The new virtual parliament could make the 50/50 gender split a reality

The new set-up presents an opportunity for us to rewrite the culture and working practices of politics today, and perhaps it will become a more welcoming and appealing choice for women

The new virtual parliament, which started this week, could have unintended positive consequences for achieving gender equality in politics. Parliament was created by men, for men. The procedures, the structure, the culture – all created without a thought that one day, women would be making legislation too. Now, as parliament is redesigned, reshaped and dragged into the 21st century through the use of technology, many of the practices which may have put women off from entering a life in politics will be highlighted for what they are – unnecessary procedures protected by the status of “tradition”. With coronavirus acting as a catalyst for modernisation, we will see that parliament can, and must, be conducted in a better way.

Young women are one of the least likely groups to vote, partly because it can be hard to engage in a system that doesn’t reflect you. This is why we should fight for a parliament where women feel like they can belong, and change is happening.

Through the wonder that is Zoom, which I am sure the global population is now well acquainted with, we now have a parliament that can be conducted remotely. For those with caring responsibilities, which disproportionately affect women, this change will have tangible benefits. MPs can debate from home, muting themselves if they need to entertain children who normally would be at school – creating legislation and feeding the kids all from the comfort of the dining table.

Tulip Siddiq MP arrived at the House of Commons in a wheelchair after postponing her C-section in order to vote against Theresa May’s Brexit deal last year. Remote voting would have meant there was no need. Now, thankfully, a proxy vote system is being trialled, but it still only applies in the case of maternity, paternity and adoption leave.

The virtual parliament extends far beyond this, allowing MPs to vote and participate in debates whilst balancing any and all family responsibilities. It presents an opportunity to conduct politics in a way that is better suited to the reality of many women’s lives.

Being physically present in parliament has brought other challenges for women. Speaking about the deliberately tiny voting lobby, Mhairi Black, the SNP MP who was once the youngest MP in the House of Commons, highlighted her discomfort of being pressed up against “folk who had been accused by three women of whatever else” when voting. She notes that, for women who have been victims of sexual assault, this would be even more uncomfortable.

The new virtual set-up also presents an opportunity for us to rewrite the culture of parliament. Zoom, with all its capabilities, has not yet come up with a way to recreate those famous green benches, which face each other in opposition. This form of debate is unnecessarily adversarial and aggressive, and creates a hostile environment that often does not appeal to women, who, research has shown, prefer cooperation rather than conflict. Political life could become a more appealing and welcoming choice for women.

In 2019, a number of women decided to step away from life as an MP. Regardless of your political beliefs about those individuals, it is concerning that on average those women were 10 years younger and had spent a decade less in parliament than retiring male MPs. Had politics been free of practices and procedures that impact women disproportionally, would those female MPs made different choices?

Nicky Morgan spoke of “the clear impact on my family and the other sacrifices involved in, and the abuse for, doing the job of a modern MP”, and Heidi Allen cited the “nastiness and intimidation” for not running for re-election. A parliament with reduced impact on family life, less exposure to abuse on the streets of Westminster and fewer adversarial practices comes too late for the women who decided to step down, but it could impact the decision of many more women who want to step up.

This new way of working has been outlined by Chi Onwurah, the MP who was instrumental in the creation of a virtual parliament, as “parliament doing exceptional things in exceptional circumstances.”

I hope that once things have returned to normal, the abandoned practices that make politics needlessly difficult for women never return. Ensuring a 50/50 gender split in parliament doesn’t require “exceptional things”, it just requires a little bit of consideration.

Izzi Coombes is a volunteer and community organiser for RegistHERtoVote, an organisation that is dedicated to encouraging women across the country to have their voices heard