Introduction

The way that public services are governed, resourced and delivered is crucial to womens’ lives. This introduction covers some key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book contributes to research on the history of social policy, legislation, strategy and practices for promoting gender equality within and through the local state. It is intended to be a timely contribution to debate on how transformational feminist political strategy can be sustained in the context of neo-liberal encroachment on welfare and public services in the name of austerity. The authors’ research subject that deals with the transformative potential for women’s equality within the governance and provision of public services, of a particular piece of legislation, the Gender Equality Duty, in the context of continuity and change in gender equality work in local government, is also discussed here. The book deals with the introduction of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in 2010.