As David Cameron announces his final ministerial line-up, one must ask: Where are all the women?
As David Cameron announces his final ministerial line-up, I have found myself asking the same question as during the latter months of Gordon Brown’s premiership: Where are all the women? Not much more than a year ago, David Cameron had said:
“If elected, by the end of our first Parliament I want a third of all my ministers to be female.”
His four female cabinet ministers are a start, but only represent only 14 per cent of ministers allowed to attend cabinet, and their positions are lower than their male counterparts, with the exception of home secretary Theresa May. In recent elections, record numbers of women stood as parliamentary candidates: rising from 8% in 1979 to 21% in 2010. According to the Centre for Women and Equality:
• The Green Party had the highest percentage of women candidates (33%) followed by Labour (30%), the Conservative Party (24%) and the Liberal Democrats (21%).
• We now have 142 female MPs sitting in the commons.
• Women representing the main three parties include: 81 for the Labour Party (dropping from the 101 elected in 1997), 48 for the Conservative Party, and seven for the Liberal Democrats.
Throughout their election campaign, the Conservative Party offered us a binding contract for all sorts of manifesto commitments, saying:
“If we do not deliver on our side of the bargain, then vote us out in five years time.”
The contract calls for a closing of the gender pay gap (currently at 16.4%), family-friendly and flexible working policies, ending violence against women and an increase in the number of women in enterprise.
They also promised that:
“A Conservative government would bring change to Britain’s corporate boardrooms, introducing new rules to increase the proportion of female directors, and creating new opportunities for women to rise to the top.
“We will require the long list for directorship appointments to include 50 per cent female candidates. This will help ensure that companies recruit from a diverse pool of candidates. It will apply to executive directors as well as non-executive directors.”
So with 55 women to choose from in this coalition government, David Cameron has chosen just four women to represent half of those living in the UK. With their promise of 50 per cent of candidates in FTSE 100 directorship positions to be female, it is a wonder why only four women sit in the cabinet: the directorship of the country?
37 Responses to “No place for women in Cam-Clegg’s “new politics””
Where are all the women? « plurality. an alternative political and social thought.
[…] Read more of my article for Left Foot Forward here […]
Raeki
I think Carole Cadwalladr hit the nail on the head today in the Observer:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/16/carole-cadwalladr-women-politics-power
If Cameron is happy to appoint George Osborne as Chancellor being ‘qualified for the job’ can’t be any sort of blocker to the women getting higher office. It really is just sexist crap.
Jacquie Martin
Many of us have noticed this lack of commitment. There have been articles in the Guardian and the Independent. Mumsnet are unhappy and feel duped, citing the only representation they’ve seen is Sam Cameron looking lovely in maternity wear and heels. Progress huh!
This is particularly important as many of the expected economic measures to plug the deficit will impact more on women. We need a voice at the top table.
I see a comment in these posts which basically trots out the old ‘meritocracy’ argument. I’ll say again: positive action makes up for lost opportunity as a result of past discrimination. We need it and now.
Also, as far as this government goes, if ‘merit’ based on qualifications and experience are to be spouted again, then the only person who can fulfil the role is Ken Clarke. No-one else in this cabinet has had experience of governing the UK.
Women make up 50% of the population – we are not a minority or splinter group. This constant battle of asking to be fairly and appropriately represented is unreasonable. I’m just sad we have to keep having the discussion.
I suggest, Claire, you, me, and all the other women who feel the time has now come to be more vocal – in this spirit of new politics – band together and ensure that the argument comes up day after day.
Denise Taylor
No place for women in Cam-Clegg's "new politics" | Left Foot Forward: As David Cameron announces his final ministe… http://bit.ly/a9Yazl
Thomas Byrne
Surely the onus is on you to say which women that we have that you would have appointed, and to which position?