Proposals have been submitted to NUS conference to ensure greater representation of women on the National Executive, in other positions and in NUS conference delegations. These so-called ‘gender balancing’ proposals are actually about challenging women’s systematic under-representation in the structures of the national union.
Below NUS Women’s Campaign second representative on the NEC, Jo Johnson, explains why this change should be supported. We will publish some thoughts from NCAFC activists soon.
You can read the proposals here – see ‘recommendation 701’ on p95.
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Fair representation is important – our movement should be directed by representative bodies
The student body has changed in the last few decades. The days where white men comprised the majority of the membership of NUS are long gone, and will not be coming back (at least not to the extent that certain right wing forces in our government would like). Whilst huge strides forward have been made to improve the diversity of the leadership of our movement, we are no where near close to having fair representation of women across the organisation.
Women, despite making up the majority of NUS’s membership, are still significantly in the minority when it comes to representation on NEC and its committees, particularly on those committees that do not have reserved spaces for self defining women. It is a commonly known fact that women are less likely to run in elections, both on a local and national level, due to societal pressures about what is appropriate feminine behaviour. Often women who dare to run in elections, especially in presidential elections, run the risk of having sexist and misogynist counter-campaigns to deal with. Only 28% of student’s unions have a woman president this year compared with around 55% of students being women. On an NEC of 48 places, only three of those places, including my own, are reserved for self-defining women.
Having women in leadership positions is important for inspiring the next generation of activists. As a wide eyed newbie to the student movement, seeing a strong woman in a sabbatical role in my student’s union, and then seeing women in committee and officer roles within NUS made me realise that the movement was relevant to me and was a place where I could get involved.
Token representation is no longer enough, it’s time for NUS to move forward to where it has so often been; ahead of other organisations when it comes to the representation of students from liberation backgrounds. So often we hear candidates in elections and endless speeches which pay lip service to the liberation campaigns. Now is an opportunity to demonstrate that liberation politics should be woven all the way through NUS, not just compartmentalised and considered as an afterthought.
Policy is going forwards which will give conference the opportunity to vote to reserve places for women on the Block of 15, zone committees and conference delegations, in order to get a more representative conference floor. This is a note urging you to vote enthusiastically for the proposals, and urging you to embrace a radical and progressive approach to take our movement forwards.
I also encourage everyone who is voting for fair representation to write their own facebook note explaining why – we must be loud, we must be vocal and we must be proud!
In sisterhood,
Jo Johnson
NUS Women’s Campaign, NEC second place
nusconference2013 