Wednesday 22nd February 2012 | 06:28

Nadine Dorries: Women in Parliament

Writing exclusively for PoliticsHome, Tory MP Nadine Dorries claims the reason women are still under-represented in Parliament is that politics 'simply doesn't appeal to the majority of young women'. She says those who do become MPs are often forced to choose between family and their career.

Almost every day since I have been in Parliament, I have thought of the opening lyrics of James Brown’s iconic 1960’s song, ‘This is a Man’s World’. It happened again when Jill Pay, the outgoing Sergeant at Arms, recently resigned her position with the words ‘this is a man’s world and women need to be twice as good. Fortunately we are’.

I agree with the first half of Jill’s comment. It is a man’s world and I imagine it always will be. It’s a numbers game.

When I speak to sixth form colleges, at the end of the session I will often ask ‘how many of you want to go into politics?’ Very rarely do any of the girls put up their hands. When I ask ‘why not’ the answers are usually ‘boring, the men are ugly, unglamorous’ and so the pool of interest at an early age is already diminished. The response equates with asking ‘how many want to be car mechanics’? Politics is a career which simply doesn’t appeal to the majority of young women, period.

Add to that the fact that being an MP means leaving home on a Monday morning not to return until Thursday night. Friday will be a 9am surgery as much as a couple of hours drive from home and the weekend will consist of fund raisers, campaigning, opening school fetes etc. If you want to see your children and have a relationship, it’s not that easy unless the man in your life is pretty darned special.

That’s not really an appealing job spec for any young woman. Being an MP is not a job, it really is a way of life and, some would argue, so is being a mother. Is it possible to live two lives?

And yet we are making progress. Today 22% of the House of Commons are women although, while we have women in the Cabinet, it is interesting to note that neither Theresa May, Justine Greening or Cheryl Gillan have children. Neither does transport Minister, Theresa Villiers or education Minister Sarah Teather. In a manner similar to the BBC, the women in key positions are often childless. Those who do manage to climb to cabinet level with children are also very often wealthy in their own right and able to live and school their children in London or afford boarding school fees, take your pick.

Labour achieved an increase in numbers via all women shortlists, something I regard as demeaning. Conservatives achieved it by the back door - by prioritising women on the candidates list and, in the words of a No 10 aide, ‘leaning on constituencies’ to adopt women and letting them know they would be in trouble if they didn’t. Equally as demeaning.

The answer to helping more women into Parliament was thought to be childcare and a crèche was opened, which remains largely empty. Childcare was never the problem, working a ninety hour week in two parts of the country is. But at least the crèche helps and certainly one MP would be lost without it.

So to the second part of Jill’s statement, that ‘women need to be twice as good’. Well, there is an element of truth in that. They certainly need to work twice as hard. As a generalisation, the majority of male MPs don’t iron the school uniforms on a Sunday evening while female MPs do, along with all the other demands of parenthood. Comparisons with the outside world just don’t carry weight. There is no other job in the UK which compares to that of being an MP or where you are expected to fulfil two full time jobs in two parts of the country.

Add to that a ministerial job and the list becomes three as a minister’s job carries with it an extra full time workload.

Since Labour came to power in 1997, there has been a concerted effort to bring more women into the fold, it will continue and I am sure the numbers will gradually rise. However, there has to be an acceptance that the expectations and responsibilities of men and women are different and that whether or not being an MP will work or not for you as a woman will entirely depend upon your financial position and your own unique set of circumstances, both geographical and personal.

The complexity of being an MP means that it won’t appeal to all in the same way as being a car mechanic won’t and that the majority of women who juggle complex lives and have made it are committed, hard working and are very definitely as good as the next man, or woman.