Elect Her

We are a non-partisan organisation working to motivate, support and equip women in all their diversity to stand for political office, in Britain, and thrive once there. Without setting out to, we have become the experts of the lived experience of women in elected office in Britain.

Elect Her has been listening to the voices of women navigating their journey into politics for many years. We hear their experiences, not only as those women start to explore their political journeys but throughout their political path from being inspired to get involved, to standing for something, to possibly winning and on into elected office.

These conversations occur within a range of settings and now, after nearly a decade, combines the voices of thousands of individual experiences from women engaging in our democratic systems - as active elected representatives, political party activists, independent campaigners and professionals in local and national government.

This submission is part of those conversations - with both current and former MPs - some remain anonymous and others have expressed their wish to be named and we have added their names to the end of this document.

Compassion in Politics

Compassion in Politics is a cross-party think tank advocating for compassion, cooperation, and inclusion in political systems. They provide evidence for reforms to improve political conduct, reduce conflict and rebuild public trust. Their work includes developing policies that promote compassion and equality, and protect the most vulnerable in society.

Compassion in Politics has a particular focus on gender with its co-founder, having first reported on the discrimination and abuse experienced by women in parliament for the BBC and the Guardian in the 1980s.

We co-convene a group of leading democracy organisations and, together with the Jo Cox Foundation, we promote a 'Civility Pledge' to improve political conduct and discourse in and out of Parliament. In the last parliament we worked with over 100 MPs to reduce bullying and harassment in the commons. We also provide resilience and compassion training and provided the Secretariat to the All-Party Group for Compassionate Politics now chaired by Rachel Blake MP.

In May 2024 together with the Apolitical Foundation, 50:50 Parliament and Hogan Lovell (solicitors), we conducted an exit survey of MPs exploring, inter alia, the impact of the current toxic culture on their mental health. The documentary which resulted, Broken Politics. Broken Politicians revealed a growing mental health crisis and suggested possible solutions. In October 2024 we submitted a report to the Modernisation Committee (Reset : a blueprint for a 21st Century Parliament) which included recommendations to improve the culture within Westminster.

This submission is supplementary to that report and brings in recommendations based on the experience of some of the new intake of female MPs.

Modernising Parliamentary Activities

Family-Friendly Scheduling

The current scheduling of the House of Commons—often characterised by unpredictable late-night sittings, short-notice changes, and long voting periods—has been widely criticised for being out of step with modern working practices. The impact of this system disproportionately affects MPs with caring responsibilities, most of whom are still women, and it hinders public engagement and understanding of parliamentary activity.

Revising parliamentary timetables to become more family-friendly would help Parliament reflect contemporary life, improve work-life balance for MPs, and increase accessibility for a broader cross-section of the public. There are of course other alterations that would additionally support this, for example electronic voting and call lists, and we are contributing to submissions with the Procedure Committee in regards to these areas.

Why Family-Friendly Scheduling Matters:

1. 1. Supports Gender Equality and Care Responsibilities
      MPs who are parents, especially mothers, often face enormous logistical challenges due to late and unpredictable sitting hours. Family-friendly scheduling would make it easier for MPs to balance their professional and personal responsibilities, increasing retention and progression for women in politics.
   2. Increases Accessibility for Underrepresented Groups
      People from working-class backgrounds, single parents, and those with additional caring duties are less likely to stand for office when the institution's working hours are incompatible with everyday life. Predictable, standardised hours reduce these barriers to entry.
   3. Enhances Public Understanding and Participation
      Sittings that run late into the evening or occur with little warning are difficult for the public—and even journalists—to follow. Regular hours would allow for more consistent media coverage, public scheduling of key debates, and easier civic education for schools and community groups.

1. Improves Physical and Mental Wellbeing
   Chronic overwork and unsociable hours can take a toll on MPs' health, morale, and, critically, effectiveness. Shifting to a healthier schedule supports better decision-making, lowers burnout, and contributes to a more sustainable parliamentary culture.
2. Normalises Healthy Work Practices in Public Life
   A family-friendly Parliament sets the tone for the wider public sector and workforce, signalling that caring and professional life should not be mutually exclusive. This has particular symbolic value in efforts to modernise public life and engage more women and young people.

Considerations:

1. Perception of Reduced Productivity or Commitment - There may be public or media criticism that shorter or more regular hours mean MPs are "working less." It's important to communicate clearly that family-friendly does not mean less rigorous—it means better planned and more accessible.
2. Legislative Timetabling Pressures - Tight legislative schedules—especially during periods of political crisis or major legislation—may require longer hours. Any revised model should retain some flexibility for exceptional circumstances.
3. Impact on Constituency Work - Some MPs argue that regular sitting hours during the day reduce time available for evening constituency events, although only this is only relevant for London based MPs. A hybrid model or scheduled non-sitting weeks can help balance Westminster and local duties.

Our Recommendations:

• Establish a predictable core timetable for debates, questions, and votes, with clear notice periods for changes;
• Avoid late-night sittings as standard practice, reserving them for only exceptional circumstances;
• Consider models from devolved legislatures or international parliaments (e.g., Scotland, New Zealand) that have successfully implemented family-friendly schedules;
• Embed family-friendly reform as part of a broader strategy to attract and retain diverse parliamentary talent, particularly women;
• Communicate clearly to the public that reform is about efficiency, fairness, and accessibility—not reduced effort.

Changing Behaviours to Promote Respect and Engagement

Compassion in Politics and 50:50 Parliament have already submitted on Changing Behaviours to Promote Respect and Engagement - click here to read - and Elect Her support their submissions to challenge adversarial norms. The combative style of debate can deter participation, particularly among women who value collaboration over confrontation. Our recommendation would be to encourage a culture of respectful dialogue, that would include a code of conduct for debate that explicitly values inclusive, constructive contributions and discourages heckling and hostile interjections.

Conclusion

Modernising the House of Commons for the 21st century must include a gender-lens on accessibility, understanding, and inclusion. By reforming language, modernising activities, and evolving behaviours, Parliament can become a place that not only reflects the diversity of the UK but also welcomes it into the heart of democratic participation.

This submission incorporates the views of a group of new MP's with whom Elect Her and Compassion in Politics have been working on a confidential basis.