Miriam Gonzalez Durantez joined Jo Swinson to visit female apprentices at a motorbike manufacturer in Jo’s constituency:
.@joswinson & Miriam Gonzalez Durantez visiting Scottoiler in East Dunbartonshire #GE2015 pic.twitter.com/XAGQ58znFD
— Shabnum Mustapha (@ShabnumMustapha) April 28, 2015
She also helped Jo launch an action plan for gender equality which includes action to tackle domestic violence, more childcare provision, more opportunities for women in science and engineering and work on body image.
Miriam went for a chat with Bryony Gordon from the Telegraph who was daft enough to ask her if Nick had sent her to help female candidates. That was never going to end well.
Miriam has been writing about her Inspiring Women campaign for the Huffington Post.
For one hour, the women talked to the girls about their jobs, their careers and their lives. The reaction of the girls could not have been more uplifting: no matter how well-known and famous some of the women were or how senior, or even how beautiful they looked, all that the girls wanted to know was how to succeed in such a competitive industry. They did not look at fashion as an aside interest, they saw fashion as a serious career option. ‘Looks’ could not have mattered to them any less.
Not a signal, considering that fashion is an industry worth £26billion and an industry that generates millions of jobs for men and women all over the world. Fashion is is not only one of the most dynamic sectors in the UK economy, but also one of the most successful ones in terms of social mobility.
The strength of the UK fashion industry is precisely the reason for the UN Fashion Show to come to London for the first time. The talent of ten students from two of the best fashion schools in the world is being recreated on the catwalk by the expert and delicate hands of artisans from developing countries. Both sides, fashion students and artisans, moved by the same aim: excellence and hard work.
The message could not be closer to my heart. I have spent months going around the country with the Inspiring Women campaign trying to convey this message to thousands of girls: that they should feel free to aim high (as free as boys), but that no dream happens without hard work and effort.
You can read the whole article here. She mentions the Women Inspiration and Enterprise awards which took place this week. Steerpike at the Spectator has written a slightly patronising article about her being there and quotes her as saying:
Unfortunately General Elections are not seen by political advisers as good times for wives of political leaders to be attending fashion events. They are way too glamorous. They would much prefer us to stick to the realms of kitchens and children. But I am here because I believe in the initiative, and getting women together, and learning from each other.
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2 Comments
It’s good to hear this positive feminism coming from the Lib Dems. They’d both get my vote.
Sue, I was going to say how good I think it is to hear more women’s voices on here. We have extreme inequality on this site and it makes it less enjoyable and it doesn’t have to be this way.
The editors are always trying to improve things and are often pushed back on some measures by us regulars, but we agree with the fundamental aim.