Women in Democracy: MP Seema Malhotra

Starting today, November 18th, Parliament will be hosting a series of engaging events across the UK as part of Women in Democracy Week. Through celebrating women's contributions to the political process and discussing how more women can allow their voices to be heard, the talks will push for a more diverse democratic life in the UK that is representative of the population. Seema Malhotra, the MP for Feltham and Heston, advocates the same cause and exemplifies how women’s participation in politics paves the way to remarkable outcomes.

First, working as a management consultant and later in community campaigns, Malhotra longed to not only influence others, but to become a part of the decision making process as well. The Labour Party politician was an adviser to Harriet Harman before deciding to run for office herself. Since being elected to Parliament in 2011, Malhotra has pushed for diversity in politics and has served as a voice for women and the Hindu community.

With only one in five seats occupied by women in Parliament, Malhotra said:

Women have a different perspective on issues and their representation will make politics more richer.”

Malhotra’s drive towards providing more opportunities for women led to her becoming co-founder and director of the Fabian Women’s Network. The organization strives to provide a system for women in the UK who wish to create social and political change.

She also hopes to increase the contribution of women in the workforce through expanding on women’s entrepreneurship. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s recent report, called “Entrepreneurship at a Glance”, found that women were two to three times less likely to own businesses with employees than men.

Malhotra has made this issue one of her priorities because “80 percent of consumer purchases are made by women. So, women-led businesses can generate new types of products and improve their wellbeing.”

For Malhotra, this gender gap is unacceptable and it hinders women’s personal and family income.

When confronting the lack of women in politics, Malhotra wants to dispel the myth that to be involved in civic society, one can only run for office. She urged:

You can build a profile in public life by participating in public boards or community activism,”

As the first Punjabi Member of the House of Commons, Malhotra understands the demand to raise awareness of ethnic communities in the UK. She is using her passion and platform to share the issues of the Hindu population with the rest of the Parliament.

Last week, the Punjabi Society awarded Malhotra the “Pride of Punjab Award” for her persistent contributions to support diversity.

The award makes me want to be a successful parliamentarian, not be afraid to push boundaries and also encourage others to be active in public life,”

she said cheerfully.

Nilay Tuncok