The debate on motion 57 may well have proven itself to be one of, if not THE, most contentious issue of today’s proceedings.
However, it was less the motion, and more an amendment proposed by the Bristol Branch that caused the most division.
The amendment in question was to remove the motion’s proposal that all councils and commitees should have to have at least one female nominee, in the name of equality and ‘gender balancing’.
The debate almost descended in red-taped chaos at one point, with the Chair being challenged and the elected scrutineers were called into action for the first time this Conference.
The proposers of the motion, The Equality Council, even attempted to remove the motion when the amendment was finally passed, but to no avail.
Eventually, the motion, as amended, was passed.
(Full report on the ethics section of ADM will be uploaded as soon as possible.)
Motion 57: Brains and Breasts
If anyone was tired this morning Motion 57 soon woke them up.
The motion was put forward by the Equality Council suggesting that the NUJ must address the gender imbalance between male and female representation on elected councils.
With a 40% female membership it is deemed embarrassing that only 2.5 seats on elected councils are occupied by women.
As previously reported on this site, Bristol branch put forward the successful amendment to stop quotas being introduced for gender-balanced nominations. However, were some arguments not verging on rather silly?
For example, “What if there is only one position open in my branch, do I give it to the woman or the man?” Well, if the woman has been nominated that is sufficient. What seems to have been lost is that the motion complete with quota proposal only wanted more female nominees. It was not calling for direct elections of women members.
Looking Forward
Although the Equality Council wanted to withdraw the motion completely after the amendment saying they would be back next year, it must be remembered the motion still contains action and it did not fail. The NEC must put into practice the mentoring and support of women members in chapels and branches as well as recognising the difficulties women still face. Not everything has been lost.
As a student member and first time ADM attendee, I do not feel ready or fully informed to give a complete opinion on this outcome. However, I would like to think in the future that should I become an elected member of an NUJ council, I will have been elected as a brain who happens to have breasts and not as breasts with a brain.
What other people say: