Mission
Fairness for Equality exists to promote transparent, balanced and evidence-based discussion about how men’s and boys’ issues are represented in UK Parliament and Government.
Who Is Responsible?
Women and Equalities Committee
The Women and Equalities Committee scrutinises the Government’s work on equality policy. Despite its name, its remit can cover equality issues affecting all protected characteristics.
Official page: Women and Equalities Committee
Government Equalities / Office for Equality and Opportunity
Equality policy is handled through the UK Government’s equality structures, currently within the Cabinet Office.
Official page: Government Equalities Office information
Parliamentary Work Affecting Men
| Issue | Likely Committee | How It Relates To Men |
|---|---|---|
| Male suicide, mental health, NHS care | Health and Social Care Committee | Men are significantly affected by suicide and mental health outcomes. |
| Boys’ educational attainment | Education Committee | Boys’ outcomes in education are often raised as a public policy concern. |
| Fathers, benefits, child maintenance | Work and Pensions Committee | Issues around employment, welfare and child support can affect fathers and families. |
| Prisons, sentencing, family courts | Justice Committee | The prison population is overwhelmingly male, so justice policy heavily affects men. |
| Equality and discrimination issues | Women and Equalities Committee | This committee can examine equality issues affecting men, although it is not men-specific. |
Evidence Gaps
Based on public committee structures, there appears to be no dedicated parliamentary body whose main role is to investigate men’s and boys’ issues.
- Male suicide as a standalone equality issue
- Boys’ educational underachievement
- Men’s health strategy
- Male victims of domestic abuse
- Male victims of sexual violence
- Fathers after family separation
- Male homelessness
- Men’s life expectancy
- Workplace deaths affecting men
Campaign Objectives
Fairness for Equality calls for:
- A dedicated parliamentary inquiry into the state of men and boys in the UK.
- A formal Government lead for men’s and boys’ issues.
- An annual public report on men’s and boys’ outcomes.
- Dedicated scrutiny of male suicide, boys’ education, men’s health and male victims of abuse.
- Transparent evidence showing what action has been taken and what remains unaddressed.
Transparency Hub: Source Links
Parliament
Government
Evidence Sources To Add
Right First Time UK
Right First Time UK supports transparency, fairness, accessibility and public accountability.
Disclaimer
This hub provides general public information and signposting only. It is independent and is not affiliated with GOV.UK, DWP, NHS, Parliament, councils, regulators or charities linked on this page.
Executive Summary
This evidence pack examines how men’s and boys’ issues are represented within the UK Parliament and Government.
It does not argue against support for women or other protected groups. Instead, it asks whether there is equivalent scrutiny of issues that disproportionately affect men and boys.
Section 1 – Parliamentary Structure
No dedicated Select Committee for men or boys
There is no UK Parliamentary Select Committee with a remit specifically dedicated to men’s or boys’ issues.
The Women and Equalities Committee scrutinises Government equality policy, including:
- Equality Act 2010
- Office for Equality and Opportunity
- Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Equality policy across Government
Its remit covers all protected characteristics, although “Women” remains in its title.
View Official Committee RoleNo Minister for Men and Boys
UK Governments appoint Ministers responsible for Women and Equalities.
There is currently no equivalent ministerial portfolio specifically titled Minister for Men and Boys.
Men’s issues are spread across several committees
Issues affecting men are considered by a range of subject committees rather than one committee with principal responsibility for men’s wellbeing.
| Committee | Relevant Areas |
|---|---|
| Health and Social Care | Suicide, mental health and NHS services |
| Justice | Prison population, sentencing and justice outcomes |
| Education | Boys’ education and educational attainment |
| Work and Pensions | Fathers, employment, welfare and benefits |
| Women and Equalities | Equality policy across protected characteristics |
Section 2 – Women and Equalities Committee
Official remit includes
Section 3 – Committee Work
Current and recent inquiries published by the committee include:
These examples are drawn from the committee’s published work programme.
Section 4 – Evidence Gap
A review of the published work programme does not identify equivalent dedicated inquiries in recent years into:
Section 5 – Transparency Findings
Finding 1
No dedicated parliamentary committee exists solely for men’s issues.
TrueEvidence: House of Commons committee structure.
Finding 2
The Women and Equalities Committee can investigate men’s issues.
TrueEvidence: Its remit covers equality policy generally rather than only women’s issues.
Finding 3
The committee’s published inquiries in recent years have included numerous topics specifically concerning women and girls.
TrueEvidence: Published inquiry programme.
Finding 4
The committee’s recent published inquiry programme does not show dedicated inquiries into several major men’s issues listed above.
True – Based on ReviewEvidence: Committee inquiry archive reviewed.
Section 6 – Questions for Parliament
The campaign invites Parliament to address the following questions:
- Should there be a dedicated committee for men’s and boys’ issues?
- Who is accountable for men’s wellbeing across Government?
- How are priorities for equality inquiries selected?
- What process determines which equality issues receive dedicated inquiries?
- Should Parliament publish an annual report on the state of men and boys?
Section 7 – Campaign Objectives
Fairness for Equality proposes:
Official Sources
Official description of the committee’s remit and responsibilities.
Open SourceOfficial committee summary and overview.
Open SourceOfficial committee page containing inquiries, reports and updates.
Open SourceFairness Must Mean Fairness for Everyone
Supporting men and boys does not require reducing support for women or any other group. The purpose of this campaign is to ask whether Parliament applies equal attention, transparency and evidence-led scrutiny to all people affected by serious social, health and equality issues.