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| Men of the Commons leave Men's Day debate to the women | |
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| Free the Westminster 455. To mark this Saturday’s International Men’s Day, Conservative Philip Davies had called for a backbench business debate on men’s issues, and he began with a couple of apologies. Maria Miller, chair of the women and equalities select committee, had written to say how much she wished she could have taken part in the debate but she had an unavoidable engagement. Theresa May also regretted she couldn’t be there in person but she too was busy. That’s the matriarchy for you. | Free the Westminster 455. To mark this Saturday’s International Men’s Day, Conservative Philip Davies had called for a backbench business debate on men’s issues, and he began with a couple of apologies. Maria Miller, chair of the women and equalities select committee, had written to say how much she wished she could have taken part in the debate but she had an unavoidable engagement. Theresa May also regretted she couldn’t be there in person but she too was busy. That’s the matriarchy for you. |
| Davies went on to highlight some real issues, such as suicide rates and educational under-attainment, as well as some more marginal ones. “There is the forgotten issue of the gender pay gap,” he pointed out. “Women earn on average 6% more than men in part-time jobs.” He made no attempt to hide his disgust at this glass ceiling: it was precisely because women were snaffling all the best zero-hours contracts that men were forced into full-time work. | Davies went on to highlight some real issues, such as suicide rates and educational under-attainment, as well as some more marginal ones. “There is the forgotten issue of the gender pay gap,” he pointed out. “Women earn on average 6% more than men in part-time jobs.” He made no attempt to hide his disgust at this glass ceiling: it was precisely because women were snaffling all the best zero-hours contracts that men were forced into full-time work. |
| When he moved on to how few men were granted custody of their children by the divorce courts, the SNP’s Joanna Cherry interrupted to point out that custody was a legal issue of what was in the best interests of the children. Davies ignored this intervention, so Cherry had another go. Did he have any empirical research to prove the courts were biased against men? “You. Haven’t. Read. My. House. Of. Commons. Briefing. Paper,” he said. When in doubt, a little mansplaining always goes down a treat. | When he moved on to how few men were granted custody of their children by the divorce courts, the SNP’s Joanna Cherry interrupted to point out that custody was a legal issue of what was in the best interests of the children. Davies ignored this intervention, so Cherry had another go. Did he have any empirical research to prove the courts were biased against men? “You. Haven’t. Read. My. House. Of. Commons. Briefing. Paper,” he said. When in doubt, a little mansplaining always goes down a treat. |
| At this point, International Men’s Day threatened to turn into a battle of the sexes, especially when Conservative Mims Davies stood up to say most people preferred women MPs as they were much more empathetic. “Look,” said an exasperated Davies, “I’m just trying to do my bit for gender relations.” His bit being to make them worse, presumably, as he was last heard muttering to himself about the politically correct brigade. | At this point, International Men’s Day threatened to turn into a battle of the sexes, especially when Conservative Mims Davies stood up to say most people preferred women MPs as they were much more empathetic. “Look,” said an exasperated Davies, “I’m just trying to do my bit for gender relations.” His bit being to make them worse, presumably, as he was last heard muttering to himself about the politically correct brigade. |
| Conservative Paul Beresford was also keen to stand up for men, though he began by insisting he was a feminist because he had a wife and daughters. “Men tend to find themselves at the very top or the very bottom of the ladder,” he observed, a point rather contradicted by his own mediocrity. “We’re encouraging women to be scientists and company directors, so we must do more to help men be hairdressers and tea ladies,” he went on to say, before adding: “I think of the male suicide rate every time I hold the door open for a lady.” As non sequiturs go, that takes some beating. | Conservative Paul Beresford was also keen to stand up for men, though he began by insisting he was a feminist because he had a wife and daughters. “Men tend to find themselves at the very top or the very bottom of the ladder,” he observed, a point rather contradicted by his own mediocrity. “We’re encouraging women to be scientists and company directors, so we must do more to help men be hairdressers and tea ladies,” he went on to say, before adding: “I think of the male suicide rate every time I hold the door open for a lady.” As non sequiturs go, that takes some beating. |
| And those were just about the last words we heard from a man, apart from the brief insight from Conservative David Nuttall that every time a woman benefited from positive discrimination a man was being unfairly held back. I’m not sure he has got the point of his party’s equality agenda. Such as it is. | And those were just about the last words we heard from a man, apart from the brief insight from Conservative David Nuttall that every time a woman benefited from positive discrimination a man was being unfairly held back. I’m not sure he has got the point of his party’s equality agenda. Such as it is. |
| All the other speakers on International Men’s Day turned out to be women. Either the male MPs had no interest in fighting back centuries of female oppression or they thought this was something best left to the ladies. Understandably, all the women speakers, while not dismissing the issue, saw fit to highlight the incongruity of one of the country’s most sexist institutions giving up 90 minutes of its time to debating what a raw deal men got. | All the other speakers on International Men’s Day turned out to be women. Either the male MPs had no interest in fighting back centuries of female oppression or they thought this was something best left to the ladies. Understandably, all the women speakers, while not dismissing the issue, saw fit to highlight the incongruity of one of the country’s most sexist institutions giving up 90 minutes of its time to debating what a raw deal men got. |
| There were also eyebrows raised at Davies’s eagerness to position himself as a champion of equalities, given his reputation as one of the more unreconstructed Tories who had voted against the equal pay bill. “He is also a supporter,” said Labour’s Paula Sherriff, “of Justice for Men and Boys, an organisation that runs a competition for lying feminist of the month, toxic feminist of the month and gormless feminist of the month. I wonder which category I fit into.” | There were also eyebrows raised at Davies’s eagerness to position himself as a champion of equalities, given his reputation as one of the more unreconstructed Tories who had voted against the equal pay bill. “He is also a supporter,” said Labour’s Paula Sherriff, “of Justice for Men and Boys, an organisation that runs a competition for lying feminist of the month, toxic feminist of the month and gormless feminist of the month. I wonder which category I fit into.” |
| Davies had made no effort to conceal his boredom at having to listen to so many women speaking, and had spent much of the session with his head down, picking his teeth. “You’re trivialising Men’s Day,” he complained in summing up. No, Phil. You did that all by yourself. | Davies had made no effort to conceal his boredom at having to listen to so many women speaking, and had spent much of the session with his head down, picking his teeth. “You’re trivialising Men’s Day,” he complained in summing up. No, Phil. You did that all by yourself. |