Anne: When Theresa May and I co-founded Women2Win in 2005 there were 17 Conservative women MPs, just 9 per cent of the Conservative parliamentary party. Awful. As we went into the election in June there were 70. A pretty good improvement. But this was, and remains, 20 per cent of the Conservative parliamentary party. Better of course, but still pathetic, especially when compared to the Labour Party at 45 per cent of their parliamentarians.
So, what is the problem? Well in the Conservatives’ case, because unlike Labour we don’t use positive action (all-women shortlists), getting women selected remains a challenge. But in addition, encouraging women to step up and start the process is equally difficult. Our pipeline is poor. When Labour seem to have no difficulty attracting women candidates, why can’t we? (No obvious jokes here).
What are the barriers? After all we aren’t looking for thousands of resilient, capable women. A couple of hundred good ‘uns would do. Well, navigating the maze is one. The cost of being a candidate is another, especially if running in a seat far from home, sometimes a matter of thousands of pounds. Caring responsibilities for sure and for many successful women who are considering a swap from a business career to an MP, a lower salary is also a deterrent.
But above all I believe the main reason preventing more women coming forward is the abuse, both online, and in the campaign itself. The committee on standards in public life report on intimidation in public life found in their inquiry that women, and Conservative and BAME women in particular, received the greatest amount of abuse. Dolly describes it below.
In a recent debate in the House of Lords about regulation of on line platforms I described how one female candidate and her small daughter were met daily outside her home by a crowd of left wing activists yelling “f****ng Tory c**t”. How would this not put most women off even considering starting the journey? Within minutes those three words had been put on a loop and posted it to my Twitter feed: “This describes you perfectly.” There you have it. If, however, you are a woman who has what it takes, resilience and courage, this is my #AskHerToStand to YOU. I can assure you, with open arms, a very warm welcome and a hand to hold throughout the process.
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Dolly: I distinctly remember the first time I was spat at while out campaigning. I was 16 years old, volunteering on Zac Goldsmith’s first election campaign, and Theresa May (then shadow leader of the House of Commons) was in Richmond to support Zac and chat to people in the street about local and national issues. The day was being filmed by the media and when the cameras started to roll a Lib Dem activist began hurling abuse at our group of volunteers. Rather than ignore him, move him away, or retaliate, I asked him what he was shouting about.
The main thing I caught from his screams at me were :“Pay your f***ing taxes you Tory scum!” before spitting at me and leaving. Over a decade later, this is sadly the norm. Whether its verbal abuse, damage to posters, online trolling or physical threats, I never underestimate how angry people are about politics; I am deeply saddened that at the very least we can’t share our experiences and air our frustrations without it turning abusive.
Don’t get me wrong; I get angry at the many deeply embedded injustices we face in society and share the frustration at politicians not fighting harder. It’s what drove me to stand in Vauxhall for the 2017 general election and it’s what drives me to encourage brilliant women from all parties to stand for parliament. But I will never condone hatred, violence and abuse, which too often is directed at women in public life.
New research published in Red Box on Thursday showed that only 6.6 per cent of women would consider standing - less than half the percentage of men. There were also major disparities in terms of class, education, ethnicity and income, meaning men from the South and university-educated people were the most likely to consider becoming an MP.
A major reason being that women face disproportionately more harassment, abuse and intimidation. The committee on standards in public life’s Intimidation in Public Life review, published last month, sets out the evidence alongside personal accounts that highlight just how much abuse women, particularly women from black and minority ethnic groups, receive. Swastika graffiti, death threats, physical violence, sexual harassment. You name it. No wonder women don’t fancy standing.
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If we are going to change this and get more outstanding women to step forward, then we have to find better ways to communicate, starting with our activists. Political parties, the media, particularly social media platforms, and we, the public, share responsibility to protect people in public life and create a culture where the most talented, compassionate and brave women feel safe to stand.
Baroness Jenkin is co-founder of Women2Win and a Conservative peer. Dolly Theis was the Conservative candidate for Vauxhall in the 2017 general election and is co-director of 50:50 Parliament’s #AskHerToStand campaign