- Minister for Women and Equalities
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Minister for Women and Equalities
Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Government Equalities OfficeStyle The Right Honourable Appointer David Cameron Inaugural holder Harriet Harman Formation 28 June 2007 Website Equalities Office United Kingdom
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The post of Minister for Women and Equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom with responsibility for addressing all forms of discrimination, with particular emphasis on gender inequality.
History
The position of Minister of Women was created by Tony Blair when he became prime minister as a means of prioritising women's issues across government. Prior to that, there had been an equality unit in the Cabinet Office and a Cabinet committee, which were continued under the leadership under the new minister.[1] When Gordon Brown succeeded Blair, he created the post of Minister for Women and Equality to handle a wider range of equalities issues. The first Minister for Women and, ten years later, the first Minister for Women and Equality was Harriet Harman. On 12 October 2007[2] a new department, the Government Equalities Office was created to support the minister. When David Cameron became prime minister, he gave the position its current name without a change in its responsibilities. Since its creation, the position has always been held by a minister sitting in Cabinet by virtue of another office (i.e., a secretary of state or leader of one of the Houses of Parliament).
Despite calls from people such as Lord Northbourne for a minister to concentrate on issues specific to men, there is no Minister for Men or similar office.[3]
List of Ministers
- For Women
Term Cabinet Minister Junior Minister 1997–98 Harriet Harman Joan Ruddock 1998–01 Baroness Jay Tessa Jowell 2001 Patricia Hewitt Baroness Morgan of Huyton 2001–03 Barbara Roche 2003–05 Jacqui Smith 2005–06 Tessa Jowell Meg Munn 2006–07 Ruth Kelly - for Women and Equality
Term Cabinet Minister Minister of State Parliamentary Secretary 2007–08 Harriet Harman Barbara Follett 2008–10 Maria Eagle Michael Foster - For Women and Equalities
Term Cabinet Minister Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 2010– Theresa May Lynne Featherstone References
- ^ Abrams, Fran (4 June 1997). "Harman heads team to put women's issues first". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/harman-heads-team-to-put-womens-issues-first-1254053.html. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
- ^ Legal document creating the new department
- ^ Report from March 2004 on calls for a 'minister for men'
Minister for Women and Equality
2007-2010Minister for Women and Equalities
since 2010Categories:- Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom
- Current ministerial offices in the United Kingdom
- Women's ministries
- United Kingdom government stubs
- Sovereign
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