WOMEN MISREPRESENTED

CHARNWOOD Borough Council electoral representation is male dominated, reflecting the national picture. 

But against nationwide figures the council fares better in gender representation with 40 per cent of the total number of councillors women over just over one third nationally.  

Deputy Mayor of Charnwood Cllr Margaret Smidowicz gained recognition for campaigning over house multiple occupancy (HMO) licenses. She said nationally the Conservative Party had some good examples of women leaders such as Margaret Thatcher who opened doors for women. 

“Women’s position depends on who the leadership is. At the moment our council leader is married to a woman who’s very ahead of her times and has been at the forefront of change,” said Deputy Mayor Cllr Smidowicz 

“When she does something it’s not about words it’s about actions, she’s been a very good role model for women nationally. More women are getting through partly through education and legislation for equal rights but in Charnwood we attempt to get the best person for the job, not who’s your buddy,” said Clllr Smidowicz. 

Yet just 29 per cent of the district’s leading Conservative group is female, mirroring exactly at local level the statistic for the governing party while only 18 out of the country’s 382 councils have equal gender representation. 

The research carried out by the Fawcett Society and Democracy Club in the run up to the May elections shows the proportion of women on councils is only 2 per cent higher than the last survey in 2018.  

According to previous research by the Fawcett Society the numbers are mainly attributed to widespread sexism and harassment throughout councils while many decisions made at district council level directly affect women including social care and social housing and they can be held back from standing in public life by demands of childcare and other caring responsibilities work on top of work commitments. 

In Charnwood the Labour Party improves on its nationwide figure of 47 per cent at 66 per cent; probably in part due to its poor performance at recent local elections with only 12 councillors. 

But outgoing Labour Councillor for Hastings Ward Mary Draycott MBE who worked in local politics for 35 years said she has on occasion been shocked by the behaviour of male councillors on Charnwood council.  

“At local elections in 2019 we had an extra five members elected onto the Labour group who were all female and they really struggled and didn’t last the course. I remember one female colleague put a very good motion onto the council about the cost of living and how some women were struggling to get proper sanitary protection or even nappies for children,” said Cllr Draycott. 

Mary said the Conservative members in particular dismissed it as if it were rubbish and made out she was making a mountain out of a molehill.  

“The woman was not expecting it and became literally afraid to speak at meetings and come forward with new ideas, eventually standing down.” 

Mary said she’s got a bit tougher over the years because she’s been doing it for so long but there is a macho aggressive attitude in particular to gender issues. 

“These days although we are much more open about what’s happening to women and its long overdue people who’ve been working in local politics for forty or fifty years are stuck in the mud.” 

She said a lot of women are at a disadvantage to start with because if you have a family there’s a work balance problem as being a councillor you work evenings, work meetings, take phone calls. 

 “It’s not easy for women to get into politics. Men often own their own companies and can give themselves time off,” said Mary. 

“We have to get more women into politics yet the culture in Westminster is so confrontational,” she added.