Labour Women have been making a difference for over a century — we must ensure they are empowered to do so in the future

Abi Wood
4 min readMar 31, 2021

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As we mark the end of Women’s History Month, Abi Wood, Women’s Officer of Scottish Young Labour, reflects on the contribution of women to the Labour Party.

The Labour Party has acted as the natural political platform for social justice, including the liberation of women since its origin, with Labour governments continuously advancing the rights of women through progressive legislation including the Married Women (Maintenance) Act 1949; Abortion Act 1967; Sex Discrimination Act 1975; Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and Equality Act 2010.

Labour women have been at the forefront of the fight for social justice and equality for well over a century, sometimes going against the party line in their fight for equality. The origins of the party include the contribution of women, the Labour Party was founded in 1900 in the form of the Labour Representation Committee, a body formed to organise, and sponsor left wing candidates standing for Parliament. The resolution to establish the Labour Representation Committee was seconded by a Margaret Bondfield as the only woman at the meeting. Bondfield was a trail-blazing figure in the trade union movement and went on to become a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party and subsequently the first female cabinet member in Britain.

Throughout the early 20th century, women advanced the Labour party through campaigning and holding positions of power. For example, in 1943, Barbara Castle, a household name among Labour members, made her first conference speech, where she criticised the party for not campaigning hard enough for the implementation of the findings in the Beveridge Report. Labour later implemented the findings when they entered Government in 1945, creating the National Health Service as well as other ground-breaking social policies. Castle later became an MP and held several frontbench roles and served as Chairperson of the Labour Party. In the latter half of the 20th century, Labour continued to act as a platform for radical diverse women, who were not afraid to rally against the political consensus. Maureen Colquhoun, elected as the first openly gay female MP, fought for the rights of women tirelessly throughout her career, often to the dismay of the party. In 1987, Diane Abbott entered Westminster as the first black female MP, later serving as Shadow Home Secretary and becoming the first black person to hold or shadow a Great Office of State. In 2019 she became the only black MP to represent a party at Prime Minister’s Questions.

The 1997 landslide election win for the Labour Party saw more women than ever in the House of Commons and more women appointed to positions of power. The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly saw record numbers of women become elected politicians. Mo Mowlam made history when, in 1998, as Secretary of State to Northern Ireland, she was a driving force behind the peace process in Northern Ireland and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, all while battling aggressive cancer. Through our time in power, Labour made women MPs central to government, with Margaret Beckett appointed as the first female Foreign Secretary and Jacqui Smith serving as the first female Home Secretary.

We have now achieved gender parity in the Westminster Parliamentary Party and have a strong women’s presence in both Holyrood and the Senedd. Labour has once again smashed glass ceilings with the appointment of Anneliese Dodds as Shadow Chancellor, the first women to hold the position. Angela Rayner was a single teen mother who rose through the ranks of the trade union movement to be the first woman elected by her constituency. She was elected Deputy Leader of the party in 2020, following in the footsteps of Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman. Her experience highlights that women from all backgrounds and life experiences can succeed within our movement. The current Shadow Cabinet is predominantly female with women from a diverse range of backgrounds serving.

Now in opposition in both Holyrood and Westminster, Labour values are missing from Government policies and legislation. The UK has seen the introduction of austerity measures that have hit women the most. Only five female MPs are sitting in the current Cabinet, despite more women than ever elected as MPs in 2019. With a Conservative Government that stands up for the powerful and ignores the impact of its policies on women, only the Labour Party will put women first.

In government or opposition, Labour women have struck out on their own to fight for progressive, feminist legislation through members bills. Over the past two decades, the women of Scottish Labour have demonstrated this point. Cathie Craigie was the first woman to have a Members Bill become law with the Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Act 2001, giving more rights to those facing repossession of their home. Elaine Smith’s breastfeeding legislation (Breastfeeding etc (Scotland) Act 2005) was revolutionary, making it an offence to stop nursing mothers from breastfeeding in public. The provisions of this legislation were later replicated in the Equality Act 2010. This year, whilst in opposition, Labour has once again made history, with Monica Lennon’s fight against period poverty, resulting in the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021, making Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all.

At the recent AGM for Scottish Young Labour, less than half of all attendees identified as women. Young women feel less and less inclined to get involved in politics due to the likelihood of harassment or abuse. Internal complaint procedures need reviewed, and more initiatives are needed to inspire the diverse voices of women to be fully engaged in our movement. Labour needs to be at the forefront of intersectionality, amplifying the voices of all women and advocating for gender equality in politics and wider society.

The most significant advances in the rights of women have been secured under Labour governments. It incumbent on us to carry on the fight for equality with the same radical spirit in the future.

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Abi Wood
Abi Wood

Written by Abi Wood

23 | Trainee Solicitor & Justice First Fellow | Womens Officer @ Scottish Young Labour & Shettleston CLP | she/her | views = my own

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