In Britain, a new party pushes for women’s voices

Iyengar says WEP wants other parties to ‘steal’ its proposals

Last month, Harini Iyengar, a barrister and parliamentary candidate for the Women’s Equality Party, took to social media to help find the extra childcare she knew she’d need — as a single mother of three children — as campaigning intensified in the run-up to the June 8 general election.

Ms. Iyengar, who is standing as the party’s candidate in the diverse south London constituency of Vauxhall, considers herself fortunate among the women candidates in Britain, having the backing of a party that recognises the potential barrier that childcare poses to women entering politics. The party covers such costs for their candidates during the campaign.

Childcare costs

The strict and detailed rules governing election expenses in Britain make no mention of childcare costs, she noted. “Mainstream politics is totally oblivious to childcare needs. Parties may have lovely brochures on all women shortlists or do outreach work, but think of the difference it would make if they said to women: we’ll pay for your childcare. It’s a real illustration of how many structural barriers there currently are to women taking part in politics,” she told The Hindu in a recent interview in London.

Formed in 2015 by journalist and authors Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig, the Women’s Equality Party is contesting its first general election. It had stood in various local elections (including for London Mayor) earlier and garnered over 65,000 members and supporters. The party has seven candidates for seats across the U.K. In Vauxhall, Ms. Iyengar will take on Kate Hoey, a Labour MP, who has been a vocal Brexit supporter from the outset in a constituency that voted overwhelmingly to remain.

Frustrated by a lack of progress on achieving equality for women on a range of counts, the WEP hopes to bring a radical new perspective to the political debate and even persuade other parties to take on board their specific policy proposals. This includes far more extensive childcare arrangements to ensure women are able to return to work should they want to, parental leave for fathers, a greater focus of resources on fighting violence against women and girls, which remains a huge problem in Britain, as well as quotas in Parliament and on boards.

Long way to go

“We openly challenge other parties to ‘steal’ our policies,” said Ms. Iyengar. In fact, the party hand delivered copies of its manifesto to other parties with the label “steal me”. “Some have picked up bits and pieces but no one has really risen to the challenge we’ve put to them. This country really needs a women’s equality party as we still have such a long way to go.”

As a barrister who specialises in employment, discrimination and equality law, Ms. Iyengar, whose parents came from Bangalore and Hyderabad and grew up in Manchester, said she is keenly aware of the discrimination that women continue to face, even in the city. “I think the general public doesn’t realise the extent of the pay gap.”

While new legislation coming into effect next year is set to require companies to detail their gender pay gap, it’s a diluted form of what is necessary. While equality legislation has existed for years, other factors such as the high cost of making a discrimination claim, has made it harder for women bringing claims.

Complacency factor

“I think there is a complacency in the old parties. The senior figures will say: ‘we are the ones who brought in the equal pay legislation’ or the sex discrimination legislation. We were born into a world where these existed and expect to be treated equally and are very dissatisfied with where we are and the fact we’re not,” said Ms. Iyengar. She joined the WEP after many years of political inactivity as a result of a feeling that none of the parties catered to her needs, particularly as a single parent, with an intense career path.

With Brexit negotiations set to commence 11 days after the election, ensuring that women from all backgrounds don’t suffer as a result of leaving the EU is a central plank of the WEP’s agenda. “We would be a much, much richer and prosperous country if women’s potential was unleashed,” she said.