Guardian: UK Election: Women still feel sidelined by parties

[Captain Hilts]

Interesting comments on how the PM 'Debate' has helped entrench men as leaders...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/25/women-general-election-2010

There are currently only 125 female MPs, less than 20% of the total. Kat Banyard, director of UK Feminista and author of The Equality Illusion, says: "The invisibility of women on the election campaign trail is a wake-up call to the female power vacuum in this country. It is bad for women, bad for democracy, and bad for society as a whole. The fact that the UK resides at number 73 in the world league table for women MPs is a national embarrassment."

Female politicians have had a low profile in the campaign. Yvette Cooper, the work and pensions secretary, complained about being relegated to a "second division" press conference and at a Conservative briefing on the unemployment figures last week, questions were aimed at shadow chancellor George Osborne and veteran Ken Clarke, not at Cooper's shadow, Theresa May.

The focus on the three leaders to the exclusion of senior women appears to be part of a deliberate US-style strategy, including the televised debates: a No 10 insider said: "This is a presidential-style campaign – get used to it." But the spotlight on the "first ladies" – Samantha Cameron, Sarah Brown and Miriam González Durántez, aka Mrs Clegg – is viewed with wry amusement by the women of Peterborough.

...

Sue Keogh argues that more female MPs would improve the perception of women in society. "When you look at the leaders' debates, it is just three blokes, and on Newsnight it is all white men of a similar age, so a younger woman might not relate to what they are saying."