Women in local and devolved government: making a difference

1
Women in local and devolved government making a
difference?

• Nickie Charles (University of Warwick), Charlotte
  Davies and Stephanie Jones (Swansea University)

Presentation to the Government Equalities Office
Seminar Why equality matters the representation
of women in public life November 27th 2008
2
Outline

• the gender composition of local and devolved
  government in Wales
• the culture of local and devolved government,
  political style, working environment, policy
  issues
• the views on gender equality and womens
  political representation at these different
  levels of government

3
Gender composition of the National Assembly and
councils

• During the second Assembly there were 50 (rising
  to 52) women AMs (19 Labour, 6 Plaid, 3 Lib Dem,
  2 Con, 1 Ind)
• Across local government as a whole in Wales the
  figure at this time was 21.8 (2004 elections)
• Of the 41 Welsh MPs, 8 (19.5) are women - 7
  Labour (3 of whom were elected as a result of
  all-women shortlists in Bridgend, Llanelli and
  Swansea East), 1 Lib Dem
• Gender balance in the Assembly is very different
  from both local and national government
• Contrast between the culture of the Assembly and
  the dominant culture in Wales

4
National Assembly culture

• Gender parity has an effect on culture
• Oh I think it makes a difference to the culture
  in which group meetings are conducted, as Ive
  said we have fierce disagreement in group
  meetings but it is conducted with the complete
  absence of chest thumping and table thumping
  (Male, Labour AM)
• political style
• policy development
• working environment

5
National Assembly and working environment 

• Family friendly working hours were formalised
  in the Standing Orders of the NafW.
•  
• sits only during school term time
• plenary sessions are supposed to finish by 5.30pm
  
• vote has to be taken to carry on the plenary
  sessions after this time
• plenaries are held on Tuesday and Wednesday
  afternoons
• committee meeting are held on Wednesday and
  Thursday mornings (now Tues as well)
• but no crèche

6
Local government culture

• a masculinised culture
• Well you have to remember that I was a member
  of a Valleys council and it had been controlled
  by the Labour Party since 1925, it was largely
  made up of older men who felt that the place for
  a woman was in the home, and also that they had a
  right to run everything locally. (Female, Plaid
  AM)
• women behave like men
• political style and gender
• working environment neither family friendly nor
  friendly for those in paid employment

7
Womens political representation

• Support for the idea of increasing womens
  representation
• But it doesnt bode well for equality issues
  when you have got a council of 33 and 32 of those
  are male, but then that is what people vote for
  so. You know I am not sure how many candidates
  stood who were female, I cant remember now it is
  nearly four years ago, but that is what you get
  isnt it, you know. (Male, Ind, councillor)
• Hostility to positive action token women
• Current selection procedures based on merit
• Informal male networks

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all-women shortlists

• So I think in a way its been a bit of a blunt
  instrument really, you know, we have had to get
  people kicking and screaming into this. And I
  think in Blaenau Gwent particularly, you know it
  has been quite difficult there, and I think, you
  know, wouldnt it be good, you know, rather than
  somebody coming along and saying right all women
  shortlist is bang, it will happen we really need
  to be now spending our time on really genuinely
  trying to get people to understand the issues,
  because, you know, when I, I mean I despair, I
  mean I get so depressed when I go to my Labour
  meetings and its, its horrible and I mean its
  awful, I mean women. you know its not just men
  you know its women as well, and they say well
  you know it has all got to be on merit, well
  thats just crap frankly because, you know,
  theres so much, you know, there is still all
  this issue about favoured sons getting on and
  being promoted, so its rubbish to say merit but
  people will keep spouting this out and they wont
  go any further, they wont go, you know, look at
  the issues., so I do and I think, to be fair, I
  would criticise I suppose our party for that,
  that they havent really, really sort of, you
  know, gone further and really tried to engage the
  members with what the issues are.
•  

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Conclusions

• Assembly and local government have very different
  political cultures, political style and working
  environment
• Womens representation is seen as making a
  difference to policy development and to the way
  politics is done and the working environment of
  the Assembly
•  
• At the all-Wales level there is much more
  awareness of equality issues and the importance
  of measures to increase womens political
  representation
•  
• At local level little awareness of equality
  issues, resistance to positive measures to
  increase womens representation
•  
• Contrast between the culture of the Assembly and
  the culture of rural and industrial Wales
•  
• Political parties at local level masculinised,
  affects culture of local government
•  
• While women are making a difference at Assembly
  level, theres still a way to go before theyre
  present in large enough numbers to make a
  difference at local level