Women in Democracy

Inside the wide halls of the Cabinet Office, school girls, working mothers, feminist activists, and political leaders met to raise issues ranging from sexism in the media to female role models in power.

Parliament Week’s Women in Democracy event on November 18th created an organic space for women of all ages to address these issues and brainstorm how to be catalysts for change in their communities.

The event’s panelists included influential women from the public and private sectors: Ursula Brennan, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice; Claire Perry, Conservative MP; Kat Banyard, Director of UK Feminista; and Rekha Mehr, founder of baking boutique Pistachio Rose.

These women shared the successes and struggles of their personal journeys and encouraged everyone to pursue their passions into the professional world and the political sphere.

Permanent Secretary Brennan attested that the Ministry of Justice were keen to get young people, especially young women, involved in politics. She said:

I want to see more women running things.”

She was questioned by OBV’s Deputy Director, Francine Fernandes who asked why the Judiciary’s upper echelons still remained so ‘stale, male and pale’.

When an older audience member pointed out historical triumphs for women in politics, another woman from Westminster challenged the pace of that progress.

Women are 52% of this country, why should our progress be slow?”

she said, calling for revolutionary change.

While the premise of the event was women in democracy, the conversation evolved to address everything from female role models, sexual violence and pornography. Kat Banyard of UK Feminista connected feminist campaigns against sexism to championing for social change through democracy. She said:

Feminist issues haven’t been seen as core issues at the heart of debate in Parliament, but politicians should be vying for the best way to tackle growth of the sex industry. We should be raising these issues in every single forum and demanding that those with the power of responsibility to make those changes do.”

Permanent Secretary Brennan argued that the most effective way to demand this change is to vote.

The first thing you’ve got to do is register to vote. If you’re not on the register, you’re not able to make your voice heard,”

she said.

One seventeen-year-old audience member captured that vision with her impassioned call for democratic action. She said:

People are dying to get democracy in other countries, we don’t realize how lucky we are. We need to make use of it.”

There was also much discussion about female role models and the lack of appropriate ones. Doorita Seeruttun, a University student talked about the need for ‘everyday’ role models rather than conventional notions of role models highlighting  that you can take inspiration from the local entrepreneur just as easily as from your local MP.

Francine Fernandes followed this point stating that every woman in the room could be a role model or community champion by becoming a school governor, trustee or a number of other public role positions – they need not wait for others to be role models – they themselves could do it.

She also invited twenty women from the event to participate in a community event in December in Tower Hamlets organised by Tower Hamlets Council and OBV where the spending of £10,000 would be decided by local residents offering the women their first practical steps to becoming leaders in their communities.

Women in Democracy was a powerful forum highlighting sexism and discrimination – hopefully it will be an equally powerful force propelling women to take democratic action and pursue their passions to be catalysts for community change.

Mallory Moench