Why we need more politicians who are mothers

In the UK, only a third of parliament are female. The male/female ratio of politicians has been shifting slowly in the right direction – two decades ago women made up only twenty percent of parliament, but a fair balance still remains someway in the future.

There is ample evidence to support the idea that women make better leaders, especially when it comes to issues providing direct help to constituents, championing gender equality, improving childcare provision, working across party-lines, calling for electoral reform and improving care for the elderly. Polls of voters show they believe women to be more trustworthy and honest than their male political counterparts and feel that they are more compassionate and creative in their work.

What happens when countries are run by male-heavy parliaments, such as the UK? Especially when a large proportion of these men are the products of boarding schools, where little boys whose attachment needs weren’t met, grew to be men who may lack in compassion and empathy as a result. The answer is neoliberalism. A form of politics where everything is turned into a commodity. Where everybody and everything has a value. Where profits are put before people. Where hedge-funds are valued over humanity. Where public spending is reduced and privatisation means the pursuit of profit is placed before regulations and morals. The old (predominantly white) men have run the show for too long, their influence running deep in childcare advice that is still prelevant today, and their actions in politics shaping every element of family life.

Our society today is full of measurable metrics and predictors of future profit. Children at school are trained to be the good employees of tomorrow, being forced to fit into a mould with a heavy focus on STEM subjects and testing to the detriment of the arts. Teachers are overworked, underpaid and undervalued, with schools persistently underfunded while ‘zero tolerance’ behaviour policies are pushed through by men with little compassion as a way for schools to try to cope with the inevitable dysregulated behaviour that occurs when children’s needs are not met. Childcare funding plans, that do not meet the needs of families, children, or childcare providers, are fast-tracked through parliament to encourage the ‘economically inactive’ (mothers) back into work to bolster the economy, no matter the cost to children. Policies that genuinely helped families – such as SureStart – are pulled, underfunded, or ignored, because the investment is too high for the lack of short-term reward, and vote grabbing headlines.

How do we reverse this trend? How do we bring humanity to politics? How do we nurture families and quite rightfully view children as the society of tomorrow? The answer is simple – we move from the patriarchy to the matriarchy. We give the reins of power to women, or more specifically – mothers. Mothers who deeply care about the world they are shaping for their children. Mothers who have empathy for others and don’t view those less fortunate as a drain on the public purse, but people who are worthy of support and investment. Mothers who know how to resolve difficult problems, considering all sides. Mothers who can handle conflict, who can juggle many balls and who can make tough decisions. Mothers who are as strong as they are nurturing. Mother who value caring and caregiving.

There is one huge problem here. Mothers are heavily discriminated against in UK politics today, take for instance the councillor for Hull’s Bricknell ward Sarah Harper-Riches, who has recently been disqualified from her role because she was unable to attend a meeting for 6 months due to a disability and early motherhood (including breastfeeding her daughter). Harper-Riches is not the only one who has faced discrimination due to being a mother working in politics, far from it. Charlene McLean was expelled from Newham council for failing to show at meetings, despite the fact that both she and her new baby had been in hospital for months. They are not the only ones struggling in a system built by men, for men. Female ministers were only granted the ability to take maternity leave in 2021 and the policies are still archaic and unfairly discriminate mothers in parliament. To quote the actor Cate Blanchett “It’s been a long time since universal suffrage, and I’m sick of the old white men running the show.” While Barbie may be smashing the patriarchy and filling political roles with women in Barbie Land, in the real-world, women – specifically mothers – are still facing the same old issues they have faced for decades, if not centuries.

Simply, if we want more mothers in politics, we have to treat them better. Until we do, it is arguable whether we will see the change that is so desperately needed. Mothers are the answer to a fairer, more equitable, future of politics, we just have to find out how to solve the problems standing in their way.

If you enjoyed this article, you’re exactly who I wrote my new book ‘Because I Said So! Why Society is Childist and How Breaking the Cycle of Discrimination Towards Children Can Change the World’ for – the book covers the problem of the old white men of yesteryear and their impact today, from neoliberalism to educational beliefs, and childcare advice, before forming a blueprint for a far more equal society in the future. You can order a copy HERE.