Tag: Gender
Book Review: Gender Inequality in the Labour Market in the UK edited by Giovanni Razzu
Despite the changed and changing position of women in society there remain substantial gender differences in the labour market. This collection covers the gender pay gap, occupational segregation, and gender differences in school subject choice. Marion Koob is impressed but would like to have seen more policy recommendations from the book’s contributors. Similar PostsOnline abuse is driving […]
The Conservatives’ failure to prioritise gender equality could cost them dear at the General Election
One of the features of British politics since the last General Election has been the widening of the gender gap in terms of voting intentions, with women more likely to back Labour. Here, the Conservatives have a blind spot, according to Claire Annesley and Francesca Gains, with their failure to support gender equality in a […]
With less than 36.8% of MEPs being women, raising the number of female representatives should be a key priority for EU democracy
Procedures for raising the number of female politicians in parliaments and governments have been a key focus in several European states over recent decades. Máriam Martínez-Bascuñán writes that the issue should be seen not simply as a procedural one, but as a fundamental element of democracy. She argues thatthe issue of women’s representation is an indicator of […]
Young women face gender-specific challenges that limit their political participation
Young women aged 18-24 are likely less to take part in elections than their male counterparts. As part of our new series on youth participation, Jacqui Briggs explores the reasons for this, showing how women face specific barriers because of their gender and are under-represented throughout the system. She argues that politicians need to address […]
The case for gender quotas for appointments to the UK Supreme Court
The UK’s Supreme Court has the lowest female representation among the highest courts of all OECD countries. In light of this, argues Kate Malleson, the previously dismissed case for gender quotas needs to be reconsidered in order to ensure continued public confidence in the Court’s work. In this post she discusses the different quota models […]
The class, race and age of activists in Brazilian social movements is becoming more diverse
Social movements have become increasingly important form of participation in democracy, beyond the traditional means of joining political parties and fighting elections. This is evident in Brazil, where large street protests on a number of issues have featured people from a range of backgrounds. In this audio interview, Cheryl Brumley spoke to Marilia Pontes Esposito and Raquel Sousa […]
Lack of access to funding is a huge challenge for women seeking to enter political life
Money has a huge influence on politics across the democratic world. Research by International IDEA has shown that campaign financing affects levels of female representation. In this post, the organisation’s Secretary-General Joan Sawe discusses how money creates barriers for women in public life and highlights some measures that could be taken to reduce them. Similar PostsHow […]
How have Belgian parties changed their behaviour after the introduction of a gender quota for election candidates?
Many democracies have relatively low levels of female representation in public life, including the UK, where less than a quarter of MPs in the House of Commons are women. Other countries have introduced quotas to address this problem, including Belgium. In this post, Bram Wauters, Bart Maddens and Gert-Jan Put explore how Belgian political parties responded […]
The Conservatives’ disastrous primary election in South East Cambridgeshire should not deter other local parties from using primaries
The Conservatives recently selected Lucy Frazer as their parliamentary candidate for South East Cambridgeshire following a mishandled primary election that, bizarrely, mirrored the plot of a Jeffrey Archer novel. Chris Game looks back on the episode in the context of the David Cameron’s efforts to introduce primaries to select candidates across the party, urging him and […]
Select committees are becoming increasingly significant, but show an enormous gender bias in their choice of witnesses
Select committees are now firmly established as an important part of our democratic architecture, making a bigger impression than ever before since the implementation of the 2010 Wright Committee reforms. But Democratic Audit research shows a staggering gender gap in the witnesses that provide them with oral evidence. While this is reflective of a set […]
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