Overcoming barriers to women's representation

WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION REMAINS INADEQUATE ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH: MORE ACTION IS NEEDED FOR CHANGE

A parliamentary expert in the UK Parliament speaks to women MPs to ask what action is needed for positive change on women's representation in Commonwealth Parliaments.

Research shows women leaders make a difference in politics and public life. They encourage more collaborative and inclusive ways of working, leading to better decision making and outcomes for everyone.

This approach is particularly important for the challenges that governments across the world must solve together such as climate change, ending violence against women and girls, building resilient economies and effective healthcare systems. Women are disproportionately affected by these issues - according to the United Nations, 4 in 5 people who are displaced by climate change (globally) are women. This is why an intersectional approach to inclusivity for women and more opportunities for women to participate in finding long term solutions to complex problems is vital.

There are countless examples of women making a difference when they are included around the decision-making table. Rt Hon. Dame Margaret Beckett, MP, Britain’s first female Foreign Secretary and Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in the UK Parliament, was one of the first politicians to put climate change on the political map. She insisted that climate change was seen as a matter of peace and security when chairing the UN Security Council on behalf of the United Kingdom. Consider the world’s position now.

At the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Ghana this year, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network, Hon. Dr Zainab Gimba, MP (Nigeria), said:

“It is important to highlight that despite progress made in many areas, women's representation in Parliaments remains inadequate. The international community advocates for gender parity meaning 50/50 representation of women in Parliament. However, data gathered by the CPA on 15 September 2023, shows that only 55 of the 180 CPA Branches have achieved the Commonwealth Heads of Government target of at least 30% women in elected office that was set over 20 years ago. Members are to also note the data gathered by the CPA reveals that eight Parliaments in the CPA’s membership have no women in Parliament.”

Only 1 in 4 Commonwealth Parliamentarians is a woman. Rwanda (with women making up 61.3% in the Chamber of Deputies and 37.4% in the Senate) and New Zealand (60 women and 59 men were serving as Parliamentarians up until the recent election in October 2023) are among the six countries worldwide to have achieved gender parity in their Parliaments. Each month, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organisation of national Parliaments, publishes global and regional averages of the percentage of women in national Legislatures. This month (October 2023) only 26.7% of women serve in elected chambers globally.

Action is needed to ensure that more women are elected and participate to meet the Commonwealth Heads of Government target of at least 30% women Members in Parliaments and Legislatures.

As a UN Women UK delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the past two years, I have seen for myself the collective will and determination for change. So, what can be done? Parliaments should work to ensure political systems are flexible to meet the needs of all who serve within them. Caring responsibilities, long hours debating and voting into the night, and lack of action to stop online abuse are all issues that prevent women from either standing for elected office or staying in the role for very long (this can be true for men as much as women). In local government here in the UK, women often serve only one term in office. This is why I introduced the first parental leave policy for elected members at my Council where I served for 15 years. It ensures there is time for new parents to settle while meeting their responsibilities to the electorate.

I have also been analysing the Select Committees in the UK House of Commons where currently 15 out of 37 Committees are chaired by women.

Rt Hon. Caroline Nokes, MP, is the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee and believes more women are important to the democratic process. She said: “We need diversity of both thought and experience, and women bring a wide range of experiences to the democratic table.”

I asked her to reflect on having more male allies for changing the experiences of women and opportunities to participate in decision making structures within Parliament. She said: “Some of the biggest champions for women have been our male allies, but they need to be brave and prepared to speak up. I am astonished sometimes at how little courage and commitment there is.”

Another UK Parliamentarian, Rt Hon. Dame Diana Johnson, MP, is the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee and said: “Remember to row in to support them [women] and have their back when discussing issues like violence against women and girls, as all women will have something powerful to say about these issues.” She continued: “Having both women and men on Select Committees means we have far more balance to our work. For example, when we focused on policing, we particularly wanted to look at how the behaviour and culture of policing can impact women officers and women victims coming forward or not to report crime. The best Select Committees work together to most effectively scrutinise policy.”

It has been encouraging to see other Commonwealth Parliaments take action. In September, the New South Wales Parliament reached a historic milestone with the first all-female Parliamentary Committee in Australia on the Committee on Children and Young People.

The Commonwealth is made up of 56 independent countries working together to promote development, democracy and peace. More than 60% of the 2.6 billion people who make up the population is aged 29 and under. Many of these young people will form the next generation of elected representatives in Commonwealth Parliaments.

I asked Dame Diana what she would say to young women thinking of standing for elected office. She said: “Do it! Plan. Get a mentor if you can. Prepare. Keep going until you win!”

The responsibility is therefore on everyone now to take action to ensure there are more opportunities for young people to get involved and more inclusivity of women in our elected chambers. Change cannot happen without each of us playing our part.

Article by Natasa Pantelic has worked in politics for nearly 20 years and is a founding member of the Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network in the UK Parliament. She has worked for a number of politicians, most recently as Senior Parliamentary Assistant to Sir Chris Bryant, MP. She served in local government for 15 years as an elected member in England and was a parliamentary candidate in the Chesham and Amersham by-election in 2021. Follow her on X/Twitter: @natasapantelic5.