5. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: International Women’s Day

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:46 pm on 8 March 2022.

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Photo of Vikki Howells Vikki Howells Labour 4:46, 8 March 2022

Thank you, Minister, for your statement today. I was really pleased to hear mention of the Elaine Morgan statue that will shortly be unveiled in Mountain Ash in my constituency. I'm looking forward to attending, with you, the official unveiling a week Friday, which I know will be a wonderful focal point in the town.

I recall when I was first elected to this place in 2016 that I spoke out about the need for us to have statues of remarkable women in Wales, when, at that time, there were none. The general feeling back then was that this was unrealistic—statues were far too expensive and we should look to other ways to celebrate these lives instead. How far we've come since then. I'm so pleased now that there are two such statues in Wales and that the second of these will be in the Cynon valley, and it's a tribute to a remarkable woman who I had the pleasure of knowing personally. I'd be interested to know about any discussions you may have had with the Minister for education about how the stories of these five monumental Welsh women and others can be integrated into the Curriculum for Wales.

I also note your comments around women, women's work and the pandemic. We know that women form a majority of our retail workforce, so it's concerning that the Association of Convenience Stores have reported that 90 per cent of retail workers have experienced verbal abuse, for example, as tensions have heightened during the pandemic. The cross-party group on small shops will be getting an update on the ShopKind campaign next week, which aims to encourage positive behaviour in stores and acknowledge the important role of shop workers. How is the Welsh Government working with partners to get this message out there that abuse is not part of the job for women working in the retail sector?