Dr Sarah Childs University of Bristol

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Dr Sarah ChildsUniversity of Bristol

• Feminizing Westminster The Future of AWS

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Increase in of Women MPs 1992-2005, by Party
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Lovenduskis 3 Strategies

• Equality Rhetoric
• Public acceptance of claims for representation
• Equality Promotion
• Attempts bring those who are currently
  under-represented into political competition
• Equality Guarantees
• Measures that guarantee the selection and
  election of women

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Sex Discrimination (EC) Act

• Dis-applies the anti-discrimination rules in
  Parts 2 to 4 of the Act (including section 13)
  from arrangements which regulate the selection
  by a political party of candidates in an
  election for Parliamentand are adopted for the
  purpose of reducing the inequality in the numbers
  of men and women elected, as candidates of that
  party, to be members of the body concerned.

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• 3 (1) This Act shall expire at the end of 2015
  unless an order is made under this section.
• (2) At any time before this Act expires the
  Secretary of State may by order provide that
  subsection (1) shall have effect with the
  substitution of a later time for the time
  specified there (whether originally or by virtue
  of a previous order).
• (3) An order under this section shall be made by
  statutory instrument but no order shall be made
  unless a draft has been laid before, and approved
  by resolution of, each House of Parliament.

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Liberal Democrats

• 14.2 ..the size and gender balance of the
  shortlist must be
• minimum of 3, maximum 5
• shortlists of 3 or 4 must have at least one
  applicant of each gender
• shortlists of 5 must have at least two applicants
  of each gender.

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Camerons 1st Reforms, May 06

• Freeze on selection
• Priority Candidates
• Progress review
• Headhunting, mentoring
• Primaries or community panels

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Camerons 2nd Reforms, Aug 06

• Constituencies Associations with fewer than 300
  members are expected to hold a primary
• Non primaries Members will draw up a shortlist
  of 3 or 4 candidates from a list of 12-15. The
  shortlist is sex balanced the final decision is
  made by the EC on the basis of in-depth
  interviews.
• The existing model of selection can be retained
  if the EC shortlists AWS

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Explaining Tory Reforms

• Womens Mobilization
• Theresa May
• CWO Chairman and President
• Women2Win
• Leadership Accommodation
• Modernization
• Electoral imperative
• Feminized political agenda

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Labour Non-AWS Seats

• 11.e. Where no sitting Labour MP is contesting
  the seat, and other than where an AWS has been
  designated by the NEC, there shall be at least 50
  percent women on the shortlist.

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Blaenau Gwent

• Blaenau Gwent was an exceptional case. In
  reality, there was no significant AWS effect in
  2005. The perceived AWS effect had nothing to do
  with candidate sex or being an AWS candidate and
  everything to do with being a new candidate.
• Cutts, D. et al 2006

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Substantive RepresentationFeminist Political
Science

• Parliamentary Behaviour
• Parliamentary questions
• Signing of EDMs
• Sex Discrimination (EC) Act
• Reduction of VAT on Sanitary Products

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Conclusions

• Womens descriptive representation is an issue
  over which parties now compete
• Competition over womens policy concerns likely
  characterize inter-party debate in run up to next
  general election

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Women Candidates selected for 2005 GE, by Type of
Seat
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Women MPs,2005 by Type of Seat