International Women’s Day

Clive Jones Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton (Hannah Spencer) on her maiden speech. It was an eloquent speech that made us think that she has been here for several years. I really enjoyed her description of her constituency, and of the people and organisations she now represents. I hope that the hon. Member does not get involved in fixing the plumbing and the plastering in this place. Her place is in this Chamber, and I am sure that she will make a name for herself and be a really good champion for her constituents.

This debate is an opportunity to mark the progress that we have made in improving gender equality and empowering women in all areas of life. It is important that we monitor that progress and assess where there is much work to do. The gender equality index is a helpful tool that looks at gender equality across all UK authorities. Wokingham scores in the top 10% of local authorities for women’s outcomes, meaning that women in Wokingham generally have better equality in pay, life expectancy, job progression and skills compared with women nationally. However, there is still a significant gap between women and men in pay, job progression and participation in civil society. That needs to change. It is, of course, very welcome that women are doing well in Wokingham, but that counts for little if their outcomes are still far behind those for men. That is why so much work still needs to be done to ensure that the gender balance is improved and strengthened for this generation and for many generations to come.

A very serious issue is when a lack of gender equality plays out in shocking and violent ways. Through casework, I have seen how many women in Wokingham are victims of abuse and violence, which is often linked to an imbalance in financial and physical power. It is a great shame that many women who are victims of domestic abuse feel unsupported and neglected by the police, the courts and other services, and are often left relying on charities.

The Government must ensure that survivors of violence against women and girls are properly supported in the criminal justice system, with mandatory training for police and prosecutors on the impact of trauma. The Government must also ensure sustainable funding for services that support domestic abuse survivors. On that point, I must highlight the vital work done by Vickie Robertson and her charity Kaleidoscopic UK, based in Wokingham, which helps women who have experienced domestic abuse across the Thames Valley.

I have also seen through casework that so much of homelessness stems from domestic abuse, because a financial imbalance means women often have to care for their children, and the accommodation offered is unsuitable for families. The Government must take action to ensure that victims are not forced to return to perpetrators due to inadequate temporary accommodation. It is clear that although some progress to close the gender gap has been made, there is still so much more to do to make our communities safer for women and to level the playing field.