This election has been widely hailed as the 'Mumsnet election' due to the power wielded by the online forum that boasts 850,000 regular users, and the 'new man' image being presented by party leaders to woo female voters.
However, the election represents a step backwards for women in politics, not least because there has been a conspicuous absence of senior female politicians of all of the main parties from the campaign, replaced instead by coverage of the fashion faux pas of the leader's wives and the phenomenon of 'Sam Cam'. The Fawcett Society, for example, has accused all three of the main parties of conducting a charm offensive without substance to win over female voters.
Women make up more than half of the voting population but only 19.5% of MPs in the UK, placing the UK 73rd in the world. There are currently only four women in the cabinet and seven women in David Cameron's shadow cabinet.
The British Social Attitudes Survey shows that women tend to wait until later in the campaign before deciding who to vote for. They are also less likely to have a stable and long-term attachment to any particular party. This makes them a key group of swing voters, particularly in marginal seats, where they may decide the outcome of the election.
David Cameron has stated that he will tackle gender inequality by increasing the number of female Conservative MPs, closing the gender pay gap and addressing childcare issues, and the Conservatives' manifesto was seen as directly targeting female voters.
Indeed, although it seems that the overall gender balance of Parliament may worsen, it is likely that there will be over 50 Conservative women MPs, which would represent significant progress - at the moment, there are only 17 Conservative MPs - 9% of the party's total. However, this is still a tiny amount, and nowhere near a reflection of the makeup of the UK population.
Support for Labour among women voters has been higher than support for the Conservatives according to polls, possibly due to its introduction of measures such as extended maternity leave, flexible working and programmes such as Sure Start and following the use of all-women shortlists, which saw the party's number of female MPs increase from 10 to over 90 in 1997. However, Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader, has complained that her party's election line-up is too male-dominated.
The Lib Dems argue that electoral reform, to create a more proportional system, will result in a more diverse parliament.
The UK has no Angela Merkel or Hillary Clinton or even an up-and-coming Shirley Williams or Barbara Castle. This is bad for women, but it is also a shame for the country as a whole. Party leaders should be doing more to support women's political engagement than giving interviews to Cosmopolitan, Glamour and other female-friendly publications.
However, the election represents a step backwards for women in politics, not least because there has been a conspicuous absence of senior female politicians of all of the main parties from the campaign, replaced instead by coverage of the fashion faux pas of the leader's wives and the phenomenon of 'Sam Cam'. The Fawcett Society, for example, has accused all three of the main parties of conducting a charm offensive without substance to win over female voters.
Women make up more than half of the voting population but only 19.5% of MPs in the UK, placing the UK 73rd in the world. There are currently only four women in the cabinet and seven women in David Cameron's shadow cabinet.
The British Social Attitudes Survey shows that women tend to wait until later in the campaign before deciding who to vote for. They are also less likely to have a stable and long-term attachment to any particular party. This makes them a key group of swing voters, particularly in marginal seats, where they may decide the outcome of the election.
David Cameron has stated that he will tackle gender inequality by increasing the number of female Conservative MPs, closing the gender pay gap and addressing childcare issues, and the Conservatives' manifesto was seen as directly targeting female voters.
Indeed, although it seems that the overall gender balance of Parliament may worsen, it is likely that there will be over 50 Conservative women MPs, which would represent significant progress - at the moment, there are only 17 Conservative MPs - 9% of the party's total. However, this is still a tiny amount, and nowhere near a reflection of the makeup of the UK population.
Support for Labour among women voters has been higher than support for the Conservatives according to polls, possibly due to its introduction of measures such as extended maternity leave, flexible working and programmes such as Sure Start and following the use of all-women shortlists, which saw the party's number of female MPs increase from 10 to over 90 in 1997. However, Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader, has complained that her party's election line-up is too male-dominated.
The Lib Dems argue that electoral reform, to create a more proportional system, will result in a more diverse parliament.
The UK has no Angela Merkel or Hillary Clinton or even an up-and-coming Shirley Williams or Barbara Castle. This is bad for women, but it is also a shame for the country as a whole. Party leaders should be doing more to support women's political engagement than giving interviews to Cosmopolitan, Glamour and other female-friendly publications.
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