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

@thepastisanothercountry

Sorry for lateness of this but do you really believe all women short lists best benefit voters? Surely people need the best person not the best woman?

I'd actually find it quite insulting to be put on a short list because I'm a woman not because I'm the best suited.

I've answered this elsewhere on thread which hope shows up? AWS isn't about the quality of the candidates (true equality being as many mediocre women as men in parliament!) but the unconcious bias of what leadership looks like which is embedded in our society. We can keep patiently waiting for people to see what that does to our selecting, or we can tackle it at source which is what AWS does.

@dreamingofspain

Are you worried about the end of All Women Shortlists? Or do you think they've achieved their aim? ie do enough party members now see women MPs and give equal consideration to them when it comes to selections?

I think that is a really interesting question about having achieved their aim, sadly we can very easily go backwards in the number of women elected. It is a bit like the gender pay gap, even if it gets to zero doesn't mean that you stop reporting.

What does a ‘normal week’ in politics look like for a working mum? How much time do you get with your children?

@DoubleTweenQueen

The thread, and what’s happening out in the real world, show that women (and men) who stand for women and children’s safeguarding and safety, will never be able to enter politics, or, it would seem, any professional career, unless they are extremely careful to not express their thoughts.

I just say what I believe, if people don't like it, that is their prerogative, what matters is we have a debate. I tried being a Minister and sticking to a line I was given, turns out it didn't suit me.

averylongtimeago
Are you concerned about the tactics of the police when dealing with women making political comments or protests?
Should women putting up stickers, or posters, or commenting on social media have their "thinking examined"?

No

Which question is your "No" in answer to?

@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?

Am sorry to hear this justaftb - What sex based rights do you think are not protected? There is a lot of heat and not a lot of light about what impact changes such as GRC would make etc and so genuinely open to understanding what rights these 'take away' as opposed to extend?

@ArcheryAnnie

We want so badly for there to be women we can engage with in parliamentary politics - not just ones that we agree with, but ones who disagree with us, too, but are willing to get to the nuts and bolts of things. We are absolutely desperate for this.

And you're right - we have to engage with the nuts and bolts.

@JellySaurus

averylongtimeago Are you concerned about the tactics of the police when dealing with women making political comments or protests? Should women putting up stickers, or posters, or commenting on social media have their "thinking examined"?  No

Which question is your "No" in answer to?

No of course we shouldn't have our thinking examined! Sorry I should have given a fuller answer

@WhatFreshHellisCismas

What does a ‘normal week’ in politics look like for a working mum? How much time do you get with your children?

nowhere near enough - although more when we had hybrid voting and debating which is why I am a big fan. Its disappointing that parliament abandoned all these measures without asking if there was a more inclusive way of operating for the future. Hoping that there will be cross party push to challenge that and look at whether some of the learning durin gthe pandemic abou thow to work can stay!

But the nuts and bolts are being avoided. Either side stepped by the politicians or disallowed by the hosts.

so genuinely open to understanding what rights these 'take away' as opposed to extend?

Could you maybe sit down with women's groups who are concerned and discuss it? Maybe our concerns are misplaced and that's all it will take to reassure people!

What sex based rights do you think are not protected?

Women's sex-based rights to single-sex changing rooms, toilets, hospital wards, prisons, domestic violence refuges, rape-crisis centres, intimate personal care, mammograms, sports as well as any competitions, shortlists etc traditionally open only to women.

@WhatFreshHellisCismas

What does a ‘normal week’ in politics look like for a working mum? How much time do you get with your children?

I leave home on a Monday morning, and get back very late on a Wednesday (usually). My daughter is 23 now, but I missed most of her growing up, she was year 7 when I was elected. I am very conscious that many MPs who are Mums have made massive sacrifices, but we need them to keep standing. We need people like Stella who prove you can be a Mum and an MP, we need to have the debates around how you can have babies in the chamber. Too many times I have been told I don't look like an MP. That's because I am not a 45 year old man. We have to be more determined to demonstrate that anyone can be an MP.

