Cabinet Reshuffle: Working Mums Are In, But What About The Working Dads?

Cabinet Reshuffle: Working Mums Are In, But What About The Working Dads?
Getty

Getty

The Cabinet reshuffle has got many people talking about the two new 'working mums' who are joining the Cabinet: Nicky Morgan and Liz Truss.

While it is good to hear that the Cabinet now includes a couple more mums among its numbers, we couldn't help but wonder: where are the working dads in Government?

They certainly exist - there are currently 23 dads in the Cabinet - but you'd be hard pushed to identify them all, as the fact they are 'working dads' is rarely alluded to in the press.

On the other hand, the phrase 'working mum' seems to keep slipping into copy before the names of the newly appointed Education secretary Nicky Morgan and Environment secretary Liz Truss.

This sexism does a disservice to dads by suggesting that being a parent is of less importance to them than it is to their female colleagues.

We've put together an at-a-glance guide to the current Cabinet members who are balancing being a parent with their Governmental duties:

New in

Nicky Morgan, 41, Education Secretary and Minister for Women & Equalities, mum-of-one, son Alex, six.

Liz Truss, 38, Environment Secretary, mum-of-two daughters.

Michael Fallon, 62, Defence Secretary, dad-of-two sons.

Stephen Crabb, 41, Welsh Secretary, dad-of-two.

Jeremy Wright, 41, Attorney General, dad-of-two, daughter Stephanie, 8, and son Elliot, 4.

Greg Clark, 46, Minister for Science and Universities, dad-of-three.

Matthew Hancock, 35, Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy, dad-of-three.

Moved to new posts

Michael Gove, 46, Chief Whip, dad-of-two, daughter Beatrice, 11 and son William, nine.

Philip Hammond, 58, Foreign Secretary, dad-of-three, daughters Amy and Sophie, and son William.

Holding onto their positions

David Cameron, 47, Prime Minister, dad-of-three, daughters Nancy, 10, and Florence, three, and son Arthur, eight, (his eldest son Ivan died in February 2009).

Nick Clegg, 47, Deputy Prime Minister, dad-of-three, sons Antonio, 12, Alberto, nine, and Miguel, five.

George Osborne, 43, Chancellor, dad-of-two, son Luke , 13, and daughter Liberty, 11.

Vince Cable, 71, Business Secretary, dad-of-three, sons Paul, Hugo and daughter Aida.

Jeremy Hunt, 47, Health Secretary, dad-of-two, son Jack, four, and daughter Anna, two.

Iain Duncan Smith, 60, Work and Pensions Secretary, dad-of-four, daughters Alicia and Rosie, and sons Edward and Harry.

Chris Grayling, 52, Justice Secretary, dad-of-two, a 21-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son.

Ed Davey, 48, Energy and Climate Secretary, dad-of-one, son John, six.

Grant Shapps, 45, Conservative Party Chairman, dad-of-three, daughter Hadley, 12 and nine-year old twins Tabytha and Noa.

Danny Alexander, 42, Treasury Secretary, dad-of-two, daughters Isabel Rose, seven, and Isla, four.

Patrick McLoughlin, 56, Transport Secretary, dad-of-two, one son and one daughter.

Alistair Carmichael, 49, Scotttish Secretary, dad-of-two, sons Sandy and Simon.

Sajid Javid, 44, Culture Secretary, dad-of-four, three daughters and a son.

Francis Maude, 61, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, dad-of-five, daughters Lydia, Julia and Cecily, and sons Alastair and Henry.

Oliver Letwin, 58, Minister for Government Policy, dad-of-two, 21-year-old twins, Jeremy and Laura.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, 43, Minister of State for Faith and Communities, mum-of-five.

Ed Vaizey, 46, Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and Business Innovation and Skills, with responsibility for digital industries, dad-of-two, daughter Martha and son Joseph.

Close