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  • Let's talk about women and politics.

  • We make up just over half the population and this year, more women than ever.

  • Running as candidates.

  • Not to mention, is the 1/100 anniversary of the election where the first woman took her.

  • See in Parliament.

  • If any of you are thinking of making a manifesto, pon just don't with all that on an embarrassingly low representation of female minorities in Parliament.

  • Why aren't we hearing more about women in this election?

  • Technically speaking, women have never been better represented in British politics, with 206 sitting in.

  • The last Parliament is really flown up in recent years, and five of the parties are led by women this time around.

  • But it's still far from equal, and it often feels like a bit of an old boys club.

  • Calm down, dear, calm down on the women who do make it in face way more grief from some of the public.

  • Just listen to the abuse thes MPs receive on a regular basis.

  • You of my imperial right Die is stupid and stay off TV.

  • Your face makes me want to vomit.

  • 1/3 of female MPs said they've considered quitting because of abuse, and that has a big effect.

  • One survey found that 50% of 11 16 year olds said that being criticized more than men puts them off becoming leaders.

  • And if you're a female politician, just being heard could be a challenge.

  • Take media appearances.

  • Female politicians, despite growing in numbers, are featuring less and less in the media.

  • In 17 2039% of all political media appearances were by women.

  • This year it's down to 20% although that's partly because Theresa May isn't prime minister anymore.

  • And frankly, when the press do get around to talking about female politicians, it doesn't always seem to focus on the policies.

  • What is with that?

  • Women tend to vote in similar numbers to men.

  • But there's one big difference, and it's one we reckon the parties should pay attention to, especially with every row being so precious in this election.

  • Generally speaking, women are more likely than men to be floating voters or undecideds that someone who makes up their mind on how to vote later or switches between the parties in tight races they can help swing the result.

  • This happened in the last election as Labour convinced loads of women to vote for them in the campaign.

  • 2017 more of women voted Labour the man for the first time in British electoral politics.

  • That's professor Rosie Campbell, who knows all things women and politics.

  • The moment the difference is quite substantial, with about 7% men undecided, compared to about 19% of women.

  • The reason for this isn't the women a more fickle Voters Man is to do with the fact that, historically, women the less interested in for politics.

  • And then it's changing over time.

  • As more women have got involved in politics, women have become more interested women actually, for example, more interested in in the NHS than men but less interested in Brexit.

  • But one way or the other, women's votes are going to be key in the outcome of this election.

  • So an election is called, and suddenly party strategists have to start thinking about how they attract female voters.

  • Perhaps it's got a bit more sophisticated in recent years that perhaps women used to be seen as one big block, and now they were much more distinct offers two different ages of women.

  • Women who are working women who aren't working and certainly more recognition of how other policies might affect women.

  • When it comes to female voters, there's one giant elephant in the room.

  • Pay.

  • Women have paid less by the hour than men by an average of 17.3%.

  • The inequality about really hit home when the Tories introduced a policy that made companies of a certain size reveal the gender pay gap.

  • That means fighting against the burning injustice.

  • If you're a woman, you will earn less than a man.

  • So with the pig up exposed like that, surely the parties are falling over themselves.

  • To fix it would be a well, easy way to get women's votes.

  • No, at this election, there are a lot of policies targeted specifically at women.

  • Labour says it's going to completely close the gender pay cap within 10 years.

  • Conservative pledges include expanding measures that support female entrepreneurs.

  • The SNP wants a up maternity pay to 100% of wages.

  • For the 1st 12 weeks, the Lib Dems won't company boards to be 40% female.

  • The Greens.

  • They would make misogyny prejudice against women, a hate crime with funding and training to tackle it.

  • Okay, so the parties don't agree on how to address the pay gap, but lots of them are trying to target female voters by making promises on maternity and child care.

  • Child care is quite a big part of this election.

  • Many of the parties are offering to extend free childcare in some form.

  • But what's interesting is they're looking at different stages.

  • So some of the parties are focusing on very young Children from sort of nine months upwards.

  • Others are looking at more wraparound care around school days and school age Children what he's going through.

  • These currently paid maternity leave last 39 weeks, but none of that has to be a full pay.

  • Look at how that compares to other countries.

  • A UNICEF study said that we're one of the worst places in the developed world for maternity leave.

  • That doesn't come as much of a surprise to women in politics because of how parliamentary voting works.

  • An MP at the end of her pregnancy once had to delay her C section so she could come into Westminster, and vote is an obvious point.

  • But if it's the men who mostly write the rules then women's issues get left behind.

  • No, only a women underrepresented in Parliament there hardly represented at ministerial level, the place where real decisions are made.

  • Over the past 30 years, we've never even had close to equal representation in cabinet.

  • And if you're a woman under minority, it's even worse.

  • We only got off first female Asian MP a decade ago on when you look at gender as a whole, it's even more complex.

  • We're yet to see a trans or non binary member of Parliament, and that matters.

  • There's really important trans legislation being proposed at the moment, and not one trans person will vote on it.

  • Let's face it, the challenges are stacked against women in this election.

  • In politics, they get a disproportionate amount of abuse and they still run in the media.

  • They get overlooked and often at times objectified, they still speak up and in policy.

  • They often get painted with the same brush, and they still vote.

  • And despite all that, they may well hold the keys to this election.

  • Remember, women's tendencies to float their boats and decide at the last minute could really swing things.

Let's talk about women and politics.

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