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About the campaign
A group of organisations from across Britain are coming together to mark the 90th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
The ‘2008: Women and the Vote’ campaign will be putting pressure on the government to put equality back at the top of the agenda, as part of a year long initiative to highlight both the progress and the barriers that still face women in politics.
The alliance, which includes the Centre for Women and Democracy, the Electoral Reform Society, Engender, the Fawcett Society, Hansard Society, Unlock Democracy and Women’s Parliamentary Radio, will be running a series of events to celebrate landmarks for women in politics throughout 2008.
Alliance partners will be promoting new research on women’s progress at Westminster and beyond.
Parliamentary questions
Suffragette Movement
On 6 February 2008 Margaret Moran (Luton, South) (Lab) asked the Prime Minister
In my previous life, I was proud to have been responsible for the building known as Mouse Castle, which was the refuge for suffragettes who suffered starvation and brutality in the fight for women’s right to vote. Given that today is the 90th anniversary of women’s suffrage, what more does my right hon. Friend intend to do to ensure that more women are represented in this place—more than the one in five who sit mostly on the Labour Benches—in honour of those suffragettes and their suffering?
He replied
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We should celebrate the fact that 90 years have passed after the beginning of the suffragette movement. She is also right to say that we are all proud that as a result of our victory in 1997 and subsequently, there are more women in the House of Commons than ever before, and we want to see more after the next general election. I agree with her that there should be a permanent memorial to the campaign that was mounted for the right to vote. Perhaps a monument on Parliament square would be a good indication of the support of the whole country.
Women's Suffrage
On the 7 February 2008 Lynda Waltho (Stourbridge) (Lab)asked
What plans the Government have to mark the 90th anniversary of women’s suffrage
The Minister for Equality Barbara Follettreplied:
The Ministers for women hosted a reception with the Fawcett Society on 6 February to mark the 90th anniversary of women’s qualified suffrage. The event brought together about 200 parliamentarians, including the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May), and stakeholders from a wide range of sectors to celebrate the achievement of women’s suffrage and to highlight the need for a more representative democracy. I was pleased that the Prime Minister said yesterday that the Government would consider erecting a statue in Parliament square to honour the suffragette movement; that would be the first statue of a woman in Parliament square
Lynda Walthoadded:
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Despite all the progress, there are still only 97 Labour, 17 Conservative and 9 Liberal Democrat women MPs, and the Fawcett Society estimates that it will take at least 200 years to get anywhere close to having 50:50 representation. All-women shortlists have helped in our case, but those provisions contains a sunset clause and are due to end. What more can we do to ensure that we get closer to having 50:50 representation in my lifetime, rather than in the lifetime of my great granddaughters?
Barbara Follett
I thank my hon. Friend for that question and for her work in this vital matter. There is no doubt that the 98 Labour women MPs vastly outnumber the women on the Opposition Benches. We need the Opposition parties to take the issue seriously and to put their votes where their mouths are
Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab)then asked:
There is an area of public life where women’s representation is even worse than it is in Parliament—local government. Following the Councillors Commission report, have the Ministers responsible for women and equality had any conversations with their colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government about what action will be taken to promote more women councillors, given that every piece of evidence shows that they are the most effective councillors in representing their communities?
Barbara Follett replied that:
This matter is very close to the Government’s heart. We are doing what we can to increase the number of women councillors, in particular the number of black and Asian women councillors. We hosted the largest annual gathering in the Houses of Parliament for regional black and Asian ethnic minority women, which focused on the need for more women from different communities to become councillors; the Women Take Part campaign, which was launched by Ministers in October, is working on the same issue; and the Prime Minister has launched the National Muslim Women’s Advisory Group. We are trying to ensure that more women come through in local government, because that is the seedcorn for Parliament
Women Members
On 7 February 2008 Graham Allen asked
what progress has been made in increasing the number of women in the House of Commons
Barbara Follett the Minister for Women and Equality replied:
The Government are committed to working to bring about a more representative democracy. Women currently make up 20 per cent. of MPs compared to nine per cent. in 1997. Much of this change has been brought about by making it lawful to have women-only shortlists for selection.
Motion tabled in Scottish Parliament
Cathy Peattie the Labour MSP for Falkirk East has tabled a motion in support of the campaign.
S3M-1324 Cathy Peattie: 2008: Women and the Vote
That the Parliament notes that 6 February 2008 is the 90th anniversary of women winning the right to vote and be elected to parliament under the 1918 Representation of the People Act; further notes that this year is also the 80th anniversary of women being granted equal voting rights; believes that much still remains to be done to achieve full equality for women, and therefore welcomes the formation of 2008: Women and the Vote, bringing together organisations to celebrate, assess the current situation, and ask all political parties and central and local government to put this issue at the top of their political agendas.
Campaign statement launched
2008 is a year for celebration, and I hereby show my support for the ‘2008: Women and the Vote’ initiative and join in the commemorations surrounding the anniversaries of women winning the right to vote and to stand for elections. However, this is also the year to acknowledge that women are still politically under-represented. Of the 4661 MPs elected to the House of Commons in the last 90 years only 291 have been women. This clearly shows that much still needs to be done. I therefore call on the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments, political parties and Local Government to put this issue on the top of their agenda. I want to help ensure that by 2018, the Centenary of women winning the right to vote and be elected, genuine progress will have been made.
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