Suchergebnisse

In 2000 the British Government announced that it would reduce Valued Added Tax (VAT) on sanitary products. Informed by the literature on women's political representation & feminist comparative policy, this article identifies the key actors & actions that account for this policy change. Using a range of research methods (elite interviews & parliamentary data) & techniques (quantitative & qualitative analysis) it establishes that, in this instance, the government's decision reflected the actions of women representatives, in particular the actions of backbench Labor woman MP -- Christine McCafferty. Beyond documenting a single policy change this article offers fresh insights into wider debates about the substantive representation of women. Figures. Adapted from the source document.

The return of 101 Labour women MPs in 1997 generated an expectation that their presence would enhance women's substantive representation. And many of Labour's new women MPs claim to have acted for women since their election. Yet demonstrating the difference that MPs make is not easy. Much of what goes on in the chamber of the Commons reflects party identity, and much of what goes on elsewhere in parliament is hidden. Studying sex differences in the signing of early day motions (EDMs) provides one way of testing whether Labour's women MPs are acting for women. Analysis of all the EDMs in the 1997 parliament, some 5,000 motions, establishes that they are more likely than Labour's men to sign 'women's' and especially feminist 'women's' EDMs. There is clear evidence of behavioural differences between Labour's women and men MPs, strengthening arguments that women's political presence is important because of the substantive difference they can make.