Despite being a woman, the candidate for conservative leader Liz Truss would not benefit girls’ and women’s rights if she became prime minister. Well, that’s how I feel as a female British teenager.

Whilst on a surface level Ms Truss would appear to be a good choice for women’s rights, this will not necessarily lead to a more progressive and inclusive country if her policies do not reflect a wish to make an impactful change, such as the creation of enforced legislation against sexism.

Legislation could involve laws that ensure greater equality within the workplace or make progress to eliminate the large amounts of violence against women.

This change is unlikely as she is representing the conservative party, which is well-known for its lack of support for women’s rights or other marginalised groups, especially after her insufficient positive impact during her time as the Minister for Women and Equalities from September 2021-2022.

Economic empowerment of women

Abortion rights

Ms Truss’ lack of support for women’s rights is ultimately highlighted by the attack on abortion and sexual health rights.

She opened a UK-hosted conference on freedom of religion and belief that resulted in the creation of a document signed by 20 countries. However, there were later alterations made to remove laws that “allow harmful practices, or restrict women’s and girls full and equal enjoyment of all human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy”.

Despite those changes, the UK still co-signed the document which is destructive for women as it removes their freedom and power in a way that is not possible to do for men. By signing this document the UK, and more specifically Ms Truss, is not only displaying a failure to advocate for women’s rights but being significantly detrimental.

I believe this foreshadows her time as prime minister as it is very likely for this harmful direction to continue under the remaining conservative government. Her role as a woman will do little to sway related decisions in the favour of women, as shown by her lack of opposition to these alterations.

Sexual violence

Despite a lack of action so far in her career to advocate for impactful change for women in the UK, she has promised an increased focus on tackling street harassment.

If she is successful in the increase of rape cases prosecuted, it will further women’s rights because it supports a culture normalising the reporting of incidents involving sexual assault or rape as there is a higher likelihood of action taking place.

Tackling international sexual violence

I feel that despite work done internationally for women’s rights by Ms Truss, this does not accurately reflect the advancements of women within the UK. She attempts to demonstrate a commitment to women’s rights by launching a campaign focused on tackling sexual violence globally.

That involved the investment of £3 million to boost organisations tackling violence against women and girls. This amount of money has the capability to provide meaningful support for women across the world to improve their rights by providing access to healthcare and the support necessary to recover from their traumatic experiences.

Whilst this is a step in the right direction for women and reflects well on Ms Truss as a candidate for women, it does little to hide the overwhelming lack of consistent support for women within Britain which is either ineffective or actively detrimental.

Ultimately, if elected she has the capabilities to make significant headway in the progression of women’s rights, however based on her history of ineffectual action, it is unlikely for her to make tangible change within the UK. Especially, following the recent developments on abortion rights, she could cause a regression of progress without having the protection of abortion and sexual health rights firmly in place.