It’s no longer raining men. There is a huge number of female independents vying for seats at the upcoming Federal election, including some with a good chance of winning.
So will this shift see a changing of the guard in Australian politics generally?
The gender imbalance among the key independents running in 2022 is stark. Of the confirmed independent candidates, almost 1 in every 2 are women (57 men to 49 women). So, what does this mean and why does this matter for women?
First, it’s a question of numbers. Let’s assume that at least a few of these female independent candidates are successful in the upcoming election. These wins are likely to deliver an overall rise in the number of women in Australian parliament.
Australia ranked 50th in the 2021 World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index, 54th when it comes to how far we are from reaching gender parity in politics. This makes Australia one of the worst performers of all OECD nations – that is, those nations who can afford to do better. These female independents may help our nation play catch-up while we seriously consider the possibility of a legislated electoral quota for women, given the potential demonstrated by the ALP’s 1994 pre-selection quota for women and the ALP’s 2015 target to reach 50 per cent of female MPs by 2025.
Second, this could lead to improved outcomes for women. I have spent the past five years tracking the impact of women leaders – in particular, women presidents – on women’s lives. When women lead, women-friendly law reform seems to pick up pace as a fire is lit under the belly of women advocates who exploit what appears to be a more open attitude to ‘women’s issues’. There is also the potential for a role model effect, whereby more women are motivated to walk the challenging pathway to politics.
The question to ask is whether these particular female independent candidates running in the 2022 federal election will bring about more ‘women-friendly’ outcomes? Which women will benefit? And what so-called women’s issues will rise? Will Janine Kitson, an independent candidate for Bradfield, prioritise free public early childhood education? Or bring a gender lens to her agenda on aged care, where we know women dominate paid labour and are also – given their longer life expectancy – more likely to be affected by the quality of care? Will Allegra Spender, as an independent candidate for Wentworth, translate her belief in a more inclusive society into a genuine push for gender-responsive laws (and the budgets to back them), to make society better for those who suffer from gender-based discrimination? And does Sheneli Dona, a 23-year-old Sri Lankan migrant who grew up in Western Sydney running as an independent candidate for Hume, have a chance to help make the Australian parliament more racially, age and gender diverse: in short, more representative?
Third, with more women on the inside, we could hope to see an acceleration in the pace of change when it comes to parliamentary workplaces. This is not to ignore the valid criticism that women alone should not bear the brunt of responsibility for changing our parliamentary practices. This is a societal –not women’s – problem. Too often, individual women have carried the responsibility for bringing to the public awareness the gendered inequalities that underpin (or even hold up) our political system. Our first and only female Prime Minister Julia Gillard made world headlines with her now infamous ‘misogyny speech’. While in more recent times, Brittany Higgins, reminds us not only how inadequately Australian society responds to allegations of rape made by victims, but also why parliament is such an unappealing workplace for women. Yet one could hope that the weight will be less to bear when shared across the shoulders of more women, if they succeed come election time. This may result in a safer and more attractive workplace that could encourage a greater diversity of Australian women to participate in politics.
So, is it fair to expect all of these changes? Will the rise of the female independent necessarily mean good outcomes for Australian women? The evidence is mixed and is, at best, speculative. But this may be a pivotal turning point. So, let’s speculate. We could see more women rise, even if those who succeed do not represent the full diversity of Australian women. Yet, with less restrictions imposed on them from party structures, these independents will be freer to follow their chosen agendas. And, particularly if they hold the balance of power, we could hope for a more robust parliamentary debate about what can and should be done to reduce gender inequality. After all, once again we only have the option of two men fighting for the top job. If nothing else, an increase in independent female representatives in parliament will help end our complacency towards our unacceptably low global rankings on gender equality.