Women in Politics: Tough by Nature or Necessity?
Grace Couch / Dec 22 / Politics
With Priti Patel making headlines after the Standards Chief reported her breaking of Ministerial Code, it is an interesting time to examine the psychology of women in power. Not that female politicians don’t get enough scrutiny already, but the minefield that is the discussion around female empowerment raises uninviting dilemmas for those aspiring to shake up the ‘old boys club'.
Last year I was fortunate enough to spend time in the House of Commons, watching debates and sitting in on select committee hearings. Patel was a backbencher at the time and not at the forefront of my political awareness. At the time, I was in awe of being in such close proximity to a powerful woman doing her job, regardless of which side of the bench she sat (I was a bit giddy about seeing Jess Philips too). However, I hold an ounce of regret for this gush of emotion since learning more about Patel’s politics, her history of bullying of civil servants and poor voting history on human rights. I wanted to find out whether I was the only one that felt torn between uplifting women in power regardless of their politics, and holding them accountable for their actions regardless of what they represent.
It was reassuring when others described similar sentiment. Amelia, a 20 year old student, shared this concern:
“I admire all women in politics, even for the sheer fact that they have made it that far against all of the obstacles that are thrown in our way. Priti Patel I was naively in favour of when she was first given her cabinet position, but it didn’t take much more than a few google searches and voting records to see that her politics does not support women, and is no way near as empathetic as I would expect a woman to be within politics.”
Despite admiring the groundbreaking work of those representing ‘firsts’ for women, such as Thatcher and Harris, she also mentioned that she “really do[es] struggle to identify and support the views that some of our female politicians put out”.
We have so far only experienced Conservative female Prime Ministers, prompting questions of whether the first female Labour PM (because I will have serious questions if this doesn’t occur in my lifetime) would feel obliged to take on the same tough stance their Tory counterparts are renowned for. It’s hard to dispute that Thatcher broke the glass ceiling for many women, but neither was she a beacon of excellence for women's rights. It seems that little has changed nearly 40 years later.
“It is sad that these kind of examples are the ‘role models’ if you like for young women…I don’t think Patel uses her powerful position to advance feminist agenda and drive the change she could. Some things she has voted against are in my option very concerning, e.g voting against same sex marriage, and voted against banning detention of pregnant women” (Victoria, 21, Research Intern).
This wasn't a unique response: “I really disagree with the idea that we should back women because they are women. I want women in power who want to level the playing field for other women too! Classic example being Margaret Thatcher who never once had a single woman in her cabinet or put through equality legislation for women. I think if we just have individual women put in the same systems that ultimately oppress women, we get the same result pretty much” (Anonymous, 28, Journalist).
This brings me to my next question: do you have to be inherently ‘strong’ or ‘tough’ to be a politician due to the nature of the role, or does the system condition women to act this way in order to ‘make it’? I would argue that despite the naturally higher levels of empathy in women, the political climate creates a necessity, or at least paranoia, to overcompensate for these characteristics.
Many of the interviewees described, unprompted, the way in which the tabloids ‘nitpick’ at female politicians in an incomparable way to their male counterparts. Citing showing emotion as a weakness and increased comments regarding clothing or physical attributes, there was agreement that women certainly face a higher level of scrutiny that possess the potential to influence their political narrative. The same expectation of empathy that many women long to see reflected in their representatives will also be the first thing to find its way onto the front page - not for the right reasons.
Amy, 19, Student recognised how the demise of Theresa May stemmed from her insincere desire for Brexit as a remainer, but that very few are likely to turn down an opportunity to run for the top position. Despite trying to puff her chest at the EU with ‘Brexit means Brexit’ this “translated into her poor approach to get a good deal”.
What is startling, is the knock-on effect this condition of British politics could be having. Without interviewing Patel herself I can only infer, but it would be obsolete to not even consider the way in which her tough positions may have been formed. Patel’s parents are Indian immigrants, yet described those defending refugees with the words “the traffickers, the do-gooders, the leftie lawyers, the Labour party – they are defending the indefensible”. With speculation that this proclamation incentivised a knifeman to threaten to kill an immigration solicitor in September, we cannot ignore the significance of this pressure to exhibit an unyielding hardness that transcends traditional stereotypes.
When thinking more broadly, a trend does seem to appear linking women in right wing politics with arguably ‘over the top’ positions on some of the toughest issues. Although representing the ‘left wing’ party of the United States, Hilary Clinton has always had to toe the line on issues such as crime and drugs in order to get anywhere in such a right wing, conservative political climate. On the other hand, the more liberal female politicians, in particular Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, have reclaimed their femininity to show their strength. With her signature red lip featuring ‘en Vogue’, AOC has never shied away from some traditionally effeminate displays, including wearing makeup, in order to stand at the same level as her male counterparts. Alongside Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s ‘bold’ photoshoot, both of these women articulate strong positions in politics, without this having to translate into harsh, violent policies.
I can only fear that this necessity to express strength through the adoption of ruthless policies, rather than the expression of naturally occurring femine strength, is a symptom of the sexism that resides more heavily on conservative end of the spectrum. It’s a hard conversation to capture, because above all we must remember that none of these women can represent an entire gender, and this is precisely why we need more of them in politics.