Man dismayed over lack of action on ‘sexist’ sign

A Northamptonshire father of two is calling for action over signs he has branded as sexist in a Daventry car park. The signs in Bowen Square designate certain bays as ‘Mother and child parking only’ alongside a symbol of an adult in a dress with a child.

Ian Thomas says they should be changed for the more neutral ‘parent and child’ signs seen elsewhere. After being frustrated by a lack of action from the site’s owners the Bowen Square Unit Trust, Mr Thomas has got in touch with Daventry’s MP and the Council for Sexual Equality.



Mr Thomas said: “When I first noticed the signs had gone up I wrote to the district council thinking they were responsible. It turned out they weren’t, but they said they couldn’t see a problem with what the signs say. I then wrote to Colliers three times asking if they could do something about the signs, but I have never heard a response.

“Because of this lack of action I’ve now written to newspapers, the MP, and other interested parties. I’ve already had a message back from Chris Heaton-Harris MP saying he’ll look into the matter. We’re supposed to have sexual equality in this country, and that goes both ways. This is an objective problem – there’s no debate really. Everywhere else you see signs that say ‘parent and child’ why can’t they just put them up here?”