What is a woman?

Anneliese Dodds, the Minister for Women and Equalities, has said in response to a written question asking whether the government plans to amend the legal definition of what a woman is:

“We are proud of the Equality Act and the rights and protections it affords women. The Government does not plan to amend legal definitions in the act.” 

Hundreds of women are coming to Parliament on Wednesday on a mission to change her mind as part of the Stand up for single-sex services campaign.

If “women” no longer means “women” then how can women have rights specific to women?

They are going to tell her, and other MPs, how the Equality Act is failing to protect women, and how men who claim to be women are gaining access to women’s spaces, services and sports. 

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This is being allowed to happen because of confusion about the interaction between the Gender Recognition Act and the Equality Act. It could be fixed with a one-line amendment, introduced through secondary legislation, using a power provided for by the last Labour government for exactly this purpose. 

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If Anneliese Dodds is proud of the political heritage of the feminists who came before her, she should listen to the women and men who are coming to Parliament on Wednesday. They will tell her that the law is not working. If she wants to live up to the legacy of the brave women who fought for women’s rights, she needs to listen and to act.

Will she?