It’s only by putting a statutory mechanism in place that we will create a Senedd that is truly representative
Siân Gwenllian MS, Chair of the Women’s Cross-Party Group in the Senedd
History was made in our national parliament last week, and not for the reasons that might first spring to mind.
In a debate in the Senedd, Members agreed the general principles of the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill, colloquially called the gender quotas bill, which will require at least half of a party’s election candidates to be women.
This commitment formed a key part of my party’s Co-operation Agreement with the Welsh Government and is a cornerstone of our efforts to create a more diverse, representative, and effective Senedd.
Although campaigners such as myself will be hesitant to celebrate after hearing that the Government wants to delay implementation until the 2030 election, this is however a significant step forward.
Progress
We know that progress isn’t linear, and our national parliament’s journey is a reminder of that fact.
Despite becoming the first parliament in the world to achieve equality of gender representation in 2003, it has become apparent that was a highwater mark, and the presence of women in the Siambr has gradually diminished since.
The number of women MSs is currently at one of its lowest points since the start of devolution.
There are two grounds upon which feminists such as myself have fought for gender quotas in our democracy: the hard, statistical evidence, and the day-to-day lived experiences of women.
Both are important, and both were front and centre of the debate in the Senedd on Wednesday.
The counterargument to statutory gender quotas most resorted to is that gender balanced representation should, and could, happen organically. But the evidence is clear.
It’s only by putting a statutory mechanism in place that we will create a Senedd that is truly representative, and therefore truly effective as a legislature.
For example, in the 2021 Senedd elections, women made up only 31% of candidates. This is despite parties having voluntary gender quotas. Research by the Women’s Equality Network shows that with national, statutory gender quotas in place, parties have on average almost 19% more women on their lists than parties that are not subject to gender quotas.
International experts
The Senedd’s cross-party group on women, of which I am Chair, has heard presentation after presentation from international experts on the importance of quotas in order to create and maintain gender equality, and I stress the word maintain, and how having balance in terms of gender where decisions are made leads to better decision making for the whole population, including the 51% in Wales who are women. It leads to more effective democracy for all citizens.
But the lived experiences of women that I referred to is also key in making the case for legislative gender quotas.
It’s about listening to women’s voices, and I thank colleagues in the Senedd who outlined some of their experiences in the debate.
Whether it was during my time in university politics, a then male-dominated world, or my time serving as the sole woman Cabinet Member in Gwynedd, it is women such as myself who have that lived experience.
It’s us who have suffered as a result of being the only woman around the table. It is us who suffer unconscious bias, and it’s us who are ignored and derided.
It’s us, the women, who know how gender balance supports our efforts to make the world a more equal place for women and girls in the future.
Disappointing
As I have alluded to, it’s disappointing that the Welsh Government don’t intend for this change to come into force until 2030.
I made clear in the Senedd that if the political will existed in London, in the corridors of power of the new Government, I am convinced that it would be possible to include the quotas as a key part of reform in 2026.
I asked for assurance that the Labour Party in Cardiff and in London will find ways of removing any potential legal barriers.
Without quotas, the current reform package is unfinished and incomplete, and I am truly concerned that we will find ourselves with a Senedd that is larger, but one that is even less representative than it has been in previous years.
The conversations about the knotty legal aspects will continue, but we have nevertheless voted for the general principle of gender quotas through law last week, and that is historical and trail-blazing achievement.
It has taken some of us a lifetime’s work to reach this point, and that is a reason to celebrate.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
I thought this was deferred because of the objections raised concerning the issue of self id? If a man declares he is a woman, without question, how is that gender equality?
As for quotas, how many working class woman are truly represented? It’s easy to suggested lived experience, but whose lived experience?
Also Sian how about quotas for working class Men.
Irrespective of Gender the most unrepresented group of people in politics these days are people of a working class background.
Which is the reason far right parties are prospering.
can’t imagine that any woman with the smallest percentage of sense would want to be a politican let alone join the Senedd. Who wants to spend their time receiving threatening and abusive emails etc. The Senedd makes a Jacobean tragedy sound like a rom com
Of course…and this is an issue they never get pressed on: if they can’t find enough women to become SMs, what are they going to do – conscript them?
The question that confounds any regular woman (noun: adult human female) complaining that there aren’t enough female MPs or SMs is ‘So why don’t you do it?’.
Then the problem isn’t being a woman in politics. The problem is the abusers throwing misogyny around. Tackle the actual problem: abusers. Hold them to account for their abusive behaviour.
Two questions Sian.
Will you also be campaigning for more women in the bricklaying & roofing industries, or is it just the highly-paid, cushy jobs that need to be re-balanced?
