Undervaluing roles and progressing in the party

In politics, public facing and campaigning roles are often seen as more important and are given a greater value than roles which are more administrative, internal or repetitive. Unfortunately, due to structural inequalities and assumptions described above, undervalued roles are often the ones which women, disabled people, ethnic minorities and LGBTI people end up taking on. This means they often find themselves less able to progress in politics or progressing slower than people who are not in these groups.

Not everybody in your party will have ambitions to hold political office or run political campaigns. However, for those who do it is important that they have equal access to progression opportunities and processes are transparent.

In some organisations, there may be unspoken requirements that a person has demonstrate before they will be accepted as a potential candidate or organiser. For example, it might be necessary to attend certain social events, convince influential party members or demonstrate your loyalty by making donations to the party or always being available to canvass.

These types of requirements often exclude people, particularly people who have caring responsibilities, are disabled or have a lower income. While you may need volunteers and candidates to have particular skills, experience or qualifications to carry out the role, you should ensure that your requirements can be objectively justified.

For example, expecting candidates to actively campaign in several elections before they put themselves forward as a candidate could exclude women who have recently been on maternity leave or people who have physical barriers which prevent them from being able to canvass. This type of requirement can contribute to why many people from protected groups. It is important to consider the impact a person’s contribution has had on the organisation not just the amount of hours they have put in.

To find out more about how to make your recruitment and selection processes more inclusive visit the Selecting Candidates module of the Equal Representation in Politics Tool.

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