Following comments made by Harriet Harman that "men cannot be trusted to run things on their own" and that “men-only leaderships” are a “thoroughly bad thing”, Asif Afridi, Deputy CEO of brap, said:

"Although undoubtedly well-meaning, Harriet Harman’s comments miss the point.

"Men-only leaderships may be a bad thing, but only if they are indicative of unfair and discriminatory recruitment or election processes. Addressing that imbalance can only take us so far though. From our experience of working with public, private and third sector organisations, we know that making decision making processes more ‘representative’ does not necessarily ensure more equitable decisions will be made by elected members.

"We need to recognise that an understanding and appreciation of equality is a skill that has to be developed – it’s not something that automatically comes from being a particular sex. We all know women are just as capable of making unfair decisions as men: after all, many within the Labour party spent years campaigning against the inequitable policies of Margaret Thatcher.

Continues with 'Read more'. 

Recommend this article...

Commenting on a new report that shows many professions are inaccessible to those from less affluent backgrounds, Joy Warmington, CEO of brap, said:

“This report is welcome and long overdue.

“It acknowledges what brap has been saying for many years – that discrimination and disadvantage is often a result of socio-economic factors and not just ‘race’. In a city where white working class boys are as likely to academically underachieve as poor black boys, it’s clear that wasted talent and potential is not restricted to particular ethnic groups.

Continues with 'Read more'

Recommend this article...

Also in this issue: Speak Out asks why Birmingham children are amongst the unhappiest in the world, one MP explains how he intends to regain the public's trust, and we debate what role religion should have in society today.
Download  SpeakOut4 (6.66 MB)

Recommend this article...