Drive to get more women in public appointments

The next steps to increase the number of women and other under-represented groups in public appointments will be at the centre of an event later today (Mon 8th July).

The Welsh Government is committed to increasing the number of women and other under-represented groups such as disabled people and those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds appointed to public bodies, which include health boards, art organisations and sports bodies.

Chairs of public sector bodies from across the country will meet the Communities Minister Jeff Cuthbert in Cardiff to discuss what further action can be taken to increase the number of women and other under-represented groups on their boards.

The Welsh Government is working with a range of organisations to remove the barriers that prevent many from applying for such roles. They are also looking at raising awareness via social media.

Jeff Cuthbert said:

“Unfortunately, women and some parts of our society continue to be under-represented in public appointments in Wales and there is even evidence that the trend is going in the wrong direction. For our public bodies to truly represent the society they serve, this is something we must work together to address.

“There is no easy answer and we have to take a number of measures, from encouraging people to apply, through to raising awareness of opportunities. We have written to the Chairs of all public bodies asking them to take action and this event is an opportunity to work out what we do next.

“We have a commitment that at least 40% of appointments to public appointments in Wales are women. The Welsh Government is exploring all options for increasing the numbers of women on public sector boards, but non-legislative methods need to be given an opportunity to work first before turning to imposing quotas through legislation.

Professor Laura McAllister Chair of Sport Wales will also be addressing the seminar. She said:

“At Sport Wales we have been successful in attracting high quality female members to our Board because we have been entirely proactive in how we look for candidates and provide them with real opportunities to join our work. Sport is essentially based on the talent of the individual to achieve success and it’s that talent we have focussed on.

“The days of tokenism should be banished to the past and, as public leaders, we have a duty and responsibility to try different solutions and ensure we get the representative skills balance that both males and females can provide.

“The Welsh Government is taking a proactive view of this work and this event is another positive step forward.”