CONNECT interview: Supporting women to stand for public office

Tuesday 03 January 2023

CONNECT interview: Supporting women to stand for public office

Tuesday 03 January 2023

In January, Women in Public Life celebrates its third anniversary. It has quickly become established as a prominent not-for-profit which promotes and supports women in public roles.

Matt Fallaize (MF) invited Shelaine Green (SG), Chair of Women in Public Life, to explain how the organisation operates and reflect on its achievements so far.

This interview was originally published in the latest edition of Express' sister title, CONNECT magazine, as part of its 'Community Champion' series. CONNECT can be read HERE.

Pictured: Shelaine Green, Chair of Women in Public Life.

MF: What are the purpose and main aims of Women in Public Life?

SG: Guernsey’s democracy, and the smooth running of the island, depends on members of the public putting themselves forward for positions in public office. Those might be elected roles like Deputy, Douzenier or Jurat. Or they could be more behind-the-scenes opportunities as a member of the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal or the board of the Office for Data Protection.

In all of these public office roles, the people involved are making decisions on behalf of all of us. But generally, women are significantly under-represented, which means that decision making isn’t balanced. The most obvious example is the States, where there are currently only eight women out of 38 Deputies. Each States’ committee has five members: most committees are four men and one woman; some committees are all men.

The purpose of Women in Public Life is simple - to inspire and support more women to stand for public office.

MF: When, how and why did you conceive of the idea of launching an organisation dedicated to that cause?

SG: The inspiration for Women in Public Life came from a 2016 initiative called ‘The Power of The Voice’ to encourage women to stand for that year’s election. It was ground-breaking and it worked. There was a big shift in the number of women in the States that year, jumping from five right up to 12. But Power of the Voice was a one-off campaign specifically for the 2016 election.

Women in Public Life launched in January 2020 and is different in two ways: our work is ongoing, and we’ve broadened the remit to encourage women to put themselves forward for all forms of public office – parish, panels, tribunals, commissions, committees – not just the States.

It’s been a revelation to all of us just how many opportunities come up. Just this year, we’ve highlighted 16 different positions in our newsletter and on social media from School Committees to the Scrutiny Management Committee’s Agilisys review panel to Non-Executive Director of Aurigny.

Pictured: A discussion event featuring women in public roles in Guernsey and (second from right) Jackie Weaver, patron of Women in Public Life.

MF: How is Women in Public Life led, operated and funded?

SG: We are a small, dedicated, wonderful team of volunteers, made up of women and men who believe passionately in the importance of balanced representation. Our patron is Jackie Weaver – as Chief Officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils (as well as the star of the Handforth Parish Council video) she brings a wealth of experience of local democracy in action.

Funding for our day-to-day work comes from donations. Our biggest expense is our website, where all the information about public office roles is laid out and constantly updated. Big events like ‘An Evening with Jackie Weaver’ are either covered by ticket sales or supported by a corporate sponsor.

MF: How do you respond to the claim that there is no need for a separate organisation to help advance a group which makes up around 50% of the population?

SG: We are remarkably busy for an organisation that’s not needed! And I would dispute the term 'help advance' as that could imply that we’re giving women an unfair advantage. We don’t tell anyone that they must vote for, or appoint, women. We simply encourage more women to join the pool of candidates so that Guernsey can choose the best person for the job from all of the breadth of talent out there, not just half of it.

Pictured: In 2022, Women in Public Life ran a campaign encouraging 'iconic women of the future'.

MF: What do you see as the main achievements of Women in Public Life in its relatively short life so far?

SG: We’re really good at keeping women up to date. Whether you’re on our mailing list or following us on social media, you’re regularly getting good quality, timely information about the opportunities out there to use your skills to help your island. The roles are all very different and it’s just a matter of waiting for that lightbulb moment when you see something come up and you think ‘actually, yes, I could do that’.

We’re also proud of our determination to reach out to as diverse a range of women as possible. Our 2021 International Women’s Day campaign focused on ‘international women’ from the 74 different nationalities living in Guernsey. In 2022, it was all about women under 30 when our ‘iconic women of the future’ campaign went viral.

Since we launched in 2020, we’ve been encouraging women to come and sit in the public gallery to watch States’ debates – some now bring their daughters after school. And for those who can’t be there in person, we send out WhatsApp updates reporting on the speeches as they happen so our members can follow the big debates without having to be glued to the radio.

MF: Do you ever see a time when the representation of women in public life will be such that there is no need for your organisation and its work?

SG: Oh, we’d love to be made redundant – what a happy day that would be. There’s been big progress recently in Jersey (43% women in the States’ Assembly) and the Isle of Man (42% women in the House of Keys). But Guernsey lags way behind at 21%, so there’s still a long way to go.

We love working with the Douzaines and there’s been some good progress there. Female representation has gone up from 20% to 33% over the last three years. Both St. Peter Port and the Forest have a healthy gender balance now – slightly more women than men in the case of St Peter Port – and there are no longer any Douzaines in the island with just one woman at the table.

Pictured: Shelaine and colleagues formed Women in Public Life three years ago to build on the initial success of 'Power of the Voice', a campaign which encouraged more women to stand for the States in the general election of 2016.

MF: What are the main barriers faced by Women in Public Life as an organisation and indeed by women who are in or thinking of being in public life?

SG: For us as an organisation, there are no limits – we have new ideas constantly. The only thing which constrains us is the size of our team of volunteers and the number of hours in the day. So, if you believe in balanced representation and want to help, you can get in touch through our website – we’d love to hear from you.

By contrast, there are lots of barriers to women stepping forward for public office. Women are constantly juggling lots of different responsibilities, we don’t get tapped on the shoulder as often as men do, we underestimate our own skills and overestimate the requirements of the job. Of course, the simplest barrier is not even knowing these roles exist in the first place or what skills they need or how much time they take up. That’s the barrier we’re working hardest to remove.

MF: Which aspects of your work give you the most satisfaction personally?

SG: I love being there alongside fantastic women as they go from their first tentative contact with us to actually taking a role in public office. When Evita Bormane was elected as the first ever Latvian Douzenier, my heart nearly burst with joy. Every time I get an email saying ‘just to let you know, I saw that vacancy in your newsletter, and I’ve applied’, I dance around my office.

Pictured (l to r): The offices of the Vale and St Peter Port Constables and Douzaines. Women in Public Life has enjoyed some success encouraging more women to stand for parochial roles across the island.

MF: Which aspects of your work are you looking forward to most in 2023?

SG: In 2023, we’ll be building on the things that work for us – telling women about vacancies as they come up, supporting women as they explore which role is right for them, publicising the Jurat and parish elections, reporting on States’ meetings and making a splash on International Women’s Day.

And as we’ll be into the second half of the States’ term, our focus will be turning to Election 2025 and the brilliant women out there from all sorts of backgrounds who could change the dynamic in the Assembly. If you know one, send her our way.

Women in Public Life's website can be accessed HERE.

You can sign up to their bi-monthly newsletter HERE.

Credit for Women in Public Life pictures: Paul Chambers and Women in Public Life.

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