Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour party, has written to the editors of Britain's national newspapers to ask them to publish the number of women aged over 50 they employ.
In a letter to the 16 national newspaper editors plus the London Evening Standard, Harman said that a "balanced team" including older women was needed to ensure balanced reporting. The letter comes after the government announced in February this year that it had decided not to bring into force the "dual characteristics" provision relating to discrimination in the Equality Act 2010.
The "combined discrimination: dual characteristics" provision of the act, introduced by Harman in Labour's final year in office, allows applicants to bring a discrimination case if they have been treated unfairly on the grounds of two "protected characteristics" – age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
Harman, who called on the equalities and women's minister, Maria Miller, to reverse the government's decision on the dual-discrimination provision, said: "I'm writing to national newspaper editors to ask them to be open about the number of older women working in UK newspapers. We see the world through news and comment in our newspapers so a balanced team which includes older women is needed to report the world as they see it. Equality is not just important in principle – it is important for the quality of newspaper reporting and comment."
Harman has established a Labour commission on older women. Its members include Arlene Philips, 70, who was replaced as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing by Alesha Dixon, 34 and Miriam O'Reilly, 56, who successfully sued the BBC for discrimination after she was dropped as a presenter on Countryfile. The commission also includes the Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley.
In her letter to the editors, who include the Guardian News and Media editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger, Harman asked:
• How many staff journalists does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many of the staff journalists you employ are over the age of 50? How many of these are women?
• How many regular* freelance journalists does the newspaper use? How many of these are women?
• How many regular* freelance journalists are over the age of 50? How many of these are women?
• How many freelance journalists does the newspaper have on contract? How many of these are women?
• How many freelance journalists does the newspaper have over the age of 50 and on contract? How many of these are women?
• How many staff journalists who cover news does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many staff journalists who cover news does the newspaper employ who are over the age of 50? How many of these are women?
• How many political reporters does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many political reporters over the age of 50 does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many regular* columnists does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many regular* columnists over the age of 50 does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many senior editors (with managerial responsibility) does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many senior editors (with managerial responsibility) who are over the age of 50 does the newspaper employ? How many of these are women?
• How many female journalists have left your newspaper over the last five years, and what was their age at time of departure?
• How many male journalists have left your newspaper over the last five years, and what was their age at time of departure?
* The letter added: "For the purposes of this survey we would like regular to be defined as columnists or freelance journalists who have contributed 10 times or more in the last 12 months."
The seventeen editors include two women – Lisa Markwell, the Independent on Sunday editor, and Sarah Sands, the London Evening Standard editor.
