Birmingham. The UK’s 2nd City. Home to 1 Million people. More than half of whom are female.
It’s election time, although the attention is on seats in the House of Commons I prefer to focus on more local matters. There are a number of council seats up for re-election within Birmingham. For those of you doubting who to vote for – vote for a woman. Why? Simply put we need more of them in that council chamber. See the glorious infographic below for an answer as to why I say that (click for larger version):
Of course, if you already have an awesome councillor who truly works hard on behalf of the people in your Ward then sure – vote for them regardless of their gender. This is simply a message for those are undecided and who may take a stab in the dark (although one should always make a serious, considered & balanced decision when choosing whom to vote for).
The reason the city is in such financial disarray, selling off prized assets to raise cash? An equal pay claim dating back many years, where women were paid less then men for doing the same job. That and central goverment cuts to local budgets are killing Brum financially.
[be nice, it’s my first ever Infographic so a little rough around the edges]
[Statistics correct as of end of 2013, sources: Birmingham City Council, ONS]