Whilst 2018 marks 100 years since parliament granted all women the right to vote for the first time, there undoubtedly still remains gender inequalities in society, having said this it is nonetheless extremely important to recognise women’s achievements in society so far. Women have not only fought to be accepted as equals to male’s but have also fought to be recognised politically, this blog will celebrate women’s achievements so far but it will look at gender inequalities that still remain prevalent today. Focusing on workplace inequalities, in specific women in Parliament and the gender discrepancies within politics.
Figure 1.
Source: Twitter feed, 2018
Celebrating 100 years since women were granted the right to vote, it has been recognised and celebrated with what has been called VOTE100. You can get involved with Vote 100 by visiting https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/vote-100/, where you can book tickets for exhibitions and talks celebrating women’s votes and the representation of women in the UK Parliament. These events are a reminder of how far women have come to have their voices heard, moreover recognition of such historical success can further promote equality as more people unite to strengthen current inequalities.
Figure 2.
Source: Twitter feed, 2018
In 1918 women were able to stand for Parliament but only those over 30 who met minimum property qualifications given the right to vote, it was in 1928 that the vote was given to women on same terms as men (Keen and Cracknell, 2018). Women have fought to be recognised as equal to men, and in doing so successfully passed a law which allowed them the right to vote, however, whilst the power to vote allows people to have a say in the future of our country. From the data collected, it would suggest that both genders are not politically equal nor equal when it comes to law legislation due to the gender disparities of elected bodies in the UK’s Parliament.
Figure 2.
Source: Women in Parliament and Government, 2018
It is accurate to suggest that the number female politicians have increased, as slow as it may be, the numbers do suggest an increase since 1918. For example, since 2017 there has been a 32% rise of female MPs, a total of 208 members in comparison to 191 in 2015 (Keen and Cracknell, 2018). Having said this as of February 2018, 206 (26%) of 793 Members of the House of Lords were women (Keen and Cracknell, 2018), which leaves a staggering 84% male occupancy.
Figure 3.
Source: Women in Parliament and Government, 2018
There are many aspects contributing to gender inequality, for example, culture can contribute to gender inequality, the accrued ideology can persist throughout centuries and as a result, it can determine gender gaps. For instances the added pressures of pregnancy in a workplace and the costs of maternity leave, moreover, the addition of stereotypes associated with maternity leave contribute further. Issues, as such are, are not taken into account within the labour market, and thus contributing to the demand of male occupations.
It has been reported that mandatory gender pay gap will not deliver true equality nor opportunities for women, from April 2018 the UK implemented equal gender pay, but feedback has resulted in questioning the desired outcome and whether or not it will create equality. It could only suggest a deep that gender inequality is deep-rooted within society, ‘mandatory pay may lead to companies to regrade or re-title jobs that are occupied by men to justify pay gaps’ (Blogs.lse.ac.uk. 2018).
Figure 5.
Gender Inequality in politics and business: Paola Profeta at TEDxBocconiU
Source: YouTube, 2018
Whilst in the health and education category levels of inequality have equalled, the video shows evidence to suggest that there still remains gender inequality in politics and the economy.
Laura Coryton, once a university student just like myself, started a stop taxing periods campaign whilst being a student. With the aim to abolish tampon tax, Laura made an impact and receives support from many women within society, resulting in her voice being heard! It could have been one of us, and it is never too late to make sure your voice is heard. Below is Mr Osborne in the House of Commons addressing the tampon tax.
https://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/tampon-tax-how-laura-coryton-started-the-stop-taxing-periods-campaign-while-still-a-student-a6891336.html
It is essential that gender differences are valued and seen as important in their own right, whilst gender inequalities are prevalent in daily life, we should think about where it stems from and therefore how it can be tackled. Therefore, it is inevitable that women fill political occupations as much as there is a demand for male occupations, as suggested in the TEDx Talks video above, female occupations increase world growth and as a result increase the quality of life and this is why women are important, it becomes a virtuous cycle. As a result, an increase of political female positions can create a higher demand for female workers overall.
Bibliography
(Blogs.lse.ac.uk, 2018)
Blogs.lse.ac.uk. (2018). Can mandatory gender pay gap reporting deliver true
opportunity for women? | British Politics and Policy at LSE. [online] Available at:
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/mandator-gender-pay/ [Accessed 9 Apr. 2018].
(Keen and Cracknell, 2018)
Keen, R. and Cracknell, R. (2018). Women in Parliament and Government. [online]
Researchbriefings.parliament.uk. Available at:
http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN01250
[Accessed 4 Apr. 2018].
UK Parliament. (2018). Vote 100. [online] Available
at: https://www.parliament.uk/getinvolved/vote100/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2018].
YouTube. (2018). Gender Inequality in politics and business:
Paola Profeta at TEDxBocconiU. [online] Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqG4FjF4lC0 [Accessed 9Apr. 2018].