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| Labour wants more women to be elected – the public agree | |
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| Five months ago I was not a politician, and nor did I feel my gender had any bearing on my career or that of my peers. That all changed on 30 November 2012 when I won the Rotherham byelection and became a MP. Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck faces the same prospect if she wins in the South Shields byelection today. | Five months ago I was not a politician, and nor did I feel my gender had any bearing on my career or that of my peers. That all changed on 30 November 2012 when I won the Rotherham byelection and became a MP. Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck faces the same prospect if she wins in the South Shields byelection today. |
| I quickly became aware that being a woman was a factor when I was knocking on doors during the election campaign. The women I met were genuinely surprised and delighted that I was standing and felt a shared sense of pride that I could become the first female MP of their town. Often, daughters were brought to meet me and they were told "look, you could do this when you grow up". Almost without exception, women told me we needed more women in politics and I could definitely count on their vote. And vote they did! | I quickly became aware that being a woman was a factor when I was knocking on doors during the election campaign. The women I met were genuinely surprised and delighted that I was standing and felt a shared sense of pride that I could become the first female MP of their town. Often, daughters were brought to meet me and they were told "look, you could do this when you grow up". Almost without exception, women told me we needed more women in politics and I could definitely count on their vote. And vote they did! |
| I was not part of an all-women shortlist, though it happened to be two women who were put forward for selection. I know some people have strong feelings against all-women shortlists and I can understand why. It does seem a heavy-handed approach to address an imbalance, but the problem is that imbalance definitely exists, with only 22% of MPs being women. | I was not part of an all-women shortlist, though it happened to be two women who were put forward for selection. I know some people have strong feelings against all-women shortlists and I can understand why. It does seem a heavy-handed approach to address an imbalance, but the problem is that imbalance definitely exists, with only 22% of MPs being women. |
| Byelections often have low turnout and political organisers here and in the US report that people who generally do not like politicians because they think that we don't "get" their lives, feel more encouraged to vote when there is a woman standing. They feel that women as outsiders in the political process are more trustworthy and more in touch with everyday matters. | Byelections often have low turnout and political organisers here and in the US report that people who generally do not like politicians because they think that we don't "get" their lives, feel more encouraged to vote when there is a woman standing. They feel that women as outsiders in the political process are more trustworthy and more in touch with everyday matters. |
| Ideally, we would start showing young people that a career in politics – whether at local, regional or national level – is viable for them, regardless of sex. The reality is that approach will take 20 years to create strong candidates who can be selected entirely on merit with a system that understands the inherent sexism in our existing process and addresses it. Positive action does not promote weak candidates, what it does is actively find strong candidates who would never normally get a chance to demonstrate their suitability. I am proud to be a member of a party that does that. | Ideally, we would start showing young people that a career in politics – whether at local, regional or national level – is viable for them, regardless of sex. The reality is that approach will take 20 years to create strong candidates who can be selected entirely on merit with a system that understands the inherent sexism in our existing process and addresses it. Positive action does not promote weak candidates, what it does is actively find strong candidates who would never normally get a chance to demonstrate their suitability. I am proud to be a member of a party that does that. |
| Labour aims to have 50:50 representation in parliament, and if we win the byelection today there will have been four Labour women and seven Labour men elected in byelections since 2010. It's a step in the right direction. Without Labour's strong record, Britain would be near the bottom of the European league for the proportion of women in parliament, close to Montenegro. | Labour aims to have 50:50 representation in parliament, and if we win the byelection today there will have been four Labour women and seven Labour men elected in byelections since 2010. It's a step in the right direction. Without Labour's strong record, Britain would be near the bottom of the European league for the proportion of women in parliament, close to Montenegro. |
| In order for democracy to work, our government should reflect the makeup of society. Let us start with the most obvious inequality first and aim for 50% women MPs. If my experience in Rotherham is anything to go by, at least 50% of the population want that too. | In order for democracy to work, our government should reflect the makeup of society. Let us start with the most obvious inequality first and aim for 50% women MPs. If my experience in Rotherham is anything to go by, at least 50% of the population want that too. |