Motion #15
The current gender balancing rules for party leadership are written in a way that prevent 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.
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 v) of Article 8, Green Party of England and Wales Constitution: “The Leader and Deputy Leader(s) or Co-Leaders shall be elected every two years. The election shall be by a postal ballot of all members of the Party.”
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 gender non-conforming/non-binary person, noting that gender is self-determined.”
Not yet debated
In subsection 4, Art 8 of constitution, delete proposed clause “or a gender non-conforming/non-binary person, noting that gender is self-determined.” So that new proposed sentence 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.” 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 gender non-conforming/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 gender non-conforming/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 gender non-conforming/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 gender non-conforming/non-binary person, noting that gender is self-determined.
Not yet debated
In next proposed paragraph, delete clause, “or a gender non-conforming/non-binary person,” So that new proposed sentence reads, Two members, of whom at least one must be a woman, 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’.
Two members, of whom at least one must be a woman or a gender non-conforming/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.”
Two members, of whom at least one must be a woman or a gender non-conforming/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.”