Both have proved themselves to be costly chimeras. Meanwhile, the concerns voiced by Harriet Harman and Joan Ruddock last conference that no more women would be selected without positive action have been borne out tenfold. Fewer than one in five candidates selected by the five main parties were women, with Labour fielding a total of 149 female candidates out of 641 seats, bolstering the notion that male MPs remain the norm. The Labour party has privately blamed the poor calibre of women coming forward for the dismal selection results. The Commons is institutionally hostile to women, not only because of its preference for confrontation over consensus, but also thanks to the ridiculous hours that preclude any semblance of balanced life.
Reform is vital.
Nor is it the Commons alone that has proved hostile. In Journalism found that most of the women MPs who won their seats in the last election believed that the way they had been portrayed in the media undermined their performance, would deter other women from standing for parliament, and would make local parties less likely to select women. But perhaps it's not surprising they were portrayed as pleasers, shrinking violets or automatons, given that they were always going to consider confrontation unproductive. The higher proportion of women in government has made a genuine difference, though it hasn't been an immediately apparent one. They have exerted power behind the scenes, lobbying, arguing, bending ears, particularly that of the chancellor.