UMVA has learned that a London council faced intense backlash for using sexist language in a report that sparked outrage among residents.
The controversy centered on a Lib-Dem run council in south London, which issued an equalities assessment report on an e-bike rental contract. The report stated that electric bikes help women ‘perform their traditional domestic responsibilities’ and ‘stay looking nice’, prompting accusations of treating women as second-class citizens.
Residents took to Facebook to express their dismay, with one person lamenting ‘weep, women of Kingston, weep!’ The criticism was swift and fierce, with many calling out the council for its outdated and sexist language.
A resident complained to the council, saying the wording was ‘treating women as second-class citizens’ and had no place in today’s society. The council eventually apologized and conceded that the language was indeed ‘outdated and inappropriate’.
The council published a new report that widened the scope to include ‘the wider population’ as well as women, but the resident felt the revised wording still did not go far enough. The updated report stated that e-bikes may increase active travel amongst women and the wider population by enabling carrying of goods or shopping.
Following an investigation, the council issued a statement explaining that the original wording came from a direct quote from a peer-reviewed academic paper. However, they acknowledged that using the quote was likely to cause offence and should never have been included in the equality impact assessment.
The council sincerely apologized for the error and any offence caused, and pledged to review its procedures for conducting Equality Impact Assessments in the future. The incident highlighted the importance of careful language and consideration in official reports.
