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Green women

The Green Party is the only major British political party to be led by a woman, and the only party that at many levels has rules to ensure gender balance is maintained in officials and candidates. But why does that matter? Green councillors and candidates identify three main issues: equity, ability and electability. Angela Thomson, an Eastern region European election candidate puts the first issue simply and clearly: “About 52% of the UK population is female, so 52% of the candidates ought to be female too.” Cllr Amy Kennedy from Brighton notes that fewer than 20% of MPs in Westminster are female. She says: “We need more women to stand for local government to ensure fair representation for women at a local level, with the ultimate aim of boosting female representation nationally, and to torpedo the notion that women are in some way less suited to politics and public life.” The second is the skills, experience, abilities and interests that women can bring to elected positions. You don’t have to believe in any sort of biological determinism to see that. Shan Oakes, second on the list for Yorks & the Humber Euro Elections 2009, explains that in her view: “In general, women and children are marginalised from the establishment and so are not distorted by the establishment culture, with its focus on capitalism and growth.” Cllr Maya de Souza from Camden, who is also the Green Party’s equality and diversity coordinator and a member of the government’s Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Women Councillors’ Taskforce, says: “Gender is still one of the primary determinants of social roles and experiences in our society. Women are vastly more likely to have spent time in caring roles; they have experience of discrimination; and simply they share experiences with half of the electorate that men have not had.” Cllr Sue Luxton from Lewisham adds that the chance to approach a female representative is terribly important to some constituents. “I’ve had domestic abuse cases where women from other wards have approached me rather than the male councillors in their own ward, presumably because they felt more comfortable talking to a woman.” Women too often take up issues and actions to help other women. Responding to an initiative from Cllr Kennedy, Brighton and Hove council this year became one of the first local authorities in the country to sign up to the Fawcett Society Charter, which committed it to reviewing its internal procedures to ensure they adequately address situations that may lead to women being viewed as ‘objects’ and auditing employee expenses to ensure its cash is not being spent in lap dancing clubs. Cllr Luxton adds: “ I’ve also been supporting the Object/Fawcett Society campaign re licensing laws for lapdancing, which other councillors seemed to ignore until an application locally caused uproar.” The Green Party leader, Caroline Lucas, has focused attention on the issue of teenage pregnancy in the constituency, Brighton and Hove, where she is the parliamentary candidate. She has noted that while issues of sex education and access to contraception, efforts must also consider the wider issue of the sexualisation of childhood in the media, “with ‘Playboy’ branded school equipment a top seller and adverts seeking to persuade girls that being sexually active is a mark of success in today’s society”. And finally, but far from unimportantly, electorates like to vote for female candidates, and particularly female Greens. Thomson says: “I’ve seen a three-seat ward where three women from three different parties have been chosen by voters.” The conclusion that women candidates can produce new enthusiasm among all voters, not just women voters, is backed by research into Westminster elections, where in seats where a female MP was elected, turnout among female voters was 9 percentage points higher than in seats where a man was elected. Turnout among male voters also rose by 5 percentage points in seats which elected a female MP. So why is even the Green Party still having to work hard to get gender balance among candidates? Discussion of this issue at gatherings of Green women often note that women are less likely to volunteer to stand for elected office, waiting until they are asked and sometimes lacking the confidence to push themselves forward. That’s not unique to the Green Party: academic research among female parliamentary candidates for other parties has found that they are more likely to say that they are “pushed” or “persuaded” to stand than male candidates. There are also the practical problems of women’s load of caring, work and other responsibilities. A survey of female councillors from all parties in 2000 found that the difficulty of balancing the responsibilities of home life with council work was the most reported barrier to women’s progression in local politics, cited by 74% of respondents. These are issues that the Green Party has for some time been looking to address, ensuring that selection procedures are open and welcoming and that female candidates are encouraged, says Cllr de Souza. “But we still hope to do more, and are now conducting research into ways that we can approach gender equality in all of our candidate groups.”

Green Economics: An Introduction to Theory, Policy and Practice

Even those who promote environmentally sound solutions to today’s issues often reduce the crisis to little more than an exercise of carbon accountancy, an approach that can leave the reader cold. Molly Scott Cato’s book is different. Expertly revealed through its chapters is an altogether more human approach to economics and the environment, one which is both scientifically literate and philosophically grounded. We are first introduced to the early pioneers of green economics; the contributions of well known figures such as James Robertson, Ernst Schumacher and Hazel Henderson are discussed, as well as those of some surprising figures from the 19th Century and before (whom Cato refers to as the proto-greens). Once the scene is set, issues such as work, money and business are discussed from a green perspective, which she notes as distinct from either environmentalism or radical socialism. Finally the book deals with the policy context, giving practical green solutions to problems concerning taxation, welfare, land and of course - globalisation. What is particularly refreshing in this account of a sustainable economy is the author’s positive language and practical thinking. She clearly believes that green politics is achievable, perhaps even inevitable, and her confidence is infectious. Nowhere is this enthusiasm better expressed than in the wonderful phrase ‘more fun; less stuff’, a prerequisite for a sustainable society and a powerful retort to those who believe ‘going green’ would mean a life of drudgery. However, Green Economics is more than the usual textbook on localism and sustainability; it is a direct challenge to an academic discipline that has lost its way. For a generation, economists have searched for scientific certainty and concentrated on complex mathematical models, neglecting important issues such as morality and spiritual fulfilment. The so-called ‘physics envy’ of a social science. Could this blinkered view be the reason their theories have failed so spectacularly? As the author herself acknowledges this is by no means an original work but a collection of ideas and examples of ‘right living’ from all around the world, including her own community in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Some topics do feel as if they have been covered a little too briefly. It would have been good to see more discussion of the diversity and resilience of a localised economy and how this would shield us from the chaotic world economy. But as an attempt to bring together the often disjointed works of green economists, and in the process establish a new academic discipline, Green Economics is a valuable contribution. Just one year ago the tenets laid out in this book would have been considered radical. Now, with the collapse of markets all around the world, they represent a modest, common sense approach towards a sustainable future. At last, here is a serious book on economics which has a clear narrative and is enjoyable to read.