Women of Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics

Description

In 1919 Nancy Astor was elected as the Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton, becoming the first woman MP to take her seat in the House of Commons. Her achievement was all the more remarkable given that women (and even then only some women) had only been entitled to vote for just over a year. In the past 100 years, a total of 491 women have been elected to Parliament. Yet it was not until 2016 that the total number of women ever elected surpassed the number of male MPs in a single parliament. The achievements of these political pioneers have been remarkable – Britain has now had two female Prime Ministers and women MPs have made significant strides in fighting for gender equality from the earliest suffrage campaigns to Barbara Castle–s fight for equal pay to Harriet Harman–s recent legislation on the gender pay gap. Yet the stories of so many women MPs have too often been overlooked in political histories. In this book, Rachel Reeves brings forgotten MPs out of the shadows and looks at the many battles fought by the Women of Westminster, from 1919 to 2019. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements List of notable political ‘firsts’ for women in the House of Commons Foreword Introduction 1 Seats For Women: 1919–31 A one woman show: Nancy Astor Warming pans and male equivalence Labour women 1924: ‘The orphans of the storm’ The Lady Members’ Room From words to deeds: legislating for reform The end of an era Women in government 2 Women at War: 1931–45 Ellen Wilkinson and the Jarrow Crusade Eleanor Rathbone and family allowances The prophetesses and the gathering storm ‘Guilty Women’ Woman power Into a brave new world 3 Let Us Face the Future: 1945–59 Parliamentary culture, chocolates and cancans ‘From the cradle to the grave’ ‘Jam tomorrow’? The housewives’ revolt Defending the vulnerable: the beginnings of social reform 4 Stilettos and Springboards: 1959–70 Building Barbara’s Castle A tiger in my tank Not another Maggie Bondfield! ‘Minister of the future’: Jennie Lee, the Arts and the Open University Equal pay: Made in Dagenham Castle’s many lives 5 Leaders and Losses: 1970–79 Becoming the Iron Lady Conservative women and feminism More women on the benches Making a difference Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 6 Paths to Power: 1979–97 Settling into Number Ten A woman’s cabinet Mothers in the House Leading ladies Visible women All-women shortlists A fashion House Intersections and minority caucus Women in the spotlight 7 New Labour, More Women: 1997–2010 A party for and of women? Policies in practice Courage and controversy Critical moments Conservatives in opposition Labour leaders Window dressing 8 More in Common: 2010–19 From ‘Blair’s Babes’ to ‘Cameron’s Cuties’ Theresa May: last woman standing Abuse of women MPs Creating a female- and family- friendly Parliament Epilogue: A Century of Parliamentary Sisterhood Afterword: The Right Honourable Harriet Harman MP Appendix Notes Select Bibliography Index PLATES