Centenary Action were joined by politicians and campaigners to discuss hostility towards new parents in politics and the path forward in making politics more accessible for mothers and parents across Britain.
Politics is notoriously unrepresentative of the communities it serves, with men making up a disproportionately high number of elected representatives across the UK. As well as the many barriers that women face in entering politics to begin with, political structures make participation difficult for the women who do manage to get elected. Among those is the lack of provisions for maternity leave for elected representatives at local, regional and national levels, forcing many women to choose between being a mother and being a politician.
Last week we were joined by Westminster’s first ever locum MP, Kizzy Gardiner; Conservative MP for Stroud, Siobhan Baillie; Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for South Wales West, Bethan Sayed; and Olga Fitzroy from Pregnant then Screwed to discuss politics hostility towards new parents, the disproportionate impact that this has on women in political life, and the path forward in making politics more accessible for mothers and parents across Britain.
#PoliticsandParenting #EqualPower: locums, child care, job share, moral & financial support, better paternity leave in society, working cross-party e.g. WhatsApp group. Brilliant stuff from @KizzyGardiner, @bethanSayed, @olgaFitzroy, @shiobhanBaillie @lexytopping @CentenaryAction
— Helen Pankhurst (@HelenPankhurst) November 17, 2020
During the event, which was chaired by Guardian journalist Lexy Topping, speakers spoke of the importance of ensuring parties and the government take responsibility for implementing real change, the abuse faced by new mothers in politics, and the impact that the inflexible working culture in politics has on driving new mothers out of elected roles. The full event is now available to view on our Youtube channel for anyone who may have missed it.