Records created or inherited by the Women's National Commission

LH

1969-1987

Records created or inherited by the Women's National Commission.

Secretariat records are in LH 1. Committee records are in LH 2.

For the Women's National Commission website, please see: GEO 3

Public Record(s)

English

2 series

Open unless otherwise stated

Topics

Sex and gender

Cabinet Office, 1969-1992; Department for Employment [also known as the Employment Dept Group], 1992-1995; Department for Education and Employment, 1995-1997; Department for Social Security, 1997-1998; Cabinet Office, 1998-2003; Department for Trade and Industry, 2004-2006; Department for Communities and Local Government, Jan–October 2007; Government Equalities Office, October 2007–2010.

Following the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations recommending that member states establish national commissions on the status of women, the Women's National Commission (WNC) was set up in 1969 to ensure that the informed opinion of women was given due weight in the deliberations of government and in matters of public interest.

The WNC had two predecessor bodies, the Woman's Consultative Council and the Women's Consultative Committee. The Council had been set up in 1962, following discussions between the National Council of Women (NCW) and the Minister without Portfolio; the secretariat for the Council was shared between the NCW and the Prime Minister's press office.

After the general election of 1964, the Council was reformed and subsequently co-chaired by the president of the NCW and the Minister for Pensions and National Insurance. The Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance shared secretariat duties with the NCW. In 1966, on the formation of the Ministry of Social Security, the co-chairmanship passed to the Minister for Social Security, and subsequently to the Paymaster General (when Judith Hart, formerly Minister for Social Security, moved to that post in 1968).

The Women's Consultative Committee of the Department of Employment and Productivity had been reconstituted on her accession to the post by the then Secretary of State, Barbara Castle, in 1964 to advise on questions of employment policy relating to women. A working party was set up to recommend a format for the proposed national commission, and the Council and Committee were effectively combined to form the WNC.

The original membership of the WNC was limited to fifty, with representatives from voluntary organisations, professional associations, and others from the areas of religion, politics and social welfare. From 1969 to 2010, the categories have developed to include ethnic and provincial cadres; and although the total membership has remained at fifty, there is an additional group of up to thirty associate members.

The formation of the WNC was announced in July 1969, and launched in October of the same year co-chaired by the then Paymaster-General and the president of the WNC. The Commission's inaugural reception was held in Admiralty House on 23 October 1969, with the first meeting of the Executive Committee being held on 24 October 1969. Apart from the Executive Committee, the Commission also maintained several specialist committees: Women and Work;Social Community and Family;Welfare Services;Education and Training; Law;International; Environmental Planning; Economic; Women in Society.

Among the recommendations which accompanied its creation was that the Prime Minister should appoint one of the co-chairpersons and that the other should be elected by the members of the WNC. Another recommendation, that the WNC should have an independent secretariat, was not implemented; the Cabinet Office provided this function until 1992, when it was transferred to the Employment Department, and subsequently moved to the Department for Education and Employment on its creation in 1995.

Following the general election in May 1997, the co-chairmanship passed to the Secretary of State for Social Security, and the secretariat work passed to the Department of Social Security. In 1998, the Commission transferred back to the Cabinet Office, and then to the Department for Trade and Industry (2004-2006). In January 2007, it was transferred under the Department for Communities and Local Government.

In October 2007, the Commission was transferred to the newly created Government Equalities Office (which has current responsibility for the Equality and Human Rights Commission). The records of the Commission continued to be managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The Commission was wound up on 31 December 2010, and continuing functions were transferred to the Government Equalities Office.