Impact case study database

The Good Parliament Report ( TGP) [3.1], launched by Mr Speaker in July 2016, documented the House of Commons’ diversity insensitivities and set out a comprehensive reform agenda, with 43 formal recommendations. In the words of Rt Hon John Bercow, TGP is ‘A superb, evidence-led, ground-breaking report which began to shift the dial’; ‘the beauty of it was that Sarah […] captured the essence of our problem’; ‘Sarah had ideas, offered evidence, forged links across the House and, through ability and application, made a real difference’ [5.1]. Eighteen recommendations, which took the form of new or revised parliamentary rules and revisions to established practices, have since been implemented: R1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 28, 29, 40, 41, plus one on breastfeeding. As summarised by Bercow, ‘the changes that took place to make the Commons more diversity sensitive […] represent truly remarkable progress in a very small c conservative institution’ [5.1].

(i) Adoption of Gender and Diversity Sensitive Parliament Practices in the UK Parliament

A More Diverse and Inclusive Parliament

The implementation of TGP recommendations has created a more diverse and inclusive experience for MPs in the House. For example, the new dress code (R16) set out in the updated ‘Rules of behaviour and courtesies in the House’ (2018) revises the norms for men to dress more formally than women, and to reflect ‘western’ clothing [5.2]. Changes to the ‘ten-year dead’ rule, whereby only those dead for a decade are represented in artworks in the Palace (R40), ensures that portraits of newer MPs – those more likely to be female and BAME – will now hang in the Palace [5.2]. There is also an ongoing commitment to ensure the artwork is more diverse (R41) [5.2]. The re-design for double-sided parliamentary ID passes (R20), reduces micro-aggressions against young, BAME and women politicians [5.2].

With regard to other House rules, a change has been introduced regarding select committee witnesses to ensure a more gender balanced representation (R14), alongside sustained and substantial administrative efforts to monitor and improve outcomes (R28) [5.2]. The House of Commons Witness gender diversity report (2018) points to the TGP as prompting renewed efforts to increase and monitor witness diversity and recommends that ‘ a panel of three or more witnesses should normally include at least one woman’ [5.3]. Measures to increase diversity of speakers, especially from under-engaged academic groups, have also been put in place by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology [5.2].

Mother and Family Friendly Reforms

The TGP recognized that given the nature of parliamentary hours, MPs would often be debating and voting whilst also caring for babies and small children; it also called attention to the failure to provide for maternity and paternity leave for MPs. TGP’s implementation led to a review of crèche facilities, following which an emergency childcare service was piloted (R13) [5.2]. In response to the recommendations to the TGP, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority also introduced changes to improve financial support for MPs with dependants [5.4]. Following R3, the Commons Reference Group endorsed Mr Speaker’s approach to allow children up to the age of five in the division lobbies [5.2]. In September 2018, Mr Speaker permitted Jo Swinson MP to bring her baby son into a debate; and in December 2019 three women MPs – Creasy, Reeves and Badenoch – brought babies to their ‘swearing in’. In February 2020, the new Speaker announced that he would permit MP breastfeeding [5.5].

Arguably, the most significant reform has been the introduction of proxy voting for MPs on babyleave (R12) – a change to the Commons’ Standing Order which was made permanent in September 2020. It followed coordinated efforts by the Commons Reference Group, advised by Childs, and working with the ‘mother of the House’, Harriet Harman, which led to the Commons to adopt a resolution in its favour; a Procedure Committee implementation Report; a further non-voteable debate; and its passage without division in January 2019 [5.1]. According to Bercow, ‘ This is an historic change to the practices of the Commons, and it would not yet have happened without the leadership of Sarah Childs, I am very clear about that’ [5.1]. Evidence submitted to the Procedure Committee’s review included Ellie Reeves MP stating that she would not have had a second baby without proxy voting [5.4]. Darren Jones MP claims that The EU Withdrawal (No 5) Bill (aka Cooper-Letwin bill), passed by a single vote (313 - 312), was due to his proxy [5.6].

