Jess Phillips informed to not apply for a job ‘because she was pregnant’, Labour MP reveals | EUROtoday

Sign up for the Independent Women e-mail for the newest information, opinion and options

Get the Independent Women e-mail totally free

Get the Independent Women e-mail totally free

Jess Phillips has revealed she was informed to not apply for a job as a result of she was pregnant.

Speaking to The Independent for International Women’s Day (IWD), the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley opened up about her experiences of being discriminated in opposition to as a girl, as she referred to as for motion to be taken to push for gender equality.

The minister for safeguarding and violence in opposition to girls and ladies mentioned: “I have definitely been discriminated against. I have not been able to continue to go through a job application because I was pregnant – I was asked not to come back.

“I was told on one occasion that I had to be judged by my parents’ income about whether I could get student finance, even though I had a baby of my own, because I wasn’t married to my husband – so I was owned by my parents because my husband didn’t yet own me.

“Those are both state institutions that have discriminated against me.”

open picture in gallery

As a girl within the public eye and as a feminine politician, Ms Phillips, 43, mentioned the gender descrimination she has confronted has been particularly relentless, even typically dealing with prejudice from fellow MPs in parliament.

She mentioned: “I have suffered violence and abuse and threat like almost every woman, but women in the public eye and women in frontline politics face a constant barrage of gender discrimination every single day.

“And it’s from colleagues in the House of Commons, saying ‘you’re too emotional’ when you’re talking about murder – yep, you’re not wrong I’m emotional.”

While she acknowledged this may be “tiring” to endure, she described it as largely performing “like rocket fuel”, spurring her into motion. “It’s like something you put in your belly and essentially say ‘f*** you’ tomorrow,” she mentioned.

The theme for IWD this yr is ‘Accelerate Action’, which is a worldwide name to take motion to progress gender equality, with Ms Phillips calling for “every single possible step” to be taken.

open picture in gallery

“We all have to recognise everywhere that it happens that we tell girls that they are lesser, that they are sexual objects, that they are owned,” she mentioned. “ And we have to do everything possible – my responsibility is to make sure that our laws do that.”

For Ms Phillips, IWD not solely presents a chance to rejoice girls but in addition for activism.

The MP has marked the day yearly for the previous decade by studying out the title of each lady killed within the UK by a person over the earlier 12 months, with some unknown girls and people killed in incidents the place the first suspect was a person additionally included. She described this annual second as not solely a tribute to the ladies but in addition as a reminder “to stop it happening next year”.

Ms Phillips spoke of the pushback taking place internationally as girls have gained extra rights, with many arguing a interval of regression is presently being seen.

She mentioned: “Us having more power and more freedom doesn’t take away from someone else’s freedom – but for lots of men, and this is a growing problem, equality feels like oppression.”

Ms Phillips described true gender equality as when girls now not should do the “micro work”, reminiscent of fascinated with when and the way they’re going to get house. “That’s what gender equality looks like to me,” she mentioned. “Ease for women just to be who they are and feel free.”