Motion #05
The current gender-balancing rules for party leadership are written in a way that prevents multiple women from serving as Co-Leaders or Co-Deputy Leaders. Gender balancing is intended to counteract misogyny in politics, not to hold women back. This motion fixes that.
SOC Note: This motion will require a 2/3 majority to pass.
Subsection i) of Article 8, Green Party of England and Wales Constitution:
“There shall be a leader and two deputy leaders of the party. The leader shall be a voting member of the Executive and the deputy leaders be treated as a job-share.”
Subsection iv) of Article 8, Green Party of England and Wales Constitution:
“The post of deputy leader will be held as a job share with two individuals of a different gender, noting that gender is self-determined.
Two members of a different gender may together stand for the office of Leader in order to hold the post as a jobshare in which case they shall be known as ‘Co-Leaders’. In this case a single Deputy, the individual who polls the highest vote, regardless of gender, will be elected. Members standing to be Co-Leaders may not simultaneously be candidates as individuals for either Leader or Deputy Leader.”
In Subsection iv) of Article 8, Green Party of England and Wales Constitution:
Replace:
“The post of deputy leader will be held as a job share with two individuals of a different gender, noting that gender is self-determined.”
With:
“The post of deputy leader will be held as a job share with two individuals, at least one of whom must be a woman or a non-binary person (noting that gender is self-determined).”
Replace:
“Two members of a different gender may together stand for the office of Leader in order to hold the post as a job share in which case they shall be known as ‘Co-Leaders’”
With:
“Two members, of whom at least one must be a woman or a non-binary person, may together stand for the office of Leader in order to hold the post as a job share in which case they shall be known as ‘Co-Leaders’.
So that Subsection iv reads:
“The post of deputy leader will be held as a job share with two individuals, at least one of whom must be a woman or a non-binary person (noting that gender is self-determined).
Two members, of whom at least one must be a woman or a non-binary person, may together stand for the office of Leader in order to hold the post as a job share in which case they shall be known as ‘Co-Leaders’’. In this case a single Deputy, the individual who polls the highest vote, regardless of gender, will be elected. Members standing to be Co-Leaders may not simultaneously be candidates as individuals for either Leader or Deputy Leader.”