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Women Representatives Acting for Women: Sex and the Signing of Early Day Motions in the 1997 British Parliament

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  • Sarah Childs
  • Julie Withey

Abstract

The return of 101 Labour women MPs in 1997 generated an expectation that their presence would enhance women's substantive representation. And many of Labour's new women MPs claim to have acted for women since their election. Yet demonstrating the difference that MPs make is not easy. Much of what goes on in the chamber of the Commons reflects party identity, and much of what goes on elsewhere in parliament is hidden. Studying sex differences in the signing of early day motions (EDMs) provides one way of testing whether Labour's women MPs are acting for women. Analysis of all the EDMs in the 1997 parliament, some 5,000 motions, establishes that they are more likely than Labour's men to sign ‘women’s’ and especially feminist ‘women’s’ EDMs. There is clear evidence of behavioural differences between Labour's women and men MPs, strengthening arguments that women's political presence is important because of the substantive difference they can make.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Childs & Julie Withey, 2004. "Women Representatives Acting for Women: Sex and the Signing of Early Day Motions in the 1997 British Parliament," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52(3), pages 552-564, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:52:y:2004:i:3:p:552-564
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2004.00495.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cowley, Philip & Childs, Sarah, 2003. "Too Spineless to Rebel? New Labour's Women MPs," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 345-365, July.
    2. Norris, Pippa & Lovenduski, Joni, 1989. "Women Candidates for Parliament: Transforming the Agenda?," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 106-115, January.
    3. Franklin, Mark N. & Tappin, Michael, 1977. "Early Day Motions as Unobtrusive Measures of Backbench Opinion in Britain," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(1), pages 49-69, January.
    4. Joni Lovenduski & Pippa Norris, 2003. "Westminster Women: the Politics of Presence," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 51(1), pages 84-102, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stadelmann, David & Portmann, Marco & Eichenberger, Reiner, 2013. "How do Female Preferences Influence Political Decisions by Female and Male Representatives?," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79748, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Paul Chaney, 2006. "Critical Mass, Deliberation and the Substantive Representation of Women: Evidence from the UK's Devolution Programme," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 54(4), pages 691-714, December.
    3. Adem Elveren & Valentine M. Moghadam, 2019. "The impact of militarization on gender inequality and female labor force participation," Working Papers 1307, Economic Research Forum, revised 21 Aug 2019.
    4. Claire Annesley & Francesca Gains, 2010. "The Core Executive: Gender, Power and Change," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(5), pages 909-929, December.

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