Thank you for your response @StellaCreasy Do you consider any of the posts on here to be unkind?
Because I don't see posters being unkind. I don't see women who I know through the Parliament Project (so women who are considering standing) being unkind. I don't see the women in my feminist campaigning groups being unkind.
What I do see is a passion for politics and getting involved that is absolutely hampered by the fear of death threats; of being inundated with abuse; of being ostracised and bullied by members of their own party if they state their commitment to all protected characteristics including sex.
It may be that you think women should ignore all those issues; should hope the threats are rhetoric and if not that the police will find the perpetrators. And that women need to put their head above the parapet anyway but I'd argue that isn't taking into account the daily harassment women face. Abuse isn't an abstract for most women. It's a reality. And the biggest obstacle I see to women and mums getting involved is that our safety isn't taken seriously by most political parties.

This chat has been insane ...

Applaud Caroline and Stella for navigating it ... ! A tricky one with unfortunately not enough on the actual topic matter intended. Mums in politics.

Thank you though... !

(Personally have been called out when highlighting that trans and cys are DIFFERENT - not one is better or superior than the other, just different - and seeing others having the same conflicts is somewhat reassuring!)

Thanks to all those who tried to make this webchat constructive.... as Stella says, a lot of heat, ...

Hi both, thanks for coming today. I hope that if you take nothing else away from this chat, you take note that there's a massive elephant in this room that overshadows everything else. I completely understand your reluctance to talk about this (and our hosts for not allowing it to dominate the conversation), but it is not going away and it's impossible for women to take you seriously if this term can apply to literally anybody at their absolute discretion. Can you not appreciate how this approach may encourage people not to take you seriously?

One of my daughters would like to go into politics and mostly leans towards Labour but after seeing what has happened to Rosie Duffield, says she couldn’t hack it. A while back I would have told her to carry on. But there seems no dignity left in cabinet either. Is there any point?

@Ereshkigalangcleg

so genuinely open to understanding what rights these 'take away' as opposed to extend?

Could you maybe sit down with women's groups who are concerned and discuss it? Maybe our concerns are misplaced and that's all it will take to reassure people!

Unlike the previous inquiry the Women and Equalities Committee did on this we absolutely did take evidence from women's rights groups - I always try to listen to both sides.

@Zandathepanda

One of my daughters would like to go into politics and mostly leans towards Labour but after seeing what has happened to Rosie Duffield, says she couldn’t hack it. A while back I would have told her to carry on. But there seems no dignity left in cabinet either. Is there any point?

Yes - there is a point. If we give up and get shouted down we lose. My biggest supporter is undoubtedly my Mum, who gets too little credit so I shall give her some here.

@RoyalCorgi

What sex based rights do you think are not protected?

Women's sex-based rights to single-sex changing rooms, toilets, hospital wards, prisons, domestic violence refuges, rape-crisis centres, intimate personal care, mammograms, sports as well as any competitions, shortlists etc traditionally open only to women.

All 'sex based' rights vanish when sex becomes a meaningless category that one can opt into or out of.

Unlike the previous inquiry the Women and Equalities Committee did on this we absolutely did take evidence from women's rights groups - I always try to listen to both sides.

That's very admirable, but then in that case I'm not sure why you're asking what women's concerns are about sex based rights?

(Personally have been called out when highlighting that trans and cys are DIFFERENT - not one is better or superior than the other, just different - and seeing others having the same conflicts is somewhat reassuring!)

Different - you can say that again. In that some are women and some are men. No woman is a subset of "woman" and therefore no need for the 'cis' prefix. Men who identify as their idea of a woman have no place in a discussion about women and mothers in politics.

Could Stella please address the abuse given to Rosie Duffield, and the lack of support from the Party?

I'm so angry that as a tax payer the system doesn't work for me, the police, the legal system etc.

As half the population whose tax bill doesn't discriminate based on my sex why is it that women and girls get substandard service when it comes down to policing and prosecution on VAWG/Rape.

Perhaps we should get a rebate?

Romsey is not ready for a woman
But the previous MP was also a woman!