Votes for women?

By Marie Birchall

Not many of my Young Labour colleagues know this, but election fever is not the only excitement gripping my life at the moment. In the weeks following the general election, I will be getting married. Aside from the exclaims of congratulations that have engulfed my partner and I over the last few months, I cannot help but notice that our imminent marriage has led to an increasing number of enquiries coming our way about when we will be starting a family.

Given that we both have a significant commute to jobs that demand long working hours – and with our entire family residing at least five hours away – these innocent questions have, for the first time, left us wondering how we will balance such competing demands when we do decide to start a family.

And it seems that I am not alone in my concerns. Today’s Metro reported a Harris poll which suggests that over a third of people surveyed agree that having children could have a negative impact on professional careers. When coupled with polling evidence from the Daycare Trust – which suggests childcare, Child Trust Funds and Child Tax Credits are amongst the most likely issues to affect mothers’ voting intentions – support for children and families are set to be key issues for women in the coming election.

As a woman who may realistically be starting a family of my own during the lifetime of the next parliament, I’m fast realising that these policy areas are also becoming key issues for me.

Looking back over Labour’s time in government, it is clear that there are areas in which we have a proud record. Back in 1997, there were no free childcare entitlements. From this September, all 3 and 4 year olds will be entitled to 15 hours of free nursery provision for 38 weeks of the year. Back in 1997, Sure Start was a pipedream. Now there are 3,500 children’s centres supporting 2.7 million children. Progress, yes. But, given the tough economic times to come, women in my position must be worried that this progress will invariably stall, right at the time when we need it the most.

So, on Saturday, I was relieved to see the Prime Minister announce that protecting spending on childcare and Sure Start is at the heart of Labour’s election pledges. Further, Labour’s promise to expand free nursery places for two year olds and roll out the new toddlers’ tax credits will be a comfort to hard-working parents around the country who want the best for their families.

Contrast this to the Tories’ refusal to protect current spending on universal free childcare entitlements, let alone expand them. A commitment to taking £400 million in tax credits from 1.3 million families must be hard to hear for two thirds of mothers in the Daycare Trust survey who were less likely to vote for a party pledged to reducing or removing tax credits. Plans to take away Child Trust Funds from modest- and middle- income families will be difficult to swallow for the 57% of mothers who were less likely to vote for a party that fails to protect the Child Trust Fund.

In the tough times ahead, I believe that women like me want a parliament and a government that delivers real choices in balancing work and family life. And I believe that it is women searching out these choices that will be the hardest hit if the Tories win.