Patricia Hewitt, Trade Secretary and Cabinet Minister for Women, is encouraging women to apply for national public appointments on some of the UK’s 1,000 public bodies, and suggesting that their employers should support them.
Of the FTSE 100 firms, only 6% of women hold directorships and 43 firms have no female directors. It is also suggested that encouraging women employees to take up public appointments would strengthen their skills.
Patricia Hewitt said: “Modern public services should reflect the needs and interests of the community they are responsible to. Women make up half the population. If our public bodies are to serve the consumer properly they must reflect this – only then can they be truly representative of all sections of the community.”
Ms Hewitt told the seminar that employers can play a key role by encouraging their staff to take up a public appointment. They could enrich government policy-making and ensure it is rooted in reality. The skills and experience brought back could then enable them to perform better in the workplace and ensure their company’s service delivery better reflects the community they serve.
