“Exclusionary” Westminster culture is pushing women out of politics, says new report

A new report from the Fawcett Society found69% of women MPs and 49% of all MPs have witnessed sexist behaviour in parliament in the last five years, and calls for parliament to be modernised.

The “exclusionary culture” within Westminster and online is at risk of pushing women out of politics, a new report has found.

The report, entitled A House For Everyone: A Case For Modernising Parliament, was commissioned by the Fawcett Society and presents new data which reveals the extent of sexism, racism and abuse faced by women MPs.

Some of the findings include that 69% of women MPs and 49% of all MPs have witnessed sexist behaviour in parliament in the last five years, while 93% of women MPs said that online abuse or harassment has a negative impact on how they feel about being an MP, compared to 76% of men.

73% of women MPs also said that they do not use social media to speak up on certain issues because of the abusive environment online, compared to 51% of men.

Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “These findings sound clear alarm bells. Sexism, racism, ableism and other forms of discrimination have no place in our society and when we hear so many MPs have experienced these toxic behaviours – both in parliament and online – it’s extremely concerning and damages our democracy. 

“It’s just not acceptable that MPs work in an environment that is more abusive than inclusive. It stops sitting MPs from speaking out on issues that matter, and deters budding women MPs from standing for election.”

Olchawski added that without urgent action “we won’t achieve the diverse, inclusive and representative democracy that the UK needs more than ever”.

Fawcett’s survey and in-depth interviews with MPs identified “push and pull factors” that impact their decisions to stay in or leave parliament, including the all-encompassing workload, lack of support systems, online abuse and an “exclusionary culture” within the House of Commons.

“Democracies around the world are under pressure so we all have to ensure our democratic institutions are as robust as they can be,” said Maria Miller MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Parliament.

“Diverse parliaments are shown time and time again to be key to a strong democracy. Yet, Fawcett’s research shows that while important changes have been made in the House of Commons, progress towards a more diverse House of Commons is ‘far too slow’. The research identifies, for the first time, a concerning disconnect between the majority of democratically elected members and the culture of the House of Commons, with less than half of MPs saying that the culture in parliament is inclusive for people like them, falling to just one in three for women MPs.”

In a bid to combat these issues, the Fawcett Society is calling for parliament to be modernised, stating that “the systems, workload, culture and abuse that currently run through our democratic institutions are substantial barriers to women’s participation in politics. 

“We run the risk of these things pushing MPs, particularly women and minoritised people, to leave Westminster prematurely.”

In the report, the Fawcett Society called for political parties to introduce quotas to increase women’s representation and ensure women, especially disabled women and women from Black and minoritised backgrounds, are being selected in winnable seats along with a request for the Online Safety Bill to better address the disproportionate levels of online abuse experienced by women, especially those from Black and minoritised backgrounds, and increase the accountability of tech companies.

“The Fawcett Society urges the government, parliamentary authorities and political parties to adopt our recommendations so that together we can create a House for Everyone.”

Image: Getty

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