Women held back in local government by culture of ‘pigeonholing’

Local government will continue to be restricted unless it allows women to contribute effectively, a senior policy thinker has warned.
Female council workers are currently being pigeonholed into what are seen as ‘women’s roles’ – such as adult social care and education – while work demands are limiting their ability to contribute at a senior level, policy manager at the Local Government Information Unit, Laura Wilkes, has warned.

Writing on research website Democratic Audit UK today, Wilkes said greater flexibility for councillors could make the role more accessible to women and boost contribution across the sector.

Only 32% of councillors in the UK are women, alongside 23.3% of council leaders in England and 13.3% of elected mayors.

Efforts to boost the presence of women in local government have failed to solve fundamental issues, Wilkes said.

Use of job-shares, crèche facilities and greater flexibility around council meetings could allow women to fit employment around family life and help them to take on full time work in local government.

‘If we are serious about getting more women into local government and moving those who are already there into leadership roles, we need drastic cultural change,’ Wilkes said.

‘Women should have the opportunity to contribute across the whole of local government, not pigeonholed into “women’s issues”. In particular, we have to recognise the value that women have offer in areas more aligned with leadership roles.

‘Until as a sector we start to see women differently, and equally, we won’t move forward.’