The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Where’s the next Nicola?
As a new report reveals only 30% of candidates in next month’s council elections are female, Caroline Lindsay asks the experts why this is still happening in 2017
Where are all the females in politics? That’s what Women 5050 wants to know. In an analysis of the candidate lists for all wards in the council elections on May 4, the campaign, which is fighting for 50% representation of women in councils and the Scottish Parliament, found only 775 candidates out of 2,550 were women – just 30%.
The Scottish Conservatives have no female candidates at all in Angus, the Western Isles, Stirling and Dundee – compared to 31 males in these areas.
And yet all this at a time when we have a female prime minister, first minister and German chancellor.
Talat Yaqoob, chairwoman and co-founder of Women 5050, is appalled by the statistics: “Currently, only 25% of councillors are women,” she says.
“With only 30% women candidates in this election and a shocking 21 wards with no women on the ballot paper whatsoever, it’s clear we’ll not reach fair representation for women in 2017.
“It is time for rhetoric to be turned to action and we must implement legislation for all parties to follow, to make sure decision makers reflect the society they are meant to represent.”
So why aren’t there more women keen to follow in the footsteps of Theresa May, Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Merkel, Ruth Davidson and Kezia Dugdale?
Dr Caron Gentry a lecturer at St Andrews University, has a few theories.
She says: “I wouldn’t say women are less interested in politics – there are more women studying for a politics degree in university than men.
“But I would say there are biases that prevent women from being seen, heard and, therefore, elected. Historically, women’s involvement in politics – and more – has been seen as abnormal, if not disruptive.
“This means there’s a resistance, possibly unintentional and even subconscious, to women in leadership, particularly political leadership, ingrained in society.”
Dr Gentry points to recent fears that Hillary Clinton did not have the “stamina” to be president.
“There is also the sense that women are too ‘emotional’ and therefore are incapable of making the correct decision, as if they cannot think and reason.”
Her colleague Professor Anthony Lang, head of the School of International Relations, said: “It’s not that women are choosing not to go into politics.
“Rather, I think the more important question is why they are being prevented from going into politics.
“The assumption that women should stay home to take care of children, rather than have men do this so they can pursue a career is a cultural one that continues to influence the way we think about these things.”
There are those who will argue it is hard enough to get candidates of the right calibre to stand for council and that rejecting able men in order to shoehorn in women – simply to fill quotas – will further dilute the talent pool.
However, Emma Ritch, executive director of Engender, a women’s networking group, says: “It’s vital councils making decisions about vital public services look like the people they are elected to represent.
“Our recent Sex and Power report found women fill only 27% of the 3,029 leadership roles in Scotland.
“The time for bold action on women’s representation is now.”