Combating Homelessness • Creating Opportunities • Promoting Change

Campaign: women-only services

Women-only services are being eroded because of a belief among funding bodies that gender equality has been achieved, says research published by the Women’s Resource Centre in October 2007.

Since the introduction of the gender equality duty in April this year, women's groups have to work harder to justify their existence to funders. Equality does NOT mean treating everybody the same, the purpose of the gender equality duty is to address the fact that women and men do not start off at the same point.

The research, based on a survey of 101 women's voluntary groups and a random sample of 1,000 women, found that 97% of women wanted choice of a women-only service after sexual assault and 78% preferred access to a female counsellor.

However, almost three-quarters of respondents said being a women-only organisation could jeopardise funding.

In response, on 14th November, the Women’s Resource Centre has launched Stronger Together: National Women's Sector Forum as part of its ‘Why Women?’ campaign.