Are mothers really less likely to enter politics?
Steps have been taken to support women in politics but the data shows more needs to be done, writes Birkbeck PhD student Jessica Smith in the Guardian.
Following the recent Sunday Times article in which Nicola Sturgeon discusses not having children as a politician, Birkbeck Politics PhD student Jessica Smith writes in the Guardian: Would Nicola Sturgeon be first minister if she'd had children?
Using research by Birkbeck Professor Rosie Campbell and Professor Sarah Childs, Jessica argues that although "things are looking up for mothers in politics", more works need to be done. She writes:
"More widely the way we discuss women in public life needs to change. The Sunday Times demonstrated that women face the additional scrutiny of their motherhood – or lack of. This can be discouraging for women who might consider politics as a career. Would you really want to enter a world where Liz Kendall was dubbed a “childless spinster” when she stood for leadership of her party? Or, where the Daily Telegraph thought it appropriate to comment that May’s lack of children, “could be a turn-off for some but it does mean she is less likely to be distracted on the job”?"
Read the full article on the Guardian website.
Find out more:
- Follow Jessica Smith on Twitter
- Gender Equality Policy and Practice (GEPP) working group
- MSc Gender, Sexuality and Society
- MSc Public Policy and Management
- Birkbeck Politics research students