This blog is the text of the powerful speech delivered by Girlguiding Advocate Aishah (19) at our ‘Celebrating women in Parliament – Next steps to gender equality’ event.
The milestone of 263 women MPs marks a shift in our work towards gender equality. It is an opportunity to celebrate the journey of securing rights for women but it also highlights the gaps in freedoms that still exist. Whilst rights are things you ask for from the people who already control you, freedom involves actively engaging in the law-making process for the benefit of your own people. If you have to ask someone for rights, then you don’t truly have them. As a young woman growing up in the 21st century, it’s safe to say that I benefit from the work that the women who came before me put into ensuring that I have equal rights. However, it is now my generation’s turn to ensure that women get to experience the freedom they deserve and have worked so hard for. One major step that can be taken to ensure that this is the case is reaching the milestone of 50% of MPs being women.
It is truly inspiring to see 263 women MPs take up space in a place that seems to have often been reserved for men alone. The significance of representation is immense when you’re a young girl and is vital to fostering the belief that ‘Girls can do anything’. When it comes to positions of power and leadership – the places where real and immediate change can be evoked – it is rare that a woman herself is the one facilitating the conversations involving the needs of both herself and her fellow women. The change that this new cohort of women MPs have the ability to make is immeasurable – and I personally cannot wait to see all that they achieve in the coming years. My hope is that they inspire a generation of young women to speak up and occupy leadership roles, no matter how big or small, as I wholeheartedly believe that women in power foster powerful women in society. In addition, I am eager to see determined progression in tackling the issues directly facing young women and girls including sexism, safety, appearance, well-being and online harm as well as the issues that we are worried about such as the cost-of-living crisis, climate change and a more equal future. Having women in the room to coordinate and hone in on the importance of tackling these issues head-on will undoubtedly make it much harder for them to be ignored or sidelined in the way that they have in the past.
Whilst the divisions within parliament are often the point of focus – the milestone of the highest number of women MPs ever should be followed by a message of unity and cooperation. This is why it is paramount that women MPs cross-party come together to achieve change. According to our annual Girls’ Attitudes Survey, 69% of girls aged 7-10 feel they’re expected to behave differently because they’re a girl which is a rather worrying statistic given its ability to limit their scope of thinking, self-expression and knowledge of the opportunities available to them. Through uniting as women across the political spectrum, women MPs have the ability to really make a difference in the lives of young women and girls across the UK and beyond. After all, there are many ways in which women from all backgrounds share similar experiences. The issue of women’s safety is often one that spans across all ages and life experiences, and given that safety is a right and not a privilege it is mutually understood that we are not adequately protected. 47% of 11-21-year-olds feel less safe as a result of sexism, a significant rise compared to 10 years ago which highlights the way in which young women and girls as young as 11 are recognising the correlation between their gender and lack of safety in society. Similarly, women MPs are arguably expected to simply endure misogyny, sexism and threats of violence and accept that it is simply a part of the role if you are a woman. As such, it is paramount that we create an environment where not only our women MPs can thrive and feel safe but also that our future and aspiring women MPs see the potential for them to do so as well.
Whilst 40% of MPs being women is surely a milestone to celebrate how far we have come as women, it is also the starting point to discovering how far we can really go. This cohort of women MPs has what it takes to tackle the remaining barriers facing young women and girls today. After all, 2 in 3 girls and young women aged 11-21 think that confidence will be one of the most important attributes for a successful future and the confidence displayed by the 263 women standing in parliament today will surely inspire them to be confident too.