Last month, Chamber UK and 50:50 Parliament hosted a ‘Get Britain Growing’ event, welcoming newly elected MPs and highlighting the critical issue of gender representation in politics. With the most gender-balanced parliament in British history and the UK’s first female chancellor, attendees explored new opportunities for inclusive economic growth.
This event was kindly supported by Lloyds Banking Group, a leading financial services organisation, to support the essential discussion on gender representation, reflecting their commitment to fostering inclusivity, such as their impactful work on the gender pension gap, and driving economic growth in the UK.
This article details a summary of the whole event as well as the highlights video below.
The Speakers Included:
- Mims Davies, Conservative Shadow Minister of State for Women and Equalities (Speaker)
- Claire Coutinho, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Speaker)
- Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Treasury, Business and Industrial Strategy (Speaker)
- Lizzi Collinge, Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale
- Joeli Brearley, Founder of Pregnant then Screwed
- Lyanne Nicholl, CEO of 50:50 Parliament (Speaker/Host)
Overcoming Barriers to Gender Representation
50:50 Parliament is dedicated to achieving gender equality in Parliament by encouraging, inspiring, and supporting women to stand for political office. This event, therefore, celebrated the recent improvement in female representation in parliament, with all attendees and speakers acknowledging this progress.
Despite the praise for this achievement, both MPs and campaigners noted the “difficult journey” that female MPs had travelled to reach this point.
A major issue highlighted was the disproportionate level of harassment received by female MPs during campaigns. MPs shared their experiences of navigating a male-dominated environment once they entered Parliament. Sian Berry, for example, discussed her realisation that the detachment she felt from Parliament was not a sign that she had to change to fit in, but that the space itself needed to change.
The discussions underscored the ongoing challenges women face in politics and reinforced the importance of initiatives like 50:50 Parliament.
Steps Forward
Despite the hostility they may face, MPs encouraged others to stand for election, emphasising that increasing female representation is crucial precisely because of these challenges.
While keen not to “over-celebrate our successes,” MPs and campaigners expressed pride in the progress made and hope for further advancements. Sian Berry highlighted the new parliament as a “big opportunity for culture change,” where new MPs have an unprecedented chance to make parliament “accessible for everyone.”
Benefits of Female Representation: Getting Britain Growing
Besides celebrating improvements in parliamentary representation and encouraging others to participate, speakers discussed the positive impacts a more equal parliament would have, particularly on the economy.
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho MP, emphasised that in a representative democracy, amplifying women’s voices is as important as any other groups, stating: “This isn’t important because women are kinder or nicer, it’s important because we’re 50% of the population.” She added that to ensure high economic growth, “we need the very best people in the population,” which is hindered when the selection pool is artificially limited to half the population.
LibDem spokesperson on Business and Industrial Strategy, Sarah Olney MP, highlighted the advantages women have as ‘outsiders’ to the parliamentary environment. She explained that women are more willing to question traditional methods. With the new government promising to dramatically alter the economic strategy, outsider thinking is especially important.
Speakers discussed the range of issues neglected in government policy due to a lack of diversity in perspectives. CEO of 50:50 Parliament, Lyanne Nicholl, described the economic impacts of the delegitimisation of care work. Although the industry is worth “trillions,” it is given “low or no importance.” Care work is a “key economic driver” and particularly important given the ageing population crisis, yet it receives little attention.
Additionally, Founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, Joeli Brearley, discussed her work in improving economic empowerment for women in motherhood. She argued that fighting against the ‘motherhood penalty,’ where women see their pay decrease following childbirth while their male counterparts’ pay rises, is not just the moral thing to do but also economically pragmatic. She stated that if women can “fulfil their dreams and also be a mother, let’s face it, it’s good for everyone.”
Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Mims Davies, called for a focus on representation in business as well, arguing that this would be necessary in addition to altered government policy.
Final Thought
Despite these many challenges, 50:50 Parliament were optimistic that “these problems could become opportunities in the right hands.”
With a new generation of female leadership spearheading change, more attention can be brought to these significant issues.
As more women step into roles of influence, they will bring greater attention to these critical issues, ensuring that progress continues and that the benefits of diverse representation are realised across all sectors of society.
To watch the full video, please click below, and subscriber to Chamber’s YouTube Channel.
