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Original poster

vote for women

30 replies

garlicbutter · 04/05/2011 13:23

I've been reconsidering my attitudes to various powerful women lately. While I'm an out-and-out political Thatcher hater, I've now decided she deserves credits for being the first woman PM and for doing it along with having children and a marriage. Whilst I could write a dissertation on how she did it badly, the point I had to reconsider is that she did it and was a woman.

In my revised mindset, I feel the gender of the woman is equally important as her politics. If we apply the usual criteria to our selection of leaders (ie, are gender neutral), we're assuming the playing field is level. And it isn't.

It's taken me 56 years to reach this conclusion and, as I say, it's a fresh departure for me - incidentally, I'll also be voting for over-50s - so I'm very much up for discussion, if it'll help me hone my thinking!

~ Lifted from this thread, which is worth a good read in full :)

OP posts:
karmakameleon · 04/05/2011 13:48

I tried this for the last local elections.

My top tip: Do not get to the ballot box, look at the ballot paper and find yourself stumped by the ethnic minority candidates, whose names do not make their sex clear. Blush If you do find yourself in this position, makes good sense to revise policy to include women and ethnic minority candidates in voting selection criteria. Grin

ginmakesitallok · 04/05/2011 13:44

I think the idea of voting for someone because of their gender is ridiculous. It assumes that any woman candidate is better than a man - which just isn't true. It assumes that a woman MP/MSP will do more for equality than a male - which just isn't true. I'll vote for a politician who most closely represents my beliefs, and whether they are a man or a woman doesn't come into it.

bigbadbarry · 04/05/2011 13:36

Huh. I just filled in my ballot form and had to choose from one conservative man, one "independent" man (funded by conservative party) and one labour man.

Prolesworth · 04/05/2011 13:30

This reply has been deleted

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Original poster
garlicbutter · 04/05/2011 13:25

So I'll be voting for women on May 5th.

I decided I'd vote by gender unless there were no female representatives for parties I can tolerate - for me, that gave prorities of:

  1. Not extremely right-wing
  2. Female
  3. Moderately left

So the Greens and Labour are getting my vote; I've never voted Green before, so their prepronderance of female candidates got them a new vote!

Clearly this wouldn't work for anyone whose party politics override their gender politics. If AV comes in there will be more opportunities to evaluate one's priorities, but even now it could be well worth reconsidering them :)

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