Tulip Siddiq MP

THIS International Women’s Day, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it’s like to be a woman in politics after the recent resignations of Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon.

Both cited similar reasons for stepping down: long hours, lack of privacy and their family.

I’ve experienced similar difficulties trying to balance a hectic career in politics with being a mother. Ever since I was elected as the Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Kilburn, I’ve campaigned for better representation for women in Parliament.

It’s been over a century since women were able to vote for the first time, yet we still make up just 35 per cent of MPs. Parliament can be archaic, which I discovered myself when I was pregnant with my first child.

and that the only way to vote was to do so physically in the House of Commons. This left me with no choice but to return to work just six weeks after giving birth.

Things still hadn’t changed by the time I had my second child and I had to make the difficult decision to delay my caesarean so I didn’t miss an important Brexit vote.

After I was rolled into the chamber in a wheelchair, the voting rules finally changed to allow proxy voting for new parents.

I have long campaigned to change the system and to address the late-night debates and lack of proxy voting. Despite the obvious need to bring Parliament into the 21st century, I’ve received pushback from MPs who are resistant to change.

The reality is that women still take on the majority of childcare responsibilities – the TUC found that women still do three times more unpaid care than men, so they were always going to be the most impacted by this.

I miss even more time at home now that I’ve been appointed Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

When I attend meetings in the City, I can’t help but notice that more often than not I’m the only woman in the room. Sadly this is no surprise when the proportion of women in FTSE 100 executive roles is still only 17 per cent.

Whilst it’s depressing to be the only woman in the room, I’m proud to be there and more determined than ever to change this. That’s why this International Women’s Day I’ve met with women leaders in business and finance to discuss how we can support female talent.

Iwon’t stop campaigning until we reach 50/50 representation of men and women in Parliament and meaningful gender equality in workplaces across the country.

But to achieve this we’re going to have to make politics a more welcoming place for women first.

 Tulip Siddiq is the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn