WUNRN
UK - WHY DON'T MORE YOUNG WOMEN STAY
IN UK POLITICS
Lots
of vibrant young women enter UK politics - but only a few of them stand the
test of time. Twenty-five year-old Charlotte Henry, a former Liberal Democrat
candidate in the May 2010 London Assembly election and political blogger,
explores why, just as Labour leader Ed Miliband is cited as looking to promote
more female MPs in the shadow cabinet.
Labour MP Stella Creasy Photo: REX FEATURES
By Charlotte
Henry - 29 April 2013
In my time working, campaigning,
and blogging about
The issue has long been the
lifestyle associated with politics. However, an unforgiving timetable isn’t the
only thing that stops young female talent coming through.
Over the years senior female
politicians, role models that those younger could grab hold of and look up to,
have been few and far between.
Christine Quigley, Chair of
London Young Labour, told me that she often felt frustrated growing up as
someone interested in politics, because she didn’t “see many elected
politicians that I could identify with as a young woman”.
While there are still not enough
young women breaking through, the likes of Labour’s Stella Creasy, the Liberal
Democrat’s Jo Swinson, and the Conservative’s Chloe Smith are showing there is
some progress.
Smith was elected aged 27, and
was the
Jo Swinson
In addition to being an MP for
the
However she did concede that her
age, more than being female, was the subject of remarks, as people could
“comment on my age in a way they wouldn’t about my gender”.
All those I spoke to about this
issue are part of a growing band of young women who are putting their heads
over the parapet and shaking up our male, stale politics.
It’s a culture shift that is
desperately required.
One councillor anonymously
described to me the huge gap between the reality of serving a community and the
Punch and Judy images we have beamed onto our televisions.
Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs)
is “so far removed from what it is really like”, she said. “It’s pantomime.”
She said that as a councillor she
has far more ability to influence things than a backbench MP, and she hopes by
letting people know this, it will encourage women who want to improve their
community.
It’s true though that women do
often feel deterred from putting themselves forward into the jungle that is
British politics. “It is a confidence thing to a certain extent,” the
councillor confided.
Ultimately though, we’ve got to
bite the bullet. As Labour activist Kirstin Hay put it: “We've all got opinions
and a voice, why not test it out, you can be sure plenty of men will test
theirs.”
Quigley said that this is why she
ultimately took the decision to stand for election to the London Assembly in
2012, a decision I also took for similar reasons.
I didn’t win, but during that
election I found many voters excited at the prospect of a young woman standing
for elected office. Nobody made an issue of either my age or gender at hustings
debates or when out doorstepping.
Indeed in some ways being young
and female helped me. It differentiated me from my opponents, and meant I could
relate to people they could not.
While my experience meant I would
consider putting myself forward for election again, others are not so lucky.
When women do decide to cross the political threshold, they can find the
experience thoroughly unedifying.
Kaavya
Kaushik is co-chair of Liberal Youth, the youth and student wing of the Lib
Dems. She referred to “men who end up not taking women politicians seriously.”
She also said sometimes men can
be so scared of causing offence that they become highly patronising, which can
be equally off putting.
The bottom line is though that
having more female voices in political organisations really matters.
Both Kaushik and Quigley
mentioned the ability of a young woman to raise an issue a man just would not,
such as rape culture, and work place discrimination, problems that they are
currently using their positions to highlight.
It’s fair to say though that the
sisterhood hasn’t always helped itself in solving this.
I’ve campaigned with one female
MP who had no time for advice or support. This particular MP had broken
through, and seemingly didn’t want any competition from other young women.
Those I spoke to show just what
can be achieved when brilliant young women do put themselves forward. The
political agenda is there to be shaped; and there is no reason that young women
can’t be the ones shaping it.
They need to contact their local
party branch or youth wing, raise issues they care about at meetings and use
social media to build a personal profile. The truth is, in most cases political
organisations are crying out for talented young women, and will be delighted to
hear from you.