Seven in ten women MPs have witnessed sexist conduct in parliament in the past five years, according to research that highlights an “exclusionary” and “toxic” culture in Westminster.
Gender equality charity The Fawcett Society spoke to MPs about their experiences of misogyny in parliament and found that while only about half of male MPs said they had witnessed sexism, the figure for female politicians was 69 per cent.
The report follows a storm of bullying and sexual harassment allegations which have rocked Westminster, prompting a number of MPs to be investigated, suspended or to step down from their roles.
Around three-quarters of women MPs said they chose not to voice their views on some topics on social media due to their fears of experiencing harassment online, in comparison to around half of male MPs.
Researchers discovered just four in 10 women MPs thought parliament’s working culture was “inclusive for people like me” as they warned the problems unveiled in the study would compound the shortage of women in Westminster – with Black, minoritised and disabled women hardest hit.
A female MP, who did not want to be named, said: “My kid came home and said ‘Mum, why do so many people hate on you’. And you’ve got to externally put on a really, really brave face, and a fighter face, and internally it breaks you.”
Six women MPs, from the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats, told The Independent about of their experiences. Labour’s Dawn Butler said she had endured sexualised comments for wearing fishnet tights while the Conservative Party’s Caroline Nokes said she had been touched inappropriately and a minister told her she was only appointed because she has “t**s”.
“There was one incident when I wore plain fishnets to parliament. I received so many overly sexual, misogynistic comments that I took the tights off and threw them in the bin and never wore fishnets again.
“I spoke to a more senior female MP. She told me to ignore it saying, ‘it’s all banter’. She told equivalent stories women MPs have been through. There were lots of stories of MPs looking up their skirt. The parliamentary environment needs to change.
“New procedures are vital and important. MPs that have been in parliament for a long time have put up with a lot of sexism. The good thing is now post-Me Too movement, we are not putting up with it. Some of the men have not moved forward. They still think it is acceptable to be sexist and misogynistic.
“When I was a whip, an MP was talking about me having a real whip in the tea room in parliament. It happened more than once. It became very uncomfortable and embarrassing for me.
“Parliament was designed for men only and there is still that prevailing attitude that this is a man’s place and the women are just window dressing and there is that entitlement to belittle women. All you have to do is hang out in the bar, let alone what goes in the chamber, such as sometimes the patronising way that women are spoken to.”
“I have experienced sexual harassment in Westminster. Over the past 12 years, a lot of it I have shrugged off and have done nothing about it. Some incidents I reported to the whips. The stark reality is we don’t yet have a system in place. We need the individual political parties cooperating with each other drawing up policies and protocols.
“There have been a number of incidents where I have been touched inappropriately and inappropriate suggestions were made to me and about me. I don’t want to name names. I don’t have confidence the systems are in place in parliament that enable it to be dealt with correctly.
“I remember a minister told me to my face I was only appointed because I have t**s. The thing that shocked me is if they are saying that to your face, God knows what are they saying behind your back.
Nadia Whittome says she avoids parliament’s bars
“The reality is that nobody wants to talk about the low-level microaggression, they are only interested in the horrific tales of women being pinned against the wall by someone. They want to focus on disgusting blatant stories of sexual harassment.
“This is a really tough place for women to work, who contend with inappropriate, demeaning belittling comments from colleagues who think they are being funny. They think it is okay to bully and demean women.”
“Quite regularly, male MPs talk to my chest instead of my face. It makes me feel really uncomfortable. Presumably, they can tell I feel uncomfortable. When I was 19, I briefly worked in parliament. I very much looked like a teenager.
“A very senior Tory backbencher said ‘I bet you are on Tinder aren’t you?’, and was asking me about my dating life. I was in an enclosed space with him, I couldn’t get away. He thought could get away with it more because I was an intern.
Caroline Nokes says she’s experienced sexual harassment in Westminster
Kate Osamor says the culture in Westminster is unhealthy
