Tag Archives: women in politics

There is quite a sisterhood in politics, a solidarity between women that transcends party. One of the major drivers of that is that we all have to put up with the same crap within our parties. Whether its under-representation, barriers to approval and selection as candidates, being talked over or dismissed in meetings or having our experiences of sexist behaviour minimised when we call them out, our experiences are strikingly similar. And if you are poor, from an ethnic minority or disabled, the barriers you face increase.

Scottish organisation Engender has laid that all out in a new report which aims to show the extent of “abuse, exclusion and bias” women face in the political system and it sets out how political parties can and must do better.

Our party is not immune to such behaviour, although there have been marked improvements in culture in the past 15 years or so.

So what problems do women face?

Women, particularly Black, minority ethnic and disabled women,face multiple compounding and entrenched barriers at each stage of the candidate journey, across all parties. Party processes continue to operate based on an imagined “default candidate” that is white, middle-class, male, and non-disabled. Only 35% of survey respondents felt their party genuinely prioritised diversity in candidate selection. Everyday sexism,including inappropriate comments and gendered stereotypes,remains commonplace across parties, with 24% of
selected candidates experiencing sexist language or bullying.

Specific barriers that this report explores,include:
▪ Lack of transparency, information and unclear processes
▪ Limited financial assistance
▪ Gaps in available guidance and formal support networks
▪ Caring responsibilities
▪ Accessibility needs
▪ Unclear expectations and feedback
▪ Decision-maker bias

The report also highlights the abusive political environment which can lead to women fearing for their safety and that of their family which is “contributing to a growing retention issue for women in politics.”

The report highlights how women with caring responsibilities are particularly adversely impacted:

When selecting candidates,parties can place disproportionate importance on “presenteeism”,disproportionately focussing on hours spent on party activities,rather than other candidate skills. This can disadvantage people with less free time due to caring responsibilities. This persists once candidates are selected and elected,negatively impacting women’s overall experience and likelihood of running again in future.

One woman told the researchers:

At one meeting where a couple of mums including me brought youngish children along, other members made their displeasure evident despite the children being well-behaved.

I and another officer bearer eventually had to stand down due to these problems,which meant that the profile of office bearers was people (mainly older) with no childcare responsibilities.

But these problems can be overcome with a bit of effort and understanding: