I asked for the issue of name badges to be discussed at the last Honiton Town Council meeting on Monday 11th March 2013. Councillor’s badges have the names of the councillor on them (Eg Cllr F. Jones) and the female councillors have their marital status added to theirs so mine says Cllr Mrs S. Pavey. I think this is an outdated, old fashioned and incredibly sexist practice, and I’m glad to say that after a very short discussion, the council agreed to offer female councillors the option to change their badges and as new female councillors join the council, this practice to be dropped and male and female badges are to be exactly the same ie Cllr M Smith regardless of whether the councillor is male or female. I also requested that we ask the company we get the badges from whether our current badges could be recycled.
I’m pleased that Honiton Town Council voted to remove gender specific titles on our name badges. Whether a female councillor is married or not has no bearing on her position as a councillor. This is a small step in the right direction. Bigger steps include seeing equal representation on the council. The current situation sees just six female councillors outnumbered by twelve men and I’m often attending meetings where I’m the only female councillor.
Don’t forget you can add your comments too, I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Well done Sharon. I hated this too when I was a Councillor in Seaton. Small victory but marital status should mean nothing in 2013.
Almost unbelievable that such a practice was still going on…
Congratulations on this small step for womenkind!!! The best way to change big things is sometimes to start with the seemingly smaller ones. Hope you will be equally successful in all your campaigns. Good luck on Honiton Town Council.
Excellent. Perhaps in future male councillors’ name tags should be blue and female ones pink. Or councillors of either gender could be encouraged to put a more detailed marital description on their badges, viz ‘bitterly divorced’, ‘quite happily married thank you’, etc. Go on – dare you!
I saw that badge before I read the script and thought – ‘Something’s not right here’ !!!! Well done Sharon. You are blowing off the dust!!!!
Very well done Sharon. It will be small steps like this, leading to larger ones, which will eventually lead to the eradication of deeply entrenched predjudices in ALL areas, not just gender!
hi Sharon
I had no idea that you had to wear these badges – well done for sorting it out!
K
I had no idea about all this kind of thing either K before becoming a councillor – it’s a whole ‘nother world !
Oh good for you Sharon, it narks me that I am referred to as Cllr Mrs Wright and the male cllrs are just known as Cllr … I am even addressed as Cllr Mrs in some emails from officers. I asked for my email address to be changed to Cllr Claire Wright, from Cllr Mrs Claire Wright when I was first elected to EDDC. Sometimes I think we are still living in the 1950s!
Well done on doing your bit to push the council in a more progressive direction – it would never have happened without you. As you say a small victory but a symbolic one.
well done! a victory for common sense and equality… why don’t they have the councillor’s first names, I wonder…
Check out Cllr Claire Wright’s latest blog about other councillors referring to her as Cllr Mrs Wright after she repeatedly asks them not to http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/what_makes_a_good_councillor/