South Ayrshire has elected the lowest number of women to its council since it formed three decades ago.
Just three female members were elected to the local authority – the fewest since 1995 when almost half of councillors were women.
It is also half the number who were elected in 2017. At the same time, women make up 52 per cent of the South Ayrshire population.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to SNP councillor Julie Dettbarn about the challenges facing women who want to stand for election.
And she was clear that much more needs to be done to overcome the barriers – whether that is verbal abuse, parenting, inadequate pay and safety – to get more women into local politics.
The Kyle SNP councillor stressed the importance of having female views represented at council level, particularly when it comes to decision-making.
She said: “Of all the democratic chambers, your local council is where you want councillors to look most like the people you represent, not just be full of men or older people.
"There needs to be a diversity of backgrounds.”
Of course, when it comes to representing South Ayrshire women, the problem is not about a minority.
Despite making up more than half of the South Ayrshire population, just over ten per cent of elected members are women.
Cllr Dettbarn said that a huge effort had been made by her party to push towards gender balance.
She said: “In some places it has worked but in most places it has been a struggle to get the kind of gender balance we are looking for.
“In South Ayrshire I can’t help but be aware that we are a million miles away from it right now.”
But what are the barriers to women becoming elected members?
“Being a local councillor, if you are a woman, can be quite a tough gig,” she said. “Politics has become quite a toxic environment.
“I think also people underestimate the kind of hours that councillors put in.
“I know everything is supposed to be equal in the 21st century, but the fact remains that the caring responsibilities, raising the children, cooking the dinners, tends to fall on women.
“My two are teenagers and are quite self-sufficient but five years ago they were quite frequently hauled in here [Ayr County Buildings) with me during the summer holidays.
“They would be sat in the members’ library with a juice and a packet of crisps and warned ‘do not move’."
She also called out the view that councillors are ‘earning big bucks’. A basic councillor’s salary is £19,571.
She said: “Councillors are often not paid for the hours we are doing. Being a councillor is not a 9 to 5 job. We work weekends and we work evenings.
“I didn’t realise, particularly among our younger councillors, how many are on benefits. I found that a real jaw-dropping moment, that single parents raising their children need benefits.
“Even working for their local authority, they don’t earn enough and need to claim to make ends meet.”
The abuse aimed at councillors is another reason for the lack of female councillors, particularly those on social media, Cllr Dettbarn said.
“Social media has had an effect on the way people communicate," she added. "They sit behind a keyboard and say things they would never say to your face.
“For people thinking whether being a councillor was something they may want to do, that would play a big part in their consideration.”
Cllr Dettbarn also expressed disappointment in the lack of women in the cabinet.
She said: “For most of the five years, I was the only woman and I would say I brought quite an important perspective.
“Don’t we want our council to representative of residents’ lived experience? Younger, more female, disabled, minority members so our society is reflected in our council.
“Here in South Ayrshire we clearly have a way to go.”
Below is the year and number of female representatives elected from councillors' total...
- 1995 – 12 of 25
- 1999 – 11 of 30
- 2003 – 6 of 30
- 2007 – 8 of 30
- 2012 – 9 of 30
- 2017 – 6 of 28
- 2022 – 3 of 28
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