Childless politicians: is it an issue?

[Chocchops72]

There have been lots of posts popping up on my Twitter feed pointing out that many of the leading politicians in Scotland do not have children. From Nicola Sturgeon to many of the leading Scottish Greens (who seem to be in the news and setting the pace more than other SNP MSPs).

Is this an issue? Do / would childless politicians put different policies in place compared to those with children?

I have two children, my sister has none. While she’s a great aunty and loves them deeply, I’m aware that we don’t have the same priorities in life. Her interests basically extend as far as her and her partner having a good life after they retire. She’s very much of the opinion that ‘you chose to be a parent, don’t expect anyone else to prioritise the things that you do’. An example being inheritance… I’m kind of hoping (but not banking on) an inheritance from my parents that will make my kids life easier (and my parents definitely want that). My sister is totally dismissive of this: she and her partner already have enough for them and that it’s. I totally expect her to leave all her wealth to the cat and dog home tbh, whereas DH and I are very motivated to pass as many assets and advantages as possible onto our own children. And we would favour any tax or other legal policies that support that.

what do you think?

Because the idea that people who don't have children can't possibly make half-decent decisions on behalf of the rest of us is frankly ridiculous

It's my (admittedly anecdotal) experience that most people who had decided to remain childfree (as opposed to people who have, for whatever reason, been unable to have children) have devoted a lot more thought to their decision then a lot of people who become parents. Perhaps we should take the stance that actually, having given a lot of thought to whether or not they want children, they are better equipped to make decent decisions on behalf of everyone else.

A balanced Parliament of age groups and life stages would be best.
I think currently it can be an issue if you have a Parliament skewed heavily to people say fresh out of University and lacking life experience and hence children (e.g. SNP landslide in 2015 when all sitting Scottish Labour MPs ejected from UK Parliament).

I have also come to realise that while I vote for a person based on a manifesto, I expect them to be willing to try to represent all their constituents' interests, not just their own narrow interests and to sympathetically consider all views.

I am thinking here of heterosexuals' interests needing to be adequately represented but the recent prioritisation of all things TQ+ by most UK parties; and politicians calling people bigots for not being 100% on the queer bandwagon, alas means it may be something I need to take into consideration in future.

LGB politicians have been slow to speak out against the TQ+ encroachment on their own same-sex attraction rights, so I suppose I cannot expect them to speak out for my hetero women's sex-based rights. But if they won't protect my rights as a constituent why should they expect my vote?

I want all female politicians to stick up for the sex based rights of women and to care about child safeguarding. It would be great to have the males on board too but only women know the actual reality of being women and carrying and bearing children. This means I am even more offended by the women who insist TWAW than I am the men but both mortally offend me.

@Capitalismwantsyou I feel that I was completely blind to family needs before I had a child.

You may well have been.
Others are capable of looking beyond their own nose.

YABU, and actually quite cruel. So you suggest you would support policies allowing you to retain family wealth rather than helping those in society who need it most. Boris Johnson is a parent -I think enough said

Oh dear. I have children. Your post makes me think less of other people with children. A great illustration of the fact that having a child doesn’t give you more empathy or insight.

That’s you. That’s not everyone.

You could say the same for many topics. Some people are able to be empathetic and listen to those who do have experience.

Sorry not you @ThisIsACoolUserName - I was agreeing with you though :)

Johnson has 82 kids and he was a disaster

I don't have kids, though I am five months pregnant.

One of my career highlights is that I spearheaded and managed delivery of a specific initiative that benefited about 60000 children a year for five years. It was acclaimed for being the only successful project of its kind in the past decade, and commended for improving diagnostic and development support for those children.

How many children did you help in the same period, I wonder, OP?

Frankly, I find a lot of parents to be quite selfish - in a "my family first and fuck the rest" way. I know a guy who voted Tory because he felt it financially benefited hum, but was outraged at his son not getting into the right primary school, with zero acknowledgement of the fact that the Tories systematically underfund education, and that there shouldn't BE bad primary schools.

We dont have kids, however we do have infinitely more concern for hungry or otherwise deprived children than the tory government does. Both of us did all of our parenting between the age of about 6 and 16, ie 10 years in my case of total responsibility for younger siblings while parents were working. Yes, from the age of 6. Other half was more like 8 till 17, getting home before parents, picking siblings up at nursery (by the age of 12) (this was back in the late 60s, early 70s) getting food ready for tea and feeding the younger ones etc. Either of us would make better MPs or PMs than what we currently have and especially in terms of the social needs of society over the petty wants of the upper class twats running the place.

If I had a choice I'd vote for a mother over a father and a woman over a man.

Mothers are 40% of the population but barely represented in parliament or government.

And I bet single people are even worse represented than mothers.

I think across politicians in general there should be a range of backgrounds and lives, not just children/no children, but everything.

I also think that if top politicians tend not to have children, it needs to be looked at to see whether the reason is that the job is not one that allows for caring responsibilities. And if that's the case, I think that's a problem. Not just for people with children, but anyone with caring responsibilities.

👏

This is an incredible hot take 🤣

I think it is an issue, but not in the way you express it in your OP. Politics, and many other industries, are rubbish for those who are the primary caregivers to children (yep, mums). Mothers are underpaid, undervalued and face many barriers in terms of career progression.

Therefore a lot of companies, and industries, make a point of emphasising and celebrating the women who have made it to very senior levels. Who, more often than the general population, have no children. But it means that superficially the company can look good because they’ve promoted a woman (who doesn’t face the structural inequalities many women - I.e. mothers) face.

So yes, more openness about whether women in senior positions have children would be useful in terms of exposing how difficult it is for mothers to reach these roles.

That’s daft. Politicians should represent everybody in society.
parenthood isn’t sainthood anyway. There are loads of shit parents around.

I loathe and detest Sturgeon but she is far more competent than Humza and he's got kids.

Bloody hell.

I neither have nor want kids. That hasn’t stopped me spending the past eight years campaigning against kids being transed. And Susie Green, who got her child’s penis amputated on said child’s 16th birthday, is a mother.

Don’t make assumptions.

I can think of Theresa may as an example but a huge proportion won't be childless by choice.
No having lots of children doesn't make you a better politician (Boris Johnson). It's pretty irrelevant in my opinion

and people from ethnic minority backgrounds and those who have disabilities and those who are neurodiverse. The list is endless. Being a mother hasn’t made me a better person or more in need of representation in politics…

Are you talking about female politicians or males as well? You don't have to have children to know them and have empathy for family requirements. Sounds like you have a problem understanding why some people don't have kids tbh.

Yes, some. Can men really understand what women need? I mean they can try... As for Boris and ReesMog.. i think the point is about parents, ie people who parent, not just people who spray their genes around and leave someone else to do the actual work.

It’s a complete non-issue - I honestly don’t give a toss what the family arrangements of politicians are, or whether they have children.

Exhibit A - Boris fucking Johnson

Unlike most other equality categories being a mother actually impedes the ability of a person to become a politician.

Social policies also disproportionately effect mothers as they are more likely to be poor and in need of state services.