(ii) Institutionalization of Gender Sensitive Parliament change in the UK Parliament

Institutionalization of GSP was designed into TGP through: (1) linking each recommendation to particular individuals or institutions, reflecting the dispersed nature of power in the Commons; and (2) the creation of new institutions. Designed as a key institutional driver of TGP, the Commons Reference Group (CRG) on Representation and Inclusion was established by Mr Speaker following a recommendation by Childs, who advised the group throughout [5.1]. Between 2016-18 the Group played a key role in prioritizing recommendations and undertaking various activities to ensure adoption [5.2]. For instance, in order to address the gender insensitive and hierarchical culture of the House (R1), and as part of Parliament’s ongoing response to sexual harassment and bullying, the CRG recommended that ‘ the new Code of Behaviour explicitly discourage behaviour which silences or undermines’. This is now reflected in the updated ‘Rules of Behaviour and Courtesies’ and is mentioned in the Speaker’s statement made at the start of each session [5.2]. The Reference Group also played a key role in the successful efforts to make the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) permanent by passing a motion of the House (R25). The WEC subsequently undertook formal Inquiries into women’s political representation in the House of Commons, including evidence from Childs [5.7]. Another step in the institutionalisation of GSP was the completion of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s GSP Audit (R5) of both Houses of Parliament in 2018, the first of its kind in an established democracy [5.1] [5.4]. According to, the Manager of the Gender Partnership Programme, Inter-Parliamentary Union , ‘ Sarah’s very good knowledge of the IPU’s GSP approach, her strong advocacy towards implementation of the recommendation of TGP, her connections with the Speaker and other members of influence in the UK Parliament paved the way to make the conduct of the Audit possible.’ [5.4].

The CRG, working with WEC, not only led on initiating gender and diversity sensitive reforms, but has also held other institutional actors named in TGP to account. As part of the IPU Audit [5.4], the Reference Group Clerk oversaw preparations by both Houses and worked with the IPU Gender Director, and MPs, Lords and staff during the Audit. The WEC, whose Chair Maria Miller was also a key member of CRG, undertook a follow-up inquiry in 2019 to chart progress from the 2018 IPU GSP audit [5.2]. This process generated a Response to the Audit from the House of Commons Commission and the House of Lords Commission in June 2019; and both institutions expressed their continuing commitment to future Audits [5.2].

(iii) Gender Sensitive Parliaments in devolved and international governments

TGP has also had an impact beyond the UK Parliament. Childs gave evidence and commented on the draft report of the Commission on Parliamentary Reform for the Scottish Parliament, with the TGP cited in the report on gender and representation of witnesses, which advocates for similar reforms to the UK’s. The Scottish Parliament recognised that ‘[i]n relation to diversity, and gender in particular, The Good Parliament report, by Childs, has been an important influence’ [5.8]. Childs’ impact has also centred on her formal membership, on a job-share basis with Rosie Campbell, of the Expert Panel on the National Assembly for Wales (NAfW) [5.9]. Its Chair states, ‘ *without doubt, Prof Childs’ work with legislatures elsewhere, as well as the comparative conclusions that she was able to draw, solidified our specific recommendations on quotas and job share.*’ [5.9] Moreover, TGP had direct impact on the States Assembly of Jersey to make it ‘ more representative of the community it represents’, including the establishment of ‘ a Diversity Forum, made up of States Members’, which undertook a GSP audit and ‘ a recent paper on initiatives to improve candidate diversity, approved by the Privileges and Procedures Committee in October 2020’ [5.10]. According to the Deputy Greffier (clerk to the legislature), ‘ I firmly believe that Professor Childs’ active involvement from these early stages […] was pivotal in gaining support […] across the political spectrum for the aim of working towards a gender-sensitive parliament’ [5.10].

Following its publication Childs was asked to present TGP internationally to Alberta State legislature, Catalunya, Finland, Jersey, and New Zealand Parliaments. In this way, Childs has supported other academics and parliamentary staff’s GSP efforts (Kantola, Finland and EU; Ashe, Canada; Verge, Catalunya). She also met with Speakers (Canada 2016, Iceland 2016) and Leaders of international Parliaments (Canada 2018) to discuss recommendations from TGP, and gave evidence to parliamentary inquiries (Canada 2018). TGP drove Childs’ authoring of the 2020 GSP Commonwealth Parliamentarian Association GSP guidelines, and (with Palmieri) the UN Women GSP Covid-19 Primer & Checklist.