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

Hi both - thanks for coming on to discuss this - it's such an important topic.

All woman shortlists made a massive difference in terms of numbers of female Labour MPs - Caroline, do you think it's something the Conservatives should consider?

And Stella - I understand that the Labour Party won't be using them anymore - are you worried that we'll see a reduction in the number of women MPs after the next election as a result?

I think it's hugely important to get more women of school-age (and younger) children into politics - otherwise how can we possibly expect our politicians to understand the challenges faced by mums. I think we're not doing too badly actually in Parliament (although obvs room for improvement still). Where the numbers are atrocious is at the local government level - what do you think can be done to get more women with younger children to consider standing as Councillors?

Do you think that your parliamentary colleagues and the general public at large would be happy with 50/50 men women representation in parliament if it was 50% trans men and 50% women?

Is is possible to be a feminist whilst believing that a trans woman is a woman, given that in some circumstances this means prioritising the gender identity of male people over the safety and dignity (in prisons and changing rooms) and opportunities (in sport) of female people?

Should Eddie Izzard have a place on an All-Women's Shortlist?

Given the huge disparity in offending rates between the sexes, should all offences be recorded by biological sex AS WELL AS any (or no) gender identity?

If so, why? If not, why not?

I recently had a hysterectomy. The surgeon also removed my ovaries, fallopian tubes and cervix.

I've seen serious discussions online on Twitter saying that because some women don't have a uterus, men can say they are women and actually BE women.

I would like you both, Caroline and Stella, to support me in saying that only biological women can undergo hysterectomies, and that their surgeries shouldn't be hijacked.

Do you think women in Scotland, such as me, should have fewer rights than those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland? Rights to, for example, rape crisis support away from men.

Will you campaign to ensure that the Scottish government does not give our rights away?

Do I still have the right to request a female carer for my disabled adult daughter?

I'd like to ask Caroline for her comments on the fact that #StandDownCarolineNo(a)kes was trending after the release of the WEC Reform of the Gender Recognition Act Report was released in late December 2021.7

And

Does she still think "Why on earth would we want to know [if someone using our spaces was born male]?"

Do you think one of the reasons there are few women in politics of child rearing age is the same reason women are underrepresented in many many other professions - lack of affordable, flexible and reliable childcare?

I would love to be more involved with politics but am hesitant because of:
a) the risk involved with running for and getting a seat (effectively screwing a stable job with maternity rights/ employer goodwill in the process) and
b) not remotely understanding how it can be fitted round childcare timetables and costs unless the seat is in central London - or my H gives up his career to be Uber flexible.

What are both parties going to do to improve the crisis (both for politicians and women of any other profession)?

I would like to ask Stella if she has engaged at all with the Labour Women’s Declaration and Lesbian Labour groups, and what are her thoughts that a large group of women in the Labour movement felt so unrepresented by the existing “women’s” and “LGBT” groups that they had to form their own organisations?

For Caroline, same question about the Conservatives for Women group.

I find refusal of MPs, constituency parties etc to engage with women in your own parties quite offputting for being more involved in politics.

It will be a little early for a drinking game but maybe a cake eating game? Say a bite of lemon drizzle every time one of them says 'no conflict with women's rights'? Or a small brownie for 'terribly oppressed minority (not women)'?

I'm just bored with Bingo...

Can't help wondering whether this webchat will go the same way as the NSPCC one.

What happened to the NSPCC one?

Around 50% of my daughters’ friends in her all-girls school now identify as boys or non-binary. I am a teacher and in the last year we have gone from two to over 70 non-binary and trans teenagers, all but one biologically female. How do you explain such a flight from womanhood and how are we supposed to make politics or motherhood attractive to girls if we can’t even make it clear to them that they can’t flee their biological sex in this way?

@JellySaurus

Can't help wondering whether this webchat will go the same way as the NSPCC one.

Thought the same. I was tempted to do some research and ask a question with evidence about the impact of losing the ability to make a sex discrimination claim (employment and service provision) but it'll be annoying to do all that, only to have the thread zapped / the question ignored.

This will be an anti-climax / predictable disappointment.

Why hasn't Labour ever had a female leader?

Would you be happy if Labour's first woman leader were a transwoman? (Biological male). If yes, why? If no, why not?

The single biggest reason I wouldn't go into politics is because of the abuse, harassment and targetting of women.

How has this affected you and has this ever caused you to water down what you say publicly to avoid it, rather than stick to what you think is best / you believe in?

Do you think that this is true of other female politicians (more so than men) and do you think that this means women are less like to 'stand their ground' so to speak?

There have been a number of women in politics in recent years who have expressed a fear of essentially 'being honest' or 'true to themselves' along these lines, so I'd be interested on your views on the subject.

Spokespeople for 50.50 Parliament stated they would be happy with a parliament that was 50% men 50% transwomen. Would you? Why/why not?

Do you believe in freedom of conscience?

@RedToothBrush

The single biggest reason I wouldn't go into politics is because of the abuse, harassment and targetting of women.

How has this affected you and has this ever caused you to water down what you say publicly to avoid it, rather than stick to what you think is best / you believe in?

Do you think that this is true of other female politicians (more so than men) and do you think that this means women are less like to 'stand their ground' so to speak?

There have been a number of women in politics in recent years who have expressed a fear of essentially 'being honest' or 'true to themselves' along these lines, so I'd be interested on your views on the subject.

Very good question.

@Tessa23

Do you think one of the reasons there are few women in politics of child rearing age is the same reason women are underrepresented in many many other professions - lack of affordable, flexible and reliable childcare?

I would love to be more involved with politics but am hesitant because of:
a) the risk involved with running for and getting a seat (effectively screwing a stable job with maternity rights/ employer goodwill in the process) and
b) not remotely understanding how it can be fitted round childcare timetables and costs unless the seat is in central London - or my H gives up his career to be Uber flexible.

What are both parties going to do to improve the crisis (both for politicians and women of any other profession)?

These would be my questions as well, totally agree with all of this.

@DownWhichOfLate

What happened to the NSPCC one?

If I remember correctly, the NSPCC were going to do a chat about safeguarding. They dropped out because of all the questions about how to keep girls safe when their toilets, changing rooms etc were becoming mixed-sex.