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An inequality so commonplace that we often don’t even see it

June 8, 2012 11:59 am

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Rachael Saunders

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There was a period when all Labour Party meetings seemed to start with slightly cringey ice breakers. You’d have to go round the room and everyone would give the name of their first album (Boomania, Doin’ the Do for me) and the reason why they’d joined the Labour Party. The reasons for joining the party varied, but there were recurring themes. Most of us joined the Labour party because we had seen inequality and injustice and wanted to change it.

One of those inequalities is so commonplace that we often don’t even see it.

There has still only ever been one woman prime minister. 42 men have had the job since 1715. There’s only ever been one woman.

Today is the anniversary of Margaret Bondfield joining the cabinet in 1929, the first woman to hold cabinet office in the UK. Only 83 years ago no woman had ever held a political role at that level. It may feel easy to dismiss that as ancient history, but only five of the current 23 cabinet members are women. It’s not just the cabinet– currently there are 505 male MPs in parliament, and 145 women.

81 of those 145 women are Labour. It is only because we as a party made a decision to use all women shortlists (AWS) to cut through the barriers that there are a significant number of women in parliament today – other parties are following in our wake. It is only because of the Labour Women’s Network that the All Women Shortlist policy functions, because we lobby and campaign for effective implementation, and because we train and support women who go on to be great parliamentarians, councillors, AMs, MSPs and activists.

We can only expect people to vote for us if they are able to trust us. Crucial to that trust is an ability to identify with us, to see their needs, hopes and aspirations and those of their families and communities reflected in what we say and do. Women’s representation is one part of that picture.

We’ve got a long way to go on transforming our party to reflect the communities we seek to serve. On women’s representation though, we know what works. We have the policies and the tools which have already opened the door to brilliant women MPs, from Valerie Vaz to Rachel Reeves, Shabana Mahmood to Yvette Cooper. We need your support to continue.

Please click here and join the Labour Women’s Network – men are very much encouraged to join as supporters.

UKAzeri

I have to admit I am uneasy about positive discrimination however the results are so striking and undeniable that it makes me vry proud to be part of the Labour party.

we have some way to go though. For example currently there are proportionaly more women in Afghani parliament than in the Commons
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18127469
Lady X

Rebalancing isn’t to the centre because
that is a perpetuation of inequality. Why mess about with ‘achieving equality’
instead of reversing inequality? If a minimum requirement that 60% of
representatives in local and national government, as well as on the boards of
private and third sector organisations are women then the consequence would be
that the specific and unique needs of women, particularly mothers and female
employees would finally be properly addressed.
AnotherOldBoy

Fortunately the one woman who became Prime Minister won 3 general elections and did a splendid job.
- PaulHalsall
  
  Thatcher screwed us up, and we are still being screwed.
JC

No mention of Barbara Castle or even Betty Boothroyd? Surely its worth looking back to see what stopped these excellent women from achieving more, and investigating whether it would happen again today.

I have no problem with positive discrimination, but candidates should also reflect their constituencies. If, say, most potential voters were born in the local area and have lived there all their lives, it would make sense to have a candidate who reflected that. Similarly the age profile.
http://twitter.com/RF_McCarthy Roger McCarthy

But there is a deeper underlying inequality here – I’ve not seen recent national figures but my own CLP and other CLPs I’ve been involved with are generally at least 60% male.

But given the grim demographics of our party (the last time I checked my CLP members average age was 57!) and that women do live significantly longer than men and outnumber them to a greater and greater extent in every age band above 40, the percentage of women members amongst the age groups from which we select candidates who are likely to win seats appears to be considerably lower than 40%.

So we have here an ageism (and also a class) issue as well as the familiar Catch-22 that women may be put off by politics because it is so male dominated – but for it to become less male dominated women have to become more interested in politics…

Now women-only shortlists have in fact made a huge difference – but they really can only go so far as long as the party fails to both recruit more women as members and to look for candidates outside of the charmed circle of ambitious middle class university graduates.
PaulHalsall

My first album, apart from film music compilations, was Rachmanov’s Second Symphony conducted by Andre Previn.

I would really like a female Labour Prime Minister. We need enough male and female senior politicians to be able to make a choice.

But gender can never be the main issue. I would never, for example, support Hazel Blears or Caroline Flint.

Rachel Reeves is great, but, honestly, she need to do something about her accent.
- AlanGiles
  
  My first album was “The Jazz Couriers In Concert” (at the Dominion Theatre Tottenham Court Road 16th Feb 1958) on Tempo TAP 22. This was a quintet co-led by Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes (who, by coincidence died on this day – June 8th – in 1973 at the age of 38).
  
  It cost 32s 6d and I had to save for several weeks for it.
  
  That said – I agree with Paul. Hell would have to freeze over before I supported Blears and Flint, with whom I’d like to couple Yvette Cooper and the engine of the Royal Scott. Tory women are Tory women whatever colour rosette they wear.
Franwhi

yeah but some of them have done little and Jacqueline Smith, Tessa Jowell and Caroline Flint always struck me as motivated by self-interest then there was the expenses scandal which featured a fair number of Labour ladies. It’s not just about men and women for me it’s about authentic people with integrity – if women all the better – but that’s a bonus !
- Newham Sue
  
  So very true and do think the Labour Party should be so much more proactive in terms of targetting and recruiting women with an understanding of and experience of their local communities rather than taking what’s offered to fill quotas regardless of suitability for purpose.
Vivante2u

Here’s another inequality so common place nobody notices.
Not one single woman, goes down into the sewers, anywhere in this country, to keep them running.
- JS
  
  That clinches it then. Women are obviously more sensible.

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