Cameron confesses: ‘Not enough women in cabinet’
David Cameron admits he did not appoint enough women to cabinet and says his wife has pushed him to take action on the matter.
Speaking today in Mumbai the prime minister has conceded that the Conservative Party, British business and the judiciary need to do more to get women into senior positions.
Mr Cameron has also acknowledged that despite an increase at the 2010 general election – there are currently “not nearly enough” female Tory MPs.
During a visit to Unilever’s headquarters in Mumbai, a female employee asked Mr Cameron if Britain could teach India anything about opening up opportunities to women.
He explained: “We still have a long way to go. If you look at the top businesses in Britain, there still aren’t nearly enough women in the boardroom.
“My wife likes to say that if you don’t have women in the top places, you are not just missing out on 50 per cent of the talent, you are missing out on a lot more than 50 per cent of the talent – and I think she probably has a point.”
He went on to say it is not enough for institutions to just allow women to compete for jobs without taking action to overcome barriers to female success.
“If you look at politics in Britain, there aren’t nearly enough women around the cabinet table. I think in every walk of life, whether the judiciary, politics or business, there is a lot further to go.
“My own view is it isn’t enough just to open up and say we will treat everyone equally, when you are starting from such a position of disadvantage.
“Companies, political parties and other organisations need to actively go out and encourage women to join in, to sign up, to take the course, to become part of the endeavour.
“Just opening up and saying ‘You’re welcome to try if you want to’ doesn’t get over the fact that there have been all sorts of barriers in the way.
Mr Cameron also praised his wife Samantha’s culinary skill telling his Indian hosts that she cooks a great curry, when asked which Indian dishes he hoped to sample.
He said: “I am a moderate cook. My wife is very good – she makes a fantastic Kerala fish curry. Sadly, I’m not going to Kerala this time – maybe next time – but I would like to have it as it’s made in Kerala and see if it compares with my wife’s.”