Webchat about women/mums in politics with Stella Creasy and Caroline Nokes - 1st February

[JuliaMumsnet]

Hello,

We're delighted to announce a webchat on the 1st February, from 12.30 to 1.30pm with Caroline Nokes MP and Stella Creasy MP about women and mothers in politics. We know that women - and particularly mums - are underrepresented in politics, and that the makeup of those walking the corridors of power affects the decisions that are made. The webchat is part of the work we’re doing to explore the barriers for women and mums and see what can be done to encourage more of them to get involved.

Caroline Nokes is the conservative party MP for Romsey and Southampton North and the current Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee in Parliament, where she is leading an inquiry into menopause in the workplace. Since her election in 2010 she has served as a Minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, the Cabinet Office and was Minister of State for Immigration in Theresa May’s Cabinet.

Stella Creasy is the Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow in North East London. She’s worked on legal loan sharks, legalising abortion in Northern Ireland, to tackle tax evasion and the impact of the private sector on the NHS and for stronger action on violence against women and girls. Following the birth of her first child in 2019, she became the first MP to appoint a locum while she took maternity leave.

Please join us here on Tuesday 1st February at 12.30pm. If you can’t join us on the day, please leave your question here in advance.

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is dominating a thread, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We may suspend the accounts of anyone who continues after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks,
MNHQ

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Should male bodied people be in women’s prisons?

[justaftb]

Question for Stella: I have always voted Labour and have been a Labour Party member in the past. I feel I can no longer vote for or support Labour given that Labour does not seem to know what a woman is.

Can Stella allay my fear that Labour will not protect women's sex-based rights if they achieve a majority in parliament?

[PearPickingPorky]

If only women in Parliament weren't female, then it would be so much easier.

[justaftb]

Should males be included in women-only shortlists?

[Iknowitisheresomewhere]

Do you think that women-only shortlists should include transwomen without a Gender Recognition Certificate (that is, include someone born male who is legally a man)?

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

How have you managed to deal with the personal comments about your appearance and, well, everything?

I could be a good politician, but I see what happens to women who do stand for office - and it doesn't look like it's very nice.

[Thelnebriati]

There are multiple barriers to women entering politics and they haven't changed for decades;

• caring responsibilities.
• finances, not just being on a low income, or having to manage 2 or 3 jobs while trying to juggle childcare; but also risking your entitlement to benefits. Especially if you are disabled. The argument goes that if you are capable of doing X activity, your disability can't be that bad.
• Rampant sex based misogyny within political parties at both local and national level.

[RoyalCorgi]

What is a woman?

[FOJN]

Do you think the treatment of MP's such as Rosie Duffield and Joanna Cherry, by their own parties, will put some women off standing for political office?