Women dressed as suffragettes plan to mark International Women’s Day on the streets of Brighton this afternoon (Tuesday 8 March).
The event – a walking tour known as the Suffragette Walk – has been organised by the Women’s Equality Party and is open to the public.
The walk is expected to last about an hour and to offer insights into the local Suffragette Movement.
The tour starts at 5pm form the India Gate outside the Royal Pavilion and volunteers from the Women’s Equality Party, dressed in period costume, will be taking part.
There is no charge although donations are welcome for the event – one in a series organised by the Women’s Equality Party.
Another event takes place at the Dome tonight at 7.30pm when comedian Sandi Toksvig celebrates the launch of the Women’s Equality Party with her “Politically Incorrect” fundraising tour.
She is a co-founder of the party and the evening will consist of a mixture of stand-up comedy, interesting stories and fascinating facts.
Celia Wilson, the acting Brighton branch leader, said that the programme of events would not only mark International Women’s Day but also show how much progress had been made in the local branch of the Women’s Equality Party.
She said: “We are so happy to be able to offer our first ever programme of events to celebrate International Women’s Day.
“The Brighton branch has come such a long way since it began in May last year. Initially we only had two members but now we have over 300 paid-up founder members, 1,500 Facebook likes and 600 Twitter followers.
“We are now one of the largest and liveliest branches in the country as we strive for equal pay and equal representation.”
When it started last May the Brighton branch was only the third in the country after Edinburgh and Birmingham. Now there are more than 70.
The party said that it was campaigning for equality because
- Every day in the UK women face inequality at home, at work, in politics and in public life
- Although women make up 51 per cent of the population, only 29 per cent of MPs, 25 per cent of judges and 21 per cent of FTSE 100 company directors are female
- Women still occupy the lowest-paid jobs and at the current rate it will be 70 years before the gender pay gap, currently almost 16 per cent, eventually closes
- About 1.2 million women suffer domestic abuse a year and nearly half a million people are sexually assaulted but conviction rates are low
- Although at school girls outperform boys in every mainstream GCSE subject other than maths, and young women make up 57 per cent of first degree university graduates, somewhere along their career path, women fall behind
- An average woman working full-time from 18 to 59 will earn £361,000 less over her working life than an equivalent man
The party said that its aims included
- pushing for equal representation in politics, business, industry and throughout all areas of working life
- pressing for equal pay and an equal opportunity to thrive
- campaigning for equal parenting and care-giving and shared responsibilities at home to give everyone equal opportunities both in family life and in the work place
- an education system that creates opportunities for all children
- equal treatment of women by and in the media
- an end to violence against women
The party has announced its first candidates to stand for Women’s Equality in elections in May to
the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Greater London Assemblies. The party’s London mayoral candidate is Sophie Walker.
