You are here: Home » Comment »

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

June 8, 2012 11:59 am

Author:

Tags:

Share this Article

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.

Related posts:

  1. Co-op takeover: Our development work must drive the battle against inequality
  2. Parts of Labour are at odds with reality – inequality cannot be overcome by legislation alone
  3. How Labour’s new rules could still secure 50% of Shadow Cabinet seats for women
  4. “New Labour should have been clearer that we cared about inequality”: The James Purnell interview
  5. Inequality, class and the crisis
  • 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.  :)

Latest

  • News Seats and Selections Vicky Foxcroft selected as Labour’s PPC for Lewisham Deptford

    Vicky Foxcroft selected as Labour’s PPC for Lewisham Deptford

    Vicky Foxcroft has been selected by Lewisham Deptford CLP as the party’s candidate for 2015 at a selection meeting this afternoon. Here’s a brief biography: Vicky grew up in the North West in a single parent household, and was the first person in her family to go to university. She has held many positions in the party including Chair of Labour Students, has sat on the National Policy Forum and is currently a local councillor and is Chair of Lewisham [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment Labour’s future schools policy: why accountability matters

    Labour’s future schools policy: why accountability matters

    By Mike Ion

    Stephen Twigg, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary is one of the more thoughtful and pragmatic individuals to hold this vitally important brief for some time. To his credit Stephen has been out and about these past two years listening to pupils, teachers, parents and governors and finding out more about the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis. In addition Stephen has been looking closely at some local, regional, national and international programmes that have had a demonstrable impact in raising [...]

    Read more →
  • News Seats and Selections Falkirk selection process suspended by the party

    Falkirk selection process suspended by the party

    The Labour Party have this afternoon suspended the selection process for Falkirk, after concerns were raised about “membership recruitment”. We understand that Ed Miliband was “keen to act swiftly” as the selection process was due to formally begin on Sunday. An officer of the party – yet to be confirmed – will investigate. A Labour spokesperson told us this afternoon: “We have suspended the start of the selection process of the Falkirk parliamentary seat. Concerns have been raised about membership [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment Seats and Selections Unions Working Class MPs – the end of a era?

    Working Class MPs – the end of a era?

    By Paul Wheeler

    It is interesting to see that the Labour Party is returning to the vexed issue of its parliamentary selection process. The changes may be well and good.  But maybe we should be asking a bigger question – are we  witnessing the end of working class representation in Parliament? When the Labour Party was first founded it was more simple. Then the explicit  aim was to secure working class representation, and specifically organised labour, in Parliament. Inevitably it became more complicated [...]

    Read more →
  • Local Government News An absolutely classic Lib Dem bar chart

    An absolutely classic Lib Dem bar chart

    Earlier this week we brought you a decidedly dodgy bar chart from the Tories, but it seems that they’re not the only party in Camden adopting dubious use of bar charts. Step forward Camden Lib Dems, with this classic of the dodgy Lib Dem bar chart genre (courtesy of Theo Blackwell). Even by the pretty shoddy standards of the yellows, this is a corker:   Update: Haringey Lib Dems might want to work on their bar charts  maths too (via [...]

    Read more →