Tory support amongst female voters has plummeted in the wake of childcare policy changes new research commissioned by high profile mothering website Mumsnet suggests.
According to the research, carried out by polling organisation Ipsos MORI, female support the Conservative Party now stands at just 29 per cent, down from 36 per cent at the 2010 election. Support for the Labour Party amongst women, meanwhile, has jumped from 31 per cent in 2010 to 42 per cent.
Amongst women aged 18 to 34, the gap between Labour and Conservative support now stands at a hefty 25 per cent (48 versus 23 per cent). The gap is only slightly lower amongst women aged 35 to 54 – 46 per cent in favour of Labour versus 25 Conservative support.
Support for the Liberal Democrats amongst female voters has also declined dramatically – from 26 per cent at the 2010 election to just 11 per cent today.
The report, entitled The Women Problem, cites recent policy changes on family issues – such as the cuts of child benefit for families earning more than £50,000. Stay at home mothers said they felt undervalued by politicians.
A mother called Carmen told Mumsnet:
“I am a professional, educated woman who has chosen to stay at home with my children who are small. The party leaders talk about respecting those parents who make the same choice but then in the next moment turn around and completely dismiss them. It seems you are only valued if you go to work.”
Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said:
“This study shows just how crucial appealing to women in the run-up to the election is going to be, as currently so many are…unenthused politically.”
I think it is truly laughable the sense of entitlement that some people feel, while dads in the same position are expected to bust a gut balancing work and care.
Hopefully, gone are the days when you could have a child, then dispose of dad and manipulate the system in all ways in order to get yourself on all sorts of benefits.
That’s not equality.
P.S. As usual, the opinion of men on these matters is not even considered by the so-called ‘new research’.
The changes to the children’s act contained in the children & families bill will speed up the number of children put into care & who loose contact with one parent. The children & families bill is a major missed opportunity to improve the outcomes for children. Our current politicians seem more interested is selling advice on how to get around the law than changing it to introduce shared parenting which has been studied & accepted to be in the best interests of children. I think things have to get a lot worse before enough people will use their democratic right to make a real difference. None of the government funded fathers rights groups are ever going to help change things & history proves they never have. I don’t think it will be this generation but the next one who will bring about a real change by putting what is in the best interests of children before making money but hope I’m wrong. Over the last 10 years more people have become aware of what the problems are but they have all failed to gain the support required to demand change & redress. I don’t think we will ever be able to get it until enough people help each other & they all write to their political representatives about one issue at a time & publish their replies on the Internet so everyone can see what they say & do to help or not.
I agree with Bill’s comments. So many women now expect the State to step in and fund their lifestyle in some way. It goes right across the board from single mothers who have children knowing they will be entitled to housing and child benefit, to the well educated who think that the State should pay the cost of their child care fees, or if they stay at home, to re-imbuse then for looking after their own children. Personally I would like to see the end to the ‘something for nothing culture’. The benefit system should go back to its roots – which was to help those in dire need to get by until they were able to manage by their own efforts.
“The report, entitled The Women Problem, cites recent policy changes on family issues – such as the cuts of child benefit for families earning more than £50,000. Stay at home mothers said they felt undervalued by politicians.”
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Actually this statement is inaccurate and this policy is one of the main reasons why families with a stay-at-home parent are so angry.
If EITHER parent earns £50k then child benefit is cut and if either parent earns £60k it is completely removed, however, if for example both parents earn about £45k (£90k total) then there is no cut and if both parents were to earn £55k (£110k total) there would only be a partial cut.
So you will have situations where couples with a combined income of £50k will get less child benefit than a couple with nearly £100k !!!
It’s specifically unfair to couples who have a stay-at-home parent – and politically ballot-box bonkers as well – as the article suggests. Frankly the government deserve a good kicking on this.
Got to give them credit for closing the csa and school meals and married person allowance though.
It would be good if someone could sort out my ‘Woman Problem’ for me.