Women's Parliament to take place in Buckingham

Wednesday 6th March, from 1 - 5pm – two days ahead of International Women’s Day – The Women’s Parliament will take place in Buckingham to address pressing matters related to women’s rights, such as the gender pay & pensions gap, economics and women’s economic independence, as well as AI.

The proceedings will also broaden out to tackle topics like violence against women as well as other aspects of law, culture, and society. At the heart of the debate will be a Motion authored by The Hon. Dr Jocelynne Scutt, Senior Fellow at the Law School at The University of Buckingham.

The Hon. Dr Jocelynne Scutt explains, “During the struggle for women’s suffrage last century, women staged Women’s Parliaments to demand the vote. While this was achieved on the same basis as men in 1928, there is still a long way to go in terms of achieving equality. Building on the action and activism of those women of the past, women today are demanding our rights in full measure. Speaking out as members of The Women’s Parliament, women from a broad range of backgrounds, with practical and personal commitment to women’s rights, recognise the power of women’s voices.”

The Women’s Parliament is building on the work of the CEDAW People’s Tribunal, which, in June 2020 produced the President’s Report proposing a Women’s Bill of Rights.

Participants in The Women’s Parliament will explore calls upon all governments to take a leading role in ensuring that a Women’s Bill of Rights is introduced and passed by the Parliament with consistent Women’s Rights Bills passed by the devolved authorities of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

It also calls on local government authorities around the United Kingdom to ensure that their policies and practices are consistent with the provisions of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW.) Members of the public, including prospective and current law students are welcome to attend though places are limited.

The Women’s Parliament will be live streamed on here. Previous sittings of the Women’s Parliaments are also available to view at this link.

In 2022 and 2023, Women’s Parliaments have been held at Council Chamber Guild Hall, Cambridge with Dr Scutt chairing. University of Buckingham graduates and staff members participated alongside women from around the country.

Other events taking place at The University of Buckingham are listed here.