The routes to power of ethnic minority women
Ethnic minority women are under-represented in positions of power and senior decision-making authority across politics and the public, private and voluntary sectors. ETHNOS was commissioned to better understand the reasons for the under-representation. Through interviews and focus groups with some of the most senior ethnic minority women working in England, the study produced fascinating insights into these women's background and motivations, their distinct educational and professional pathways, the nature of their experiences as they moved up in organisations, the key barriers and challenges they faced and the strategies they employed to overcome them, and the added value ethnic minority women bring to their roles. The report makes a number of recommendations to increase ethnic minority women's access to positions of power.
Increasing the representation of ethnic minority women in local councils
ETHNOS conducted focus groups with women councillors from different Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, as well as different political parties (Conservative, Green, Labour, and Liberal Democrat) to provide more detailed perspectives on the experiences of current ethnic minority women councillors, with a view to providing more targeted and tailored support to encourage more ethnic minority women to become local councillors. As a result, the Government Equalities Office launched a cross-party Taskforce to consider practical ways to: increase awareness through outreach activities; build confidence and skills; encourage more ethnic minority women to step forward to become local councillors; improve the culture of political parties; and reduce disadvantage and stereotyping from within and outside the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The Taskforce brings together a range of partners: Local Government Association, local authorities, IdEA, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trade Union Congress, Fawcett Society, Operation Black Vote, Electoral Reform Society and the Women's National Commission.
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