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Pathways to Politics Equality and Human Rights Commission Research report 65 Pathways to politics Catherine Durose, Francesca Gains, Liz Richardson, Ryan Combs, Karl Broome and Christina Eason De Montfort University and University of Manchester Pathways to politics Catherine Durose, Francesca Gains, Liz Richardson, Ryan Combs, Karl Broome and Christina Eason De Montfort University and University of Manchester © Equality and Human Rights Commission 2011 First published Spring 2011 ISBN 978 1 84206 326 2 EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION RESEARCH REPORT SERIES The Equality and Human Rights Commission Research Report Series publishes research carried out for the Commission by commissioned researchers. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission. The Commission is publishing the report as a contribution to discussion and debate. Please contact the Research team for further information about other Commission research reports, or visit our website: Research Team Equality and Human Rights Commission Arndale House The Arndale Centre Manchester M4 3AQ Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0161 829 8500 Website: www.equalityhumanrights.com You can download a copy of this report as a PDF from our website: www.equalityhumanrights.com If you require this publication in an alternative format, please contact the Communications Team to discuss your needs at: [email protected] Contents Page Tables and figures i Acknowledgements ii Executive summary v 1. Background 1 1.1 Why is diversity in representation important? 2 1.2 Scope of the research 3 1.3 Researching diversity and inter-sectionality 4 1.4 Self-identification and representation 5 1.5 Understanding barriers and pathways 6 1.6 Chronically excluded groups 7 1.7 Structure of the report 8 2. Prevent factors 9 2.1 Personal and financial costs 9 2.2 Informal rules and patronage 11 2.3 The archetypal candidate 12 2.4 Gender: women 13 2.5 Disability 14 2.6 Ethnicity 18 2.7 Religion or belief 19 2.8 Sexual orientation: lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) 19 2.9 Gender identity: trans people 21 2.10 Inter-sectionality 21 2.11 Key findings: prevent factors 22 3. Push factors: identifying common pathways 25 3.1 Common pathways to politics 26 3.2 Traditional pathways into politics 29 3.3 New pathways into politics 31 3.4 Key findings: push factors – common pathways into politics 33 4. Pull factors: the role of political parties 35 4.1 Party attitudes to equality and diversity 35 4.2 Membership recruitment 35 4.3 Mentoring and support networks 36 4.4 Opening up candidate selection 37 4.5 Key findings: pull factors – the role of political parties 37 5. Pull factors: the role of political institutions 39 5.1 House of Commons 39 5.2 House of Lords 42 5.3 European Parliament 45 5.4 The Scottish Parliament 46 5.5 Welsh Assembly 48 5.6 London Assembly and local government 49 5.7 Key findings: pull factors – the role of political institutions 50 6. Ideas for change from respondents 53 6.1 Diversity monitoring 53 6.2 Education and training 53 6.3 Championing and mentoring 54 6.4 Opening up politics 55 6.5 Positive action 55 6.6 Funding politics 58 6.7 Reforming political institutions 58 6.8 Recommendations from the Speaker’s Conference (on Parliamentary Representation) 59 6.9 Key findings: ideas for change from respondents 60 7. Implications of the research 62 7.1 Re-framing the argument for diversity 63 7.2 Opening up politics 65 7.3 Responding to opportunities for change 66 References 68 Appendix 1: Research design 74 Annex 1: Brand Democracy research: Pathways to Politics Stage 1 78 Tables and figures Tables 6.1 Examples of equality measures and their usage by British political parties 57 A.1 Candidate submissions according to party and characteristics 75 A.2 Sitting representatives according to political party, institution and characteristics 76 A.3 Purposive sample of sitting representatives by institution 77 A.4 Purposive sample of sitting representatives by party 77 Figures 3.1 Traditional pathway into politics 27 3.2 New pathway for under-represented groups into politics 28 i Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Equality and Human Rights Commission (the Commission) for funding this research, and acknowledge the support and advice of the project management group from the Commission. The authors would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the invaluable contributions of all the participants and respondents in this research. The authors would also like to thank Suzanne Walker at De Montfort University for her assistance throughout this project. ii In most cases it appears that, to be considered for a winnable seat, a campaigner would need to have been an active sitting councillor for many years or be in a very high-profile position in another walk of life. As under-represented groups in parliament are also under-represented in high-profile positions, this attitude would need to change. In less winnable areas, a candidate can be expected to work tirelessly, with no expenses provision, little practical support and no chance of being elected to any position for many years - making the position seriously unattractive for those with any other commitments and those without significant personal wealth. In some areas there are also long held ideas that ‘a woman can’t win here’ (in a traditional labouring area) or ‘standing an ethnic minority candidate will lose us votes’ (in areas where the BNP have done well or with mostly white populations). A prospective parliamentary candidate, general election 2010 iii iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive summary Background This report was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (the Commission) to explore the relationship between common pathways into politics and under-representation of groups protected by the Equality Act (2010). Despite some progress over the last 30 years, elected politicians in Britain still remain highly unrepresentative of the population as a whole. Following the 2010 election only 22 per cent of MPs are women and four per cent are from an ethnic minority. There is inadequate data to know for certain the true level of under-representation for other groups. The all-party Speaker’s Conference (on Parliamentary Representation) was established in November 2008 to examine and make recommendations to address the causes of under-representation in the House of Commons. This study considers under-representation across all equality grounds and looks beyond the House of Commons to include the House of Lords, Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales, the London Assembly and European Parliament (UK members). Diversity of representation is important for reasons of justice, effectiveness and legitimacy. It may also have electoral consequences by connecting with a diverse electorate. The Speaker’s Conference argued that fair representation requires that: • under-represented groups are fully able to seek and achieve nomination, selection and election on a fair and just basis • the composition of the population is broadly reflected to enhance the legitimacy of representative democracy • a wide range of perspectives and experiences are represented thus improving policy and decision-making, and • the appeal and relevance of politics and politicians to the whole of society is broadened, increasing both participation and representation of under- represented groups. Methodology This research explores the barriers faced by under-represented groups and brings together ideas for addressing and removing these barriers. This is the second stage of a two-part process to explore pathways to politics. The report of Stage 1, undertaken by Brand Democracy, which collated diversity information about UK political representatives and conducted an online survey in 2009, is an annex to this report. For this study, 32 interviews were conducted with sitting representatives, v PATHWAYS TO POLITICS interviews with or written submissions received from 30 candidates, and 19 interviews carried out with political parties and lobbying organisations. A framework of prevent, push and pull factors is used to aid understanding of what influences diversity of representation: • Prevent factors: The barriers facing diverse groups and individuals seeking nomination, selection and election, including prejudice and discriminatory practices. • Push factors: Those factors which help people enter into politics, including early exposure to politics, personal motivation, family background, education, profession and previous political involvement. • Pull factors: These cover the role of political parties and institutions in attracting, supporting and retaining diversity. The Commission’s remit covers age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation and transgender. Existing research has primarily concentrated on the representation of women and ethnic minorities and there is a lack of evidence about the extent to which under-representation exists for the other equality groups. This research identifies that gaps exist in the data and research relating to most equality groups in relation to political participation. Findings General • Certain equality groups are disproportionately disenfranchised by prevent, push and pull factors. • Combinations of different push and pull factors support ‘traditional’ and ‘new’ pathways into politics. Some barriers to getting involved in politics are widespread. • The equality groups are at different stages in seeking
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