Also, what type of woman do we need more of in the Sennedd: the traditional type, with XX chromosomes and a uterus, or the modern ones: the ones with beards and testicles who just think they’re women?
They are quiet about that bit Adrian because they know the Welsh public will then see the Emperor naked and say so too. Men aren’t women, no matter what frilly frock they put on.
It’s just laughable that the MS describes herself as a feminist while having nothing to say about her party’s stance and the Bill’s obvious anomalies. Feminist by name, not by actions. A dollop of courage rather than career advancement would be refreshing. Plaid’s policy commitment is self ID. This Bill permits self ID. Yet she swerves any mention of that. It’s just shameful that a woman is prepared to do this to other women. The Bill would allow men to make a gender statement and declare themself a woman without challenge. So Sian is in favour of that- she should… Read more »
This lady is one of PC’s head honchos, a party which was said to have a culture of misogony last year. How come? when women are so influential within it.- Lady Carmen, Elin Jones, Leanne Wood?
Why does nobody ever fight the corner of women who want to ID themselves as men? They are never mentioned in these quotas.
It’s all very confusing and contradictory
The irony is that these women would need to make a ‘gender statement’ declaring themselves women to be put forward as women and to take advantage of the Bill. Of course they are women though! But if they see themself as men, they’d be ineligible.
Exactly this same nonsense failed in Scotland as unlawful. Our Welsh Govt are going to look incredibly stupid and wasteful of our public money. They are a terrible advert for devolution.
You could end up with 100% men on lists as long as half said they were women. It’s just an embarrassing shambles.
What sort of “women” will you be attracting? XX Adult Human Females or XY women ie men with special feelings? This is self ID by the back door and I’m sure I’m not alone in not wanting it.
Any candidate only has to self declare they’re a woman! The Senedd has been told by the Equality and Human Rights Commission this ‘gender quotas bill’ doesn’t comply with the Equality Act 2010.
Does this include self ID’d men who think they are women? There’s no mention in this article of that. I’m all for women having a fair crack at equal access to politics, but why have t you mentioned the possibility of men self identifying as women and claiming a space?
‘This commitment formed a key part of my party’s Co-operation Agreement with the Welsh Government and is a cornerstone of our efforts to create a more diverse, representative and effective Senedd’. Nice to know Plaid has got its priorities right for the people of Wales. How can someone in 2024 argue positively for quotas and think it is a good thing? I do not think that when people see a woman politician in the Senedd they assume she is there because of her gender. They may criticise her like they would the men for being a career or poor politician,… Read more »
What a scandalous waste of time and money. You avoid two major issues here, both of which are insurmountable stumbling blocks to this ill-thought through bill. Firstly, the bill is a route to Self ID by the back door. Any man, ANY MAN, can declare himself a woman and have his name (no doubt a twee feminine one) put on the ballot which directly falls foul of the Equality Act 2010 (EA). As a result the Senedd does not have legal competence to enact this bill into law as the EA 2010 is not a devolved matter. Only the UK… Read more »
Sad state of affairs that we cannot get good people into jobs because historically we have so many blocks in place and don’t seem to want to remove them.
‘truly representative, and therefore truly effective as a legislature’. That’s a bit of a non sequitur. The whole premise is questionable, in my opinion. Merit should be the only measure for a representative, not their genitalia. Women are just as capable of being completely useless as men are! Just ask Liz Truss! And why gender equality? Surely, a higher ideal would be to ensure representation from all social classes, so that the Senedd ceases to be the bubble that it has become. Gender equality is a Potemkin village. All facade, no substance. I cannot support a political party that takes… Read more »
If PC were in anyway serious about equality for women then this bill wouldn’t contain the word gender and it wouldn’t be a self ID shoe in. Sex is the basis upon which women face discrimination, not gender.
Agreed. Worse, PC includes in its manifesto an explicit desire to achieve equality of outcome, not just opportunity. Shameful!
This is not the way to achieve better representation for women.
You need to tackle the reasons why women aren’t standing in the first place. Tick box positive discrimination masks the real problems.
I notice you haven’t mentioned that the Bill will allow any man to ‘identify as a woman’ to qualify for this special treatment – perhaps you might consider if this kind of misogyny might be one of the factors putting women off standing?
