We must widen understanding about the impact on women otherwise those who are disadvantaged the most by reason of ethnicity, class, income and citizenship will be truly left behind by Brexit.
This is according to a June 2018 article by PolicyBristol Hub which summarises discussions from a symposium on women’s equality and Brexit.
Speakers extended the Brexit debate from the non-gendered discourse on the single market and freedom of movement to consider the impact of Brexit on BAME women including hate crime and gender violence.
Sado Jirde, Director of Black South West Network said that Brexit has normalized racism.
Joanna Kaye from Unison said:
The EU provided the leadership on gender equality… We want our workers having the exact same rights as those across Europe.
Professor Hazel Conley warned:
The fear is that Brexit will extend austerity and we all know what absolute austerity has been for women’s equality.
It was agreed that women’s activism is the critical way forward. Jackie Longworth from Fair Play South West said that ‘women never got anywhere by being polite’.
The symposium concluded that decision-making mechanisms have to be widened. WIDEN is also the acronym for the newly formed network; Women’s Inclusive Democracy in Europe Network.
