been at the heart of local communities, often giving those involved a sense of purpose and autonomy. Indeed, they are cultural institutions in and of themselves and in the spirit of IWD I think they should be lauded.
Therefore, on this International Women Day, I will be celebrating the achievements of women across the globe and the achievements of women here in Wrexham and Wales. As we go forward into 2021, I will be championing the military as a good career for a woman but giving those who feel they have been let down by the military, a voice.
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Pictures:
Image 1: Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire; Virginia Crosbie, MP for Ynys Môn; and myself, Sarah Atherton, MP for Wrexham. All three of us were the first female Conservative MPs in Wales.
Image 2: Talking with Conservative Women's Organisation, Wales about my experiences in politics.