Bethan Jenkins (Neath, Plaid AM): Whenever a journalist researches a piece on women in politics, you can guarantee that the National Assembly for Wales will form a key element of their work: almost 50% of the elected politicians there are women. I have taken part in radio discussions on stations all over Europe who view Wales as a shining beacon of political equality, and as an example of their own aspirations.
However, it should be said before we get carried away that this system would not have materialised here in Wales had it not been for the political will of a few parties to ensure that women became an integral part of the political system. Plaid Cymru with its ‘zipping' policy - whereby the members selecting candidates on a list are required to alternate men and women, and Labour with its ‘twinning' policy - whereby two constituencies select their candidates jointly, with a requirement that one man and one woman be selected. The Tories on the other hand have no such positive discrimination mechanisms for selecting candidates: and their current group consists of 11 men and just a single female.
Although training and nurturing women to become candidates is essential, I believe that positive discrimination systems must be in place if we are serious about women playing a key role in the political process. This argument is supported by organisations such as Fawcett, who work avidly in highlighting the importance of such mechanisms: they are unaware of any country that has succeeded in increasing the level of women in politics without such mechanisms in place. Unfortunately, there seems to be somewhat of a backlash in Wales to these policies at the moment, but it does not take away from the fact that they should be maintained and developed. As the youngest female Assembly Member, I want to show other women that they can aspire to being a politician, and that it is not a male dominated world.
Aside from this, the National Assembly is leading the way in other areas, specifically by maintaining a family friendly working week. This ensures that those politicians who are parents or carers can create a successful work-life balance. In accordance to this, there is a balance of female and male politicians in the Cabinet presently - both as Ministers and Deputy Ministers. There is far less of a ya-boo political culture in Cardiff Bay, although the Tory group try and mimic the Westminster style from time to time!
However, while I believe that it has been positive that so many women are elected to the Assembly, the perception still exists that female politicians must conform to a masculine 'power crazed' stereotype that is often created of politicians, if they are serious about achieving their goal, or of becoming a leader of a political party. Female politicians have to work that much harder to be accepted and respected both politically and socially, and must battle with a more or less male dominated political culture, even here in Wales. Until institutions start to adopt gender equality mechanisms worldwide, I believe that we will continue to battle with a stereotype of politics that is male focused and power driven. It is our role as elected female representatives to try and change this perception, and to develop a positive and encouraging image of women in politics.