Sigh. Is she referring to sex or gender? Sex is real, gender is a social construct. Is the Senedd going to allow self-id? That is men (xy) declaring themselves female ? This is not funny. Women are sick and tired of men in our sports, refuges, changing rooms, etc . Just because a man wears a frock doesn’t make him a man. Diversity ought to include: class, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion and other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. And the Senedd doesn’t have the power to enact this legislation so stop wasting money. Look at the structural… Read more »
Is this all really a problem? Or a cooked-up cause celebre? Nothing wrong with a 50/50 split if that’s what people want. But how many men will self-identify as women just to get elected? It just ain’t going to happen. If you have someone who has physically changed their sex, surely they identify with their new sex and will support the womens’ or mens’ side of things. And as for the toilets issue, I couldn’t care less if an ex-female with a prosthetic penis comes into the toilet with me. Perhaps the way forward is to accept physically modified bodies… Read more »
People can’t physically change sex. We are the sex we were born as, and no bodily modifications can turn a male into a female or vice versa.
As a man why would you feel threatened by a woman coming into your space? Try expanding your mind so that it encompasses why women do not want men in theirs. As far as the likelihood, yes, maybe it is unlikely. But if it’s permitted then it’s a possibility. A man has self identified himself into running the Edinburgh rape crisis centre and is using that position to oppress and bully women going through the worst experiences of their lives. Why? Because he COULD and because in his own words, it is fun. Create a loophole and abusive men will… Read more »
Humans can’t change sex, and gender identity has no grounding in science, empirical evidence, or objective reality. Whatever a man does to his body, the majority of women do not want him in women-only spaces.
If a woman has a mastectomy and a hysterectomy she is no less a woman. I couldn’t care less what people choose to wear, and maybe you don’t either. In which case, men like you can welcome men in frocks into your spaces because we are not going to shove up. But whatever a man wears or calls himself or does to himself – and let’s be clear, most men do not have any surgical modifications – he cannot change sex, will not change his patterns of behaviour or aggression, and is likely going to be stronger than any woman… Read more »
Equality of opportunity is a great thing and must be pushed. Equality of outcome has almost always resulted in a lowering of standards.
We want the best person for the job. We should judge a person by their character and skill not things like what gender, skin colour, or religion they are, and especially not simply to meet a quota.
Wales is going down a dangerous path with some of the ideologies being pushed recently. I’m all for discussions about changing the status quo, but this is madness.
Do it on the basis of sex then, not gender. Then non-binary and trans identified females will get the support they need to overcome barriers to holding political office, which are after all to do with how girls are raised to not put themselves forward and care responsibilities ie tied to sex and not gender identity.
Why stop at gender quotas? Why not ethnic origin quotas? Autistic people? Amputees? Military veterans? Why not separate quota for Polish, Romanian and English immigrants? All of these groups have a different ‘lived experience’, so surely they are all worthy of a quota to ensure they are adequately represented.
Height, weight, attractiveness, athleticism, IQ….?
Religious affiliation, state vs private education, star sign, favourite colour, whether you can roll your tongue or smell asparagus in your pee… the list is endless…
….and this is the idiocy baked into intersectionality: we could keep going with endless categorisations…and where does it end up? Tada! The individual!
It really takes a special kind of stupid to un-think something that everybody knew up until yesterday: stand up, the progressive left!
It’s divide and conquer
The only quota we need is for at least 50% of MSs to be people with some common sense – that group must be the most under-represented group in Wales.
We’d have to conscript people I’m afraid 🙂
I’m in favour of political parties taking their own internal decisions about quotas. However, I do not think it is for the state through legislation to tell political parties who they can or cannot put up as their candidates. That doesn’t sit well. The state should have no say whatsoever in who a party nominates for election.
The first line says it all ‘History was made in our national parliament last week’, all they care about is the image of Wales not it’s substance.
Gender quotas should be scrapped altogether. Candidates should be selected through meritocracy and not on the basis of their gender.
Gender is a word that’s now so polluted it has no utility. I no longer use it unless I’m referring to the word itself.
Or by voting anyway which doesn’t guarantee merit I’m sure we can all think of dozens of examples there.
It’s a worthy goal to aim for equal representation of gender but the gender quotas thing seems to me to be a way to get people to accept the closed list system because you wouldn’t be able to guarantee 50/50 if the actual voters were to be allowed to decide on specific individual candidates. By the way what about independent candidates are they no longer allowed?
What has PC done to address the underlying issue of why women are under represented? We’ve gone backwards since 2003. If you look at the statistics of violence against women and girls you might get to the root of it. Sian Gwenllian is a feminist of the Nicola Sturgeon variety i.e. not at all and serve men who say they are women. I wonder where and how deeply PC has buried Prosiect Pawb? We only get blah blah blah when it’s mentioned.
This is an appalling idea. I want the best people to govern Wales, not token appointments. The best people could all be female, could all be male or could all be people from Mars living in Wales. But the key part is the ‘best’ – quotas mean second rate appointmenst would be made.