Is Parliament family friendly?
As David Cameron commits to making Britain 'the most family friendly country in Europe', we asked MPs if Parliament had got its own house in order.
In our survey of MPs, over a quarter said the stresses placed on their family have resulted in them considering quitting as an MP, nearly two-thirds say being an MP has had a negative impact on their family and more than nine in 10 believe Parliament is not family friendly.
MPs were clear that the lack of a family-friendly attitude in Parliament had a serious impact on their family lives:
- "I have a two-year-old daughter and no one cares if I don't see her."
- "I never saw my children grow up and I'll regret this to the day I die."
- "It is a hideous stress on your family, I work 360 days a year, the BlackBerry never stops buzzing."
- "I am newly elected and cannot see how I can keep this up for the next four years without damaging my family relationships."
To help address Parliament's family-friendly deficit, half of respondents advocated regular recess dates, almost half wanted to end late-night voting and a quarter believed childcare should be subsidised.
But MPs were united in opposition to the idea of an MP jobshare, with three-quarters rejecting the idea.
To cope with life in Parliament, MPs reported moving house, moving their childrens' schools, relying on partners to give up work and even divorcing.
MPs' advice to new and aspiring MPs included:
- "Don't become an MP too early, enjoy the family first."
- "Make sure you make time for your family. It's easy to let the job take over but to be a good MP you do have to retain a good work and family life balance"
- "Don't be embarrassed to say that you are a putting your family first. Help change the culture of politics."
This research forms part of Mumsnet's ongoing Family Friendly programme. Mumsnet is working with employers, businesses and those in charge to ensure families get the support and help they need to make life easier for parents and make sure Britain is one of the best places to raise a family.
We shall pass a full set of results to the Speaker's office and all relevant Parliamentary Committees.
| To what extent would you describe the job of an MP as being family friendly? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| Completely family friendly | 1% | 1 |
| Quite family friendly | 6% | 6 |
| Not very family friendly | 33% | 33 |
| Not at all family friendly | 58% | 59 |
| Don't know/ not stated | 2% | 2 |
| answered question | 83 | 101 |
| Net Family friendly | 7% | 7 |
| Net not family friendly | 91% | 92 |
| What improvements do you think parliament could do to be more family friendly? Tick all that apply | ||
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| End late night voting | 47% | 47 |
| Subsidise childcare | 26% | 26 |
| Regular recess dates | 50% | 51 |
| Other/ not stated | 60% | 61 |
| answered question | 101 | |
| Would you say that going into or being in Parliament has had a positive or negative impact on your family life on balance? | ||
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| Largely positive | 7% | 7 |
| Somewhat positive | 16% | 16 |
| Somewhat negative | 37% | 37 |
| Largely negative | 25% | 25 |
| Don't know/ not stated | 16% | 16 |
| answered question | 101 | |
| Would you say stresses placed on your family as a result of you being an MP have ever made you consider quitting? | ||
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| Not applicable/ not stated | 14% | 14 |
| No | 58% | 59 |
| Yes - please feel free to provide details... | 28% | 28 |
| answered question | 101 | |
| Would you say the selection process for you to become an MP was ‘family friendly' or not? | ||
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| Yes | 50% | 51 |
| No | 35% | 35 |
| No response | 15% | 15 |
| answered question | 101 | |
| To what extent, if at all, would you support or oppose the idea of an MP job share? (Two MPs from the same party seek election and represent a seat as a job share). | ||
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| Strongly support | 6% | 6 |
| Tend to support | 10% | 10 |
| Tend to oppose | 17% | 17 |
| Strongly oppose | 58% | 59 |
| Don't know | 9% | 9 |
| answered question | 101 | |
| Net support | 16% | 16 |
| Net oppose | 75% | 76 |
| What age(s) are your children, if you have any? Tick all that apply | ||
| Answer Options | Response Percent | Response Count |
| Under 5 | 17% | 17 |
| 5-10 | 22% | 22 |
| 11-15 | 11% | 11 |
| 16-21 | 25% | 25 |
| 22+ | 35% | 35 |
| No children | 20% | 20 |
| Not stated | 7% | 7 |
| answered question | 101 | |
