ABSTRACT
Women’s equality committees were vulnerable to internal conflict, for instance between new and old left within the Labour Party. Women’s equality advisors and committee members were often perceived to be new arrivals, whose influence was determined by the fortunes of their political sponsors. While gender equality could be introduced as a dimension of race or disability work, specific work to promote gender, until Gender Equality Duty was introduced in 2006, relied on the commitment of individual managers and politicians, who were prepared to stretch the legal framework to achieve change. In the 1970s and 1980s Clara was active in local politics, helping to unionise voluntary and community organisations and setting up a law centre to advise on employment rights. Gillian is a founder member of the National Alliance of Womens Organisations (NAWO), a Trustee of the Friends of the Womens Library and former Board member of the Fawcett Society. She continues to support many feminist organisations in a voluntary capacity.
