The Role of Political Parties in Empowering Women’s Positions in the UK Parliament

Abstract

Women’s political representation has been for decades ahead of women’s rights movement. However, women presence in politics is not only limited to women political participation but their position in party politics as well. This paper aims to analyze the role of parties in empowering women at the UK parliament and tries to contribute towards the existing literature through presenting an interdisciplinary view of the issue– notably from a political perspective. Through examining issues such as political participation and legislative behavior, the paper captures the scope of the position of women MPs in British political party life and represents answers to the question whether parties can make a change in favor of changing women’s positions at the UK parliament or not. By the scope emerging from different resources, this study shows the British parties have played an important role in empowering women in the United Kingdom parliament mainly through the feminization of some of their partisan aspects and offering new opportunities to women representative at the parliament. Despite this fact, some traditional partisan structures still continue to hinder this process.