‘The fact that, in most cases, it remains more difficult for a candidate who does not fit the “white, male, middle-class” norm to be selected, particularly if the seat is considered by their party to be winnable, means that the case for equality of representation has not yet been won.’
One could be forgiven for thinking the above quote was a vintage 1950s throwback. Unfortunately it is from 2010, the speaker’s conference report on representation in public life.
Covering disparities of representation within British society, it is a comprehensive report and remains as relevant today as when it was published.
In a similar light, last week the Fabian Society published a discussion paper, Practising What We Preach: Women and the Labour Party, authored by Olivia Bailey.
The first in a series of five, others will cover class, race, sexuality and disability, culminating with a final report in summer 2016. The ultimate aim of the papers is for practical recommendations to be put forward to improve the diversity of Labour’s representatives.
It is a useful document and I welcome the report even if it makes for uncomfortable reading, not least because it shows how slow progress has been. Some of the facts are stark: ‘Although women make up 44 per cent of Labour’s membership and 43 per cent of Labour’s MPs, they are just 30 per cent of CLP chairs, 16 per cent of Labour council leaders, 11 per cent of the most senior Labour party staff and 0 per cent of Labour’s leadership team.’
This is a woeful reality for a party that historically was at the vanguard of a more equitable socially just society. The heady days of Labour’s 1997 election victory when 101 women were elected to parliament should not be consigned to the history books but built upon. Unfortunately there is much to be done. Fundamentals issues such as childcare and martial status are still seen as fair game when it comes to women’s lived experiences in political life.
Lee Sherriff, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Carlisle this year told me, ‘I’ve never heard a man being asked yet how he will manage childcare, yet I was asked numerous times and I’ve heard other women say the same. The expectations are higher on women to be able to juggle their home and political life.’ I can relate to Lee’s account. My own experience as a single parent standing for parliament confirmed the covert discrimination that is prevalent in the political playing field. Some members and staff saw me an alien concept rather then a reflection of Labour’s progressive values in actuality.
The London School of Economics Commission on Gender, Inequality and Power report reinforces the wider inequalities in the gender and power debate. Anne Phillips, a contributor to the report, sums it up pretty acutely in a blog:
One issue that comes out from the report is the way austerity measures have reinforced patterns of gender inequality and power. Research by the House of Commons Library and UK Women’s Budget Group shows that close to 80 per cent of cuts in the welfare budget have fallen on women.
It remains much easier for a man to become a politician than a woman. One striking bit of evidence from the previous intake of MPs is that 45 per cent of the women in the House of Commons have no children, but only 28 per cent of the men.
Cleary there is much to do and there are models of good practice that can be replicated across the country. Manchester Labour group recognised it had a gender gap a number of years ago. Rather then wait for things to change, it proactively instituted a 50/50 gender balance policy.
Richard Leese, leader of Manchester city council said, ‘Although not unique in the politics of the United Kingdom, the Labour party stills tends to equate best candidate with gender. And at least for the time being, all-women shortlists are the only opportunity to equate best candidate with quality and competence’
As the speaker’s conference report noted, ‘Greater diversity in our elected representatives will be achieved only when the culture of our political parties has been changed.’
For many including me, the hurdles women face are not just about changing the nuts and bolts. The real measure of success will be when we resist maintaining the status quo and dedicate ourselves to shape new political cultures. In an age when the illusion of, ‘If you work hard enough you can achieve anything culture’ exists, the trenches of inequality, discrimination and injustice run deep. I cannot disagree with the paper’s recommendations, including more training, monitoring and wider transparency. These are solid examples of measures that the Labour party can implement to build on its past successes.
One element that is missing is how enforcement will take place if there is a breach of strengthened equality rules in the Labour party? Do the current mechanisms need reviewing too?
Practising What We Preach did give me food for thought. Reflecting on how much women like me owe to the pioneers of the feminist movement, I thought of Mary Wollstonecraft:
This virtuous equality will not rest firmly even when founded on a rock, if one-half of mankind be chained to its bottom by fate.
Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792.
When those words still resonate today, one does wonder if we have just started on the equality-bricked road.
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Amina Lone is a member of Manchester city council and co-director of the Social Action and Research Foundation. She tweets @Amina_Lone