The march of the sisterhood
ARE women about to rule the world? You might think so if you’ve been watching the schoolboy squabbles over Brexit that felled several of Britain’s leading political men in the wake of the EU referendum. You might get the same impression if you are watching the race for the White House, where the Republican candidate threatens to upend the international order while his Democratic rival offers the only chance of continuity, if not sanity.
In fact, Theresa May, the grown-up of British politics, was only catapulted to the top of both the Conservative Party and the government this week after her male colleagues spectacularly self-destructed.
And if the not-so-popular Hillary Clinton, the first female Democratic nominee, is elected president in November, it will be in no small part because Donald Trump proved too outrageous even for those yearning for someone outrageously different.
But imagine Clinton in the Oval Office, May in Downing Street, with Angela Merkel in charge in Germany, Christine Lagarde at the helm of the International Monetary Fund, and probably a female secretary-general of the UN by the end of the year, and the world suddenly looks quite different.
In Britain, the march of the sisterhood has been accelerated by the EU referendum.
Angela Eagle, a chess champion and former shadow business secretary, is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the opposition Labour Party.
Although her chances look slim, she is right to say “It’s about time” that a party that purports to be a champion of equality “had a woman leader”.
Scotland has two impressive women at the top: Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish National Party first minister, and Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives. Northern Ireland has Arlene Foster as first minister.
So what, you might ask. Look around the world and these women are the exception rather than the rule.
UN data about women’s participation highlight the gender inequality. Figures from 2015 show that only 22% of all national MPs were women, disappointingly slow progress from about 11% two decades earlier. The same data show that 11 women served as heads of state and 10 as heads of government. Women lag far behind when it comes to cabinet positions, too: only 17% of ministers are women, most of them in charge of areas such as education and the family.
Researchers find that the gender gap in politics is exacerbated by entrenched attitudes. Women are less interested in politics and less exposed to political information. Female politicians also suffer from stereotyping, with disproportionate attention paid to their appearance.
They are subjected to questions that are irrelevant to NO POINT: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has not prioritised women’s issues CROSS FINGERS: US Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is disliked by young women men and should be equally irrelevant to women, says Professor Donatella Campus of the University of Bologna. If they have children, they are asked whether they have time for politics; if they don’t have children, they are deemed too ambitious.
Sometimes women fall for the stereotype, as illustrated by the dramatic downfall of Andrea Leadsom. Her leadership challenge to May collapsed after she claimed that her rival, who has no children, had less of a stake in Britain’s future.
True, female leaders are not always good for women. Margaret Thatcher, the first woman elected UK prime minister, used to say: “If you want something done ask a woman; if you want something said ask a man.” But she was no feminist and she appointed only one woman to her cabinet.
Merkel has done better, but she, too, has been criticised for not putting women’s issues top of her agenda. Clinton is disliked by younger women.
May promises to be different and her record suggests she could succeed. She is cofounder of Women2Win, a campaign to elect more Tory women. Despite the scale of her task — to unite a divided country and party while charting the UK’s future relationship with Europe — she has already indicated that women’s political advancement will not be ignored on her watch. — FINGER IN THE PIE: IMF MD Christine Lagarde has courted controversy UPPER HAND: Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon 1999-2010: Holds a variety of shadow cabinet posts 2002: Becomes the first female chairman of the Conservatives and says it is seen as the “nasty party” — while wearing a pair of now-famous leopard-print kitten heels 2010-2012: Minister for HEAR ME ROAR: Theresa May’s leopard-print kitten heels and from the musical were among her picks. The fashion-conscious
VICAR’S daughter May was born on October 1 1956 in Eastbourne, Sussex.
She grew up in Oxfordshire to parents the Rev Hubert Brasier and his wife, Zaidee. Her father died in a car crash in 1981 and she lost her mother
Councillor, London borough of Merton 1986-94;
Parliamentary candidate, NW Durham, 1992;
Parliamentary candidate, Barking by-election, 1994;
MP for Maidenhead 1997 to present;
Shadow education secretary 1999-2001;
Shadow transport post women and equalities
2010: Appointed home secretary and makes it her mission to reform the police service and control immigration
2012: Blocks British computer hacker Gary McKinnon’s extradition to the US, saying it would contravene his human rights
2014: Becomes longestserving politician, known for her love of kitten heel shoes and designer outfits, chose a lifetime’s subscription to Vogue as her luxury item to take to the island.
She also enjoys mountain walks and culinary experimentation. months later.
She was educated at Wheatley Park Comprehensive School near Oxford, before gaining a place at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she read geography.
She started her career at the Bank of England, where she stayed for six years, before FAIR MAIDEN: Theresa May and husband Philip are cricket fans married for 36 years. They live in Sonning, Berkshire.
The former home secretary is truly the quiet woman of British politics. She played a clever hand during the EU referendum by staying out of the fray and letting events play out 2001-2003, Conservative Party chairwoman 2002-03;
Shadow transport post 2003-04;
Shadow culture, media and sport post 2004-05;
Shadow leader of House of Commons 2005-09;
Shadow work and pensions post 2009-10;
Home secretary 2010present. home secretary in 50 years
2016: Touted as frontrunner to replace David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister
These women are the exception, not the rule. Figures from 2015 show that only 22% of all national MPs were women
ý Bank of England 1977-83 ý Association for Payment Clearing Services 1985-95
She is a practising member of the Anglican Church, but said it was “right that we don’t flaunt these things here in British politics”.
She has Type 1 diabetes and has to inject herself with insulin at least twice a day. moving to the Association for Payment Clearing Services.
She began her political career stuffing envelopes at her local Conservative Association before becoming a councillor in the London borough of Merton from 1986 to 1994.
In 1997, she headed to Westminster as MP for Maidenhead. around her.
In an interview with the BBC she gave a taste of which direction the Tories could go under her leadership when she made a clear call for “further reform“to EU free movement rules. —