The Isle of Man currently ranks lower than Iran and the Democratic Republic of Congo for female representation in parliament.
The island is in 178th place in the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s table of female representation by country, a statistic cited in Lord Lisvane’s report into the functions of Tynwald.
Out of 24 MHKs there is only one female politician. The retirement of Clare Christian from Legislative Council means there are no women at all there.
In addition, just six women have announced their intention to stand in September’s House of Keys general election compared to 45 men who have put themselves forward.
The Examiner went to Strand Street to ask residents what can be done to encourage more women to get involved in Manx politics and how people feel about there being only one woman in Tynwald.
HELEN SHEEN, 30, DOUGLAS:
‘Obviously there is a significant difference with the number of men in Tynwald compared to the one woman and I think maybe more women should think about getting involved in politics. I don’t know why more women aren’t in Tynwald, I think more women will be in the future because times are changing. Some people say the Isle of Man is a bit backwards, on some things we’re ahead of the UK and on other things we’re not but I think that’s the same across the whole world really, everywhere it different.
‘I think there possibly needs to be more education on it within schools because that’s where the future is. Some people aren’t really bothered about politics when they’re at school but obviously when they get older and it affects them then they might have wished they had done something sooner. If there’s more education at school maybe it’ll encourage them to go down that path.
‘If the women who want to go into Tynwald have the right views and people are going to support them I don’t think it comes down to whether they’re male or female, as long as they’re doing the right job.’
DAN CONNOR, 21, DOUGLAS:
‘I believe that in order for more women to be a part of Tynwald and the governing process we need to directly identify the route of the problem, which I believe is that many women fear that their voice won’t be heard in a predominantly male government and therefore are more reluctant to attempt to get into a political position.
‘I would say in order to solve this problem would be to educate people, not just women, earlier on in life about the governing processes and procedures to explain what exactly it is that they can do for their voice to be heard. Hopefully then over time as more and more people are taught about such things we will then in turn start seeing more women in Tynwald resulting in a more diverse and fair government.’
SINEAD ALLEN, 19, PEEL:
‘I think it’s terrible that there is only one woman in Tynwald right now, I think there should be more women. There is obviously a problem if there’s not that many women involved. There’s obviously women standing for politics but if they’re not getting voted in then that shows a wider problem with people actually voting for them in the first place and not just with the government itself.
‘I think it is really complicated and in all honesty I don’t know what can be done and why there is so few women in politics. I think more women have to stand to be part of these things. If it’s something very male dominated in the first place then it might be quite difficult for women in those environments so I think there needs to be more encouragement from the government for more female politicians.’
CHRIS MORTON,38, SULBY:
‘I think they need to get rid of the old boys and the old establishment. I think it’s far too antiquated and too top heavy with dinosaurs, for want of a better word. It’s obviously unfair that there’s only woman in Tynwald, there definitely needs to be more women. I don’t really know what the answer is for how to get more woman involved. I think it needs to be more approachable and more friendly I suppose.’
GRAHAM KEARSLEY, 52, DOUGLAS:
‘I think it’s related to schooling and upbringing so in the classroom the message should go out across the board that politics isn’t just for blokes in suits who are of a certain age. I’m not suggesting that we say it’s the schools’ fault but there needs to be a message for the children. It’s about individuals not being afraid to have a point of view. I’d like to think that everyone from birth would to be able to have the same opportunities.
‘I’d just like to see the Isle of Man make it clear that local politics is important and that your voice will be heard in the community. It’s not just about targeting females it’s about targeting everybody. In the first instance I think girls need some role models and their views should be heard and promoted.
‘It bothers me that there’s only one woman in parliament. I don’t want to make sweeping generalisations and say that maybe it’s not an attractive place for women, but looking at the figures it says to me that something needs to be addressed. I’d look at the recruitment process and you’d have to ask why it is like that by asking individuals in politics.
‘There are people right now that have the skills but they probably don’t realise that yet. A lot of people have the get up and go and for me it’s a case of applying that at the political level.’
SUE CLEGG, 64, FROM COLBY, AND LINDA PANNELL, 39, FROM ONCHAN:
Linda said: ‘It would be nice to see more women in Tynwald. I think educating younger ones is a good idea because it’s the younger generation you need. We need more people like Kate Beecroft in Tynwald but how are you going to get them in there? ‘I think you need to educate them early and get them interested.
Sue said: ‘I think educating the young ones would be good so they’re more aware of what is happening and how to go about things. I think Kate Beecroft is a bit outnumbered in Tynwald.’