Rosamund Urwin: Home ties that keep women from the House

One of the biggest barriers stopping more women entering the House is the division of labour in the household. Get more men changing nappies and you’ll have more women changing policies
14 November 2013
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The Tory minister Elizabeth Truss recently brought her two daughters to Parliament. A female MP from across the floor — whom Truss generously won’t name — bounded over. “You mustn’t see your mummy very often,” she proclaimed to the two little girls. Oh, way to neglect sisterly solidarity and trowel on the maternal guilt!

Truss told this story at a discussion I chaired on Tuesday. Held at the Institute for Government, the subject was women and power — or rather, why government remains such a testosterone zone. Despite a survey today revealing that almost 40 per cent of men think there are enough women in Parliament, just 23 per cent of MPs are female. The Equality and Human Rights Commission predicts that it’ll take another 14 general elections before we see parity.

Truss went on to say that she is “fed up” with people telling her how tough her life must be. As a mother-of-two with a demanding job, she is probably perpetually interrogated about how she copes. Her male colleagues don’t face such incessant grilling over their work-life balance, of course.

Another panellist, Lib-Dem minister Jo Swinson, added that one of the hurdles that prevents greater diversity in Parliament is that women often take an election hiatus in their early thirties to have children, just when many have their first decent shot at a seat. These women assume that as a mother, there simply isn’t time for all that leafleting, door-knocking and fête-attending. Few men think the pram in the hallway halts their career in the same way.

So one of the biggest barriers stopping more women entering the House is the division of labour in the household. Get more men changing nappies and you’ll have more women changing policies. But Truss hinted at something else too: that this problem is partly self-perpetuating. The more it is said that the Commons is no place for mothers with young children, the more aspiring female politicians postpone their parliamentary dreams. And that helps create a vicious circle: Parliament remains a less family-friendly place because there aren’t enough voices clamouring for both the hours and the culture to change.

The Labour MP’s remark to Truss stank of sexism too. Even other women often expect more of our sex than they do of men. While men are lauded for briefly holding the baby (think David Beckham with Harper at Victoria’s fashion show, hailed as the perfect modern male), working mothers — many already expert in the sport of self-flagellation — have the guilt piled upon them.

The paucity of female MPs means the Commons is inadequately drawing on the talents and skills of half the population. We shouldn’t have to wait until Truss’s daughters are drawing their pensions for that to change.

Hunger game gone too far

In the dystopian future of the Hunger Games films — where toasted squirrel is a luxury dish — the protagonists still look like they’ve stepped out of Abercrombie & Fitch ads. But Sam Claflin, the latest Aesthetic One Per Center to join the cast, has admitted to Elle magazine that he struggles with body confidence. “My wife calls me manorexic,” he said. “It’s the way the Hollywood [ideal] is thrown at you. There’s an element of wanting to be Ryan Gosling with a perfect six-pack.”

Claflin is echoing the complaints that have long spilled from the hungry mouths of female stars. But the body hatred Hollywood breeds isn’t any better for affecting both sexes. What we want isn’t equal opportunities for insecurity, it’s for no one — female or male — to consider eating a chocolate bar a cardinal sin.

No need for misery on the Northern line

The Northern line remains the Misery line, appropriately clad in black. According to a survey published this week by YouGov, more than a third of those polled consider it the worst line on the Underground.

That few? It’s so busy near the bottom end of the line that commuters — perhaps paying £35.60 a week for a zone 1-3 Travelcard — are now being handed leaflets encouraging them to walk. At any of the three Clapham stops the throng is so great in the morning that it often takes three trains before you can board.

Upgrades to increase capacity are supposed to finish next year, and will raise the number of passengers the line can carry by a fifth. But until then, why doesn’t the Mayor make it cheaper to travel before 8am, encouraging pay-as-you-go Oyster users to clamber aboard early?

Digging the Brixton scene

Having moved into a flat in Brixton this week, I believe I’m now obliged to bang on about the brilliance of Brixton Market. It must be in the terms of local leases. So: “foodie Valhalla”, yadda yadda yadda.

What Brixton also allows, though, is a study of the forces of gentrification. Well aware that I’m part of the perceived problem, I’ve noticed some indicators that others are also among the guilty party:

Carrying an “I HEART BRIXTON” bag.

Instagramming pictures of the area’s “witty” graffiti.

Sending little Noah to school wearing a gilet.

Secretly celebrating the arrival of Waitrose while complaining about it.

Riding a single-speed bike.

Being horrified if a pub doesn’t have Wi-Fi.

And then, of course, there’s the whining about gentrification…

Twitter: @RosamundUrwin

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in