WHICH GENDER DO YOU THINK IS MORE LIKEY TO VOTE?
GENDER INEQUALITY AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT IN THE UK
Gender inequality is when one gender is frequently given more weight or advantage due to prejudice based on sex or gender (Save the Children, 2023). Many poverty, marginalization, and fragility are fundamentally founded on gender inequality (UK Aid Direct, 2019). Work on this topic is particularly crucial because relatively few people in the UK view gender inequality as one of the most severe. According to a study from 2021, only 23% of individuals in the UK think gender discrimination is one of the most significant types of inequality. Females are more likely than males to experience inequality in the UK. For example, Women have a share of 45% contrasted to men, who are 61% more likely to be employed full-time. Less than one-third of parliament’s members are female. 85% of women, contrasted to 49% of men, are responsible for cleaning and cooking the house daily. Only 35% of women are on the boards of large publicly traded companies. Only 35% of counselors in England are female (Phipps, 2021). Consequently, it can be said that gender disparities can be seen in a variety of spheres of human life, such as politics, employment, healthcare, and education.
Gender inequality and politics
To achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, there must be equal engagement in politics and public life. Nonetheless, data demonstrates that women are outnumbered in decision-making throughout all industries internationally, and political equality for women is still a long way off (UN Women, 2023). In the UK, the number of women participating in political activities has risen, although the number remains low compared to their male counterparts. Regarding voter turnout, the number of males is lower than that of females. That is, the number of women who vote in elections and women in elected positions has changed worldwide. There will be 34 women leading governments or states as of January 1, 2023, across 31 distinct countries. If current trends continue, it will take approximately 130 years to attain gender equality in the most significant leadership positions. There are female heads of state in just 17 nations. As of January 1, 2023, women make up 22.8% of Cabinet members who are ministers or are in charge of a significant policy area, according to newly collated data by UN Women. There are only 13 nations where women make up 50% or more of cabinet ministers overseeing major policy areas (UN Women, 2023).
Gender inequality and voter turnout in the UK
Voter turnout is the participation rate, the number of those who cast a ballot in a particular election. Elections for the UK Parliament often have the largest turnout, followed by those for devolved governments, local elections, and elections for the European Parliament (Uberoi, 2023, p 4). The most current election participation for each type is depicted in the graph below.
(Uberoi, 2023,p 4)
The 2019 General Election ended a string of four consecutive elections with higher turnouts. In the UK, participation was 67.3%, which is 1.5 % points lower than it was in 2017 (68.8%). Nonetheless, it was the second-highest participation for a general election after 1997 (71.4%). In the past 100 years, 1950 saw the most significant participation in the UK’s general election, at 83.9%. The graph below provides a broad summary of the long-term trend in general election voter participation (Uberoi, 2023,p 5)
(Uberoi, 2023,p 5).
Voter turnout in the UK stayed above 71% between 1922 and 1997, reaching over 80% in the national elections of 1950 and 1951. The 1918 federal election saw a low voter turnout of 57.2%, albeit partially attributed to a reduced service vote and a high number of unopposed seats. Turnout dropped to 59.4% in 2001, the lowest level since 1918, and a 12 percent decrease from 1997. Even though attendance increased again between 2005 and 2017 before marginally decreasing in 2019, it was still below its 1997 level 2019 (Uberoi, 2023,p 6).
Voter turnout by gender in UK elections
In most UK elections before 1979, fewer women than men cast ballots. Since then, there has been a decrease in and possibly a reversal of the voting difference at general, regional, and local elections. According to reports, 80.1% more women than men cast ballots in 1997. The 2001 disparity, however, was statistically negligible. Even though there has been a decline in the general gender difference in voting, data from 2001 indicate that women of ethnic minorities were much less likely to vote than their male counterparts. Also, while there was no gender difference in voting among Asian communities in 1997, black women’s participation was 8% lower than black men’s. According to pilot programs, adopting new voting procedures has varied effects on the voting rates of men and women. In May 2003, women’s recorded turnout in all-postal pilot regions was 13% higher than men’s, although it was 5% lower in electronic pilot areas. Women reportedly turned out to vote 24% more frequently than men in the regions where both techniques were tried (The Electoral Commission, 2004, p 1).
Election planners should recognize the influence that women could have on election outcomes, given that they make up more than half of the voters. The typical voter is a woman because they makeup 51% of the populace in the UK, are even more likely to be registered voters, and vote just as frequently as men. In fact, on average, women are slightly more inclined than men to cast a ballot, albeit this is primarily because of women’s longer lifespans and higher voting rates among the elderly; participation amongst men and women of the same age is very comparable (Campbell, 2019).
Women are just as likely as males to engage in cause-related activities like signing a petition and engaging in product boycotts. Nonetheless, there are no gender distinctions in other actions, such as participating in protests or protesting unlawfully. In all political campaign actions, including party registration, party contributions, and contacting lawmakers, men are noticeably more active than women. Women are just as likely as males to engage in cause-related activities like signing a petition and engaging in product boycotts. Nonetheless, there are no gender distinctions in other actions, such as participating in protests or protesting unlawfully. In all political campaign actions, including party registration, party contributions, and contacting lawmakers, men are noticeably more active than women (The Electoral Commission, 2004, p 2).
To solve the inequalities between men and females in political participation, the Electoral Commission has offered some suggestions. More women in leadership positions could boost engagement among women in general. To solve this issue, initiatives may be required to increase the proportion of women being chosen and running for office. Local campaigns may encourage women to participate in politics more broadly because they are more interested in local politics than state politics. Innovative communication methods may also be successful. Making voting increasingly accessible, such as by expanding all-postal voting, providing polling places in more convenient locations, and streamlining the registration process, could also increase turnout, especially among men (The Electoral Commission, 2004, p 2).
Bibliography
Campbell, R. 2019. The “women’s vote” is a myth: the average voter is a female voter. Kings College London. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/the-womens-vote-is-a-myth-the-average-voter-is-a-female-voter (Accessed 19th March 2023)
Phipps, C. 2021. Why we should still be concerned about gender inequality in the UK. London School of Economics and Political Science.
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/socialbusinesshub/2021/11/15/why-we-should-still-be-concerned-about-gender-inequality-in-the-uk/ (Accessed 19th March 2023)
Save the Children, 2023. Gender Discrimination Causes Inequality. Save the Children Federation, Inc. https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/how-gender-discrimination-impacts-boys-and-girls#:~:text=What%20is%20gender%20inequality%3F,violated%20by%20gender%2Dbased%20discrimination. (Accessed 19th March 2023)
The Electoral Commission, 2004. Gender and political participation: Findings. The Electoral Commission.pp1-2.
Uberoi, 2023. Turnout at election. The House of Commons Library. pp. 1-25. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8060/CBP-8060.pdf (Accessed 19th March 2023)
UN Women, 2023. Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation: Leadership and political participation. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures(Accessed 19th March 2023)
UK Aid Direct, 2019. Gender Equality. UK Aid Direct. https://www.ukaiddirect.org/learning/gender/ (Accessed 19thMarch 2023)
Be First to Comment