Feminism to be reinstated to A-level politics syllabus, says schools minister

Feminism will be included in the A-level politics syllabus, the schools minister Nick Gibb has said, after campaigners criticised the government for dropping all references to the movement from its new draft curriculum. Gibb said all politics students would be given “the opportunity to study the core ideas of feminism” and that exam boards were already making changes to the final content.

Gibb admitted the government had not properly recognised the role of female political thinkers in its draft plans – which included Mary Wollstonecraft as the sole movement’s voice – and said more women would now be included in the course content.

His comments followed an outcry over proposals to teach three core political ideologies – socialism, liberalism and conservatism – but to drop feminism as a named topic.

Gibb indicated that the education secretary and equalities minister, Nicky Morgan, had intervened to make the change after a consultation on the plans revealed widespread opposition

During a Commons debate on the issue, Gibb said: “The final content will set out clearly those female political thinkers whose work should be studied. Suggestions have included Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, Rosa Luxemburg, to name but a few.

“Feminism is an optional area of study in current specifications. It was never our intention to exclude the study of feminism from the reformed A-level and we said we would listen to the consultation which opened on 3 November and closed on 14 December.

Gibb was responding to Labour’s Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing Central and Acton, who said the original decision sent a harmful message at a time when the movement still had great importance, especially considering the wide gender imbalance in politics today.

Huq pointed out that only 29.4% of MPs were female and school groups she took on tours around parliament always asked about the lack of women.

Opening the debate, she said: “This proposed syllabus implies that women do not belong in politics and that their contributions are not significant. It’s a toxic message and it’s been condemned roundly by loads of people, including the Girl Guides – you wouldn’t think that they are a radical dangerous group usually.

“This mooted rewriting of history is nothing short of sinister – it’s deleting women.”

Gibb said: “Following the consultation on the politics A-level, exam boards are making changes to the final content to respond to the concerns raised and we will publish our response shortly but I can assure you that the final politics A-level will give all students the opportunity to study the core ideas of feminism.”