Women to play a deciding role in the upcoming British elections - Building Gender Balanced Business

With the race between Labour and the Conservatives still too close to call as the 6th of May approaches, both political parties are focusing on women in an effort to get some of the last remaining votes. After having turned their back on the Conservatives in 2005, recent polling suggests that British women are changing their minds again, much to Cameron’s delight.

The “Mumsnet election”

The approaching election being dubbed “Mumsnet election” , in reference to a popular social networking site for mothers, reveals just how importantly the women’s vote is regarded.
The assumption that women tend to stay undecided for a longer period of time (backed by recent polling) and the notion that women switch their political allegiances more frequently can explain why politicians are bending over backwards to reach out to them.
Joining live web Chats on the notorious Mumsnet, sitting down with Glamour or Cosmopolitan and actively involving their wives in the campaign are just some of the ways through which Brown and Cameron are trying to identify with their country’s women. Brown even travelled to Bristol to make amends for a gaffe he made on Mumsnet.

Which way are women leaning?

Until 1997, women were more likely to vote Conservative but as they started working, they began favoring the Labour party.
Surveys by Mumsnet and Netmums (a similar website aiming a generally poorer public) both have the Conservatives ahead, but by varying margins.

Whether women remain faithful to their Labor favorite of 2005, or change their minds again, it is clear that the British politicians have recognized that women play a crucial role in deciding elections.

The Economist Article
New York Times Article