Harriet Harman should be congratulated for keeping together a tight-knit Labour Party for almost 5 months. She hands over her reigns this evening when the new Labour leader is announced.
In an interview in today’s Times, she is credited with forcing through equalities law to improve maternity leave and childcare provision. Yet Harman feels that women’s equality is slipping backwards, that there is still deeply entrenched inequality between men and women, and that the increasing ageing population has made matters worse for women who will shoulder most of the responsibility for their care, on top of childcare.
I feel we should all do more to care for our parents when they become elderly. But I would like employers to be sympathetic to these needs too.
Harman believes there are still too few women in the House of Commons – the percentage has soared from 3% to 20% since she was first elected 28 years ago when she was pregnant for the first time; she has two sons and a daughter who are in their 20s. She was fortunate to have a supportive husband Jack Dromey who shares the housework. He is now an MP too.
Does she wish she had spent more time with her children? Like any a skilled politician, she has cleverly evaded answering, though The Times has construed it as an admission that she had. It’s a dilemma faced by all working women:
“It’s the lot of every working woman to think that they could and should be doing more at home and they could and should be doing more at work. I don’t think there’s anybody who doesn’t think they could have done things differently, whether you are a mother who stayed at home with her children or a mother who worked full-time. No mother thinks they have done a brilliant job. To be a mother is to feel guilty. You always want to do more and you always want to do better. But we all try and do the best we can in a not perfect world.”
Do the kids ever have a say on whether they wished they saw more of their mum, or dad, come to that?
*It’s good to see Conservative MP Nadine Dorries praising Harriet’s interim leadership too, despite their differing political views. That’s what I call mature politics.
I never had a so called career when my children were little.. I worked evenings part-time when the husband was home, and then I worked during the day part-time when they were at school and nursery. My friends and I all worked together so we also helped each other out in the holidays or when children were sick. We also had to cope when the husbands were sent away with the Forces. So not your normal day to day living. I have never thought about whether I could of done things differently or not .. we just got on with it..
Well you can tell Harriet Harman , that I think I did a brilliant job in bringing up my children and have never felt guilty at all.. they had what I could give them (which was most of what they wanted or liked) and I was around for them.
Well said, Anne.
Mrs Weggis chose to be a full-time housewife and mother and doesn’t regret one single moment. Strong girl, my lady, who stood firm in her beliefs against the “sisterhood” who wanted her to toe the line and get a job.
I find Harriet Harman annoyingly wet, to be frank. And that hurt little girl voice she puts on when under political attack from politicians of the opposite sex is truly pathetic. I just wanna shake her and say YOU’RE A GROWN WOMAN HARMAN – ACT LIKE ONE!
ps she often makes some v salient points in that wet little girl lost voice, which makes me instinctively disagree, which I find most annoying, as I would agree with her wholeheartedly – if only she wasn’t such a drip!
I chose to be at home with my kids too when they were young so I don’t have any guilt there. I don’t know how mums have the energy to manage a high-powered full-time job as well as being an MP.
Harriet Harman , dripping wet but of course from a wealthy background so no doubt could afford good quality home care for her children when required.
Jack Drommey , never had a proper job in his life , perma student .
Of course children suffer if Mum is at work all day .
You see the tiniest of tots being dropped at the crack of dawn at ” child care centres ” where they are no the centre of a loving environment but simply just another kid in the room .
How can they feel loved and cared for ?
My family were working class and my Mum never went out to work other than when she was in her 60s and she went to the local school as a lunch time supervisor .
For her children it was a blessing as she was there when ever and for whatever reason we needed her.
My brother had terrible asthma as a child and I was constantly ill , it didnt cause any problems as she simply tucked us up in bed and sat with us till we were well again .
We didnt have a fancy house or holidays abroad but that didnt matter ,far better that we knew she was always there to look after us.
As for expecting employers to provide even more time of for those who are supposed to be working for them !
They are already expected to be burdened with maternity leave how much more should business have to put up with .
No wonder the country is in such a state, lets hope that David Cameron realises this has got to stop .
On a lighter note are you going to Chippenham Park open day on Oct 10th ( Autumn colours )?
I remember a couple of Lib Dem women councillors telling me when they were elected to the County Council, as young mums, that when sat in a cubicle in the cubicles in the toilets, a bunch of older female councillors from another party walked in and started slagging off these two young mums as “an utter disgrace” and “feckless” for daring to leave the home and not be with their kids. For the two Lib Dem ladies, it was upsetting, but spoke volumes about why they were not in the party that theser older ladies were in.
We should be glad Harriet Harperson isn’t the new leader. No one would stand to be lectured by her.
The Conservatives have a great gift by Ed Milliband being elected by the unions. The MPs and membership wanted his brother. That fact will hang over him throughout his leadership.
Yes Jean Luc Ed the Red is a dream come true and will never get over being lumbered with getting the support of the dinasours ( the union leadership )cant wait to see if he really goes on the rally with them to ” save ” jobs in the public sector !
What a hoot.
As for Norfolk blogger as a councillor myself ( non party thank the Lord ) I watch Lib Dem women councillors and they are no better or worse than the Tory ladies other than they are so PC its beyond a joke most of the time .
Just watched the news !
Ed Milipead is even stranger than his brother !
The Martians surely have landed at Labour HQ .
disaffected, thanks for your comments and the flag up on Chippenham Park Open Day. It sounds wonderful and I keep meaning to go. I have the date in my diary, but it depends if I do a walk with the ramblers.
Your mum sounds great, and I bet she wouldn’t have done things differently if she had her time again.
I do think mothers are undervalued by society. I made it a priority for bringing up my two sons and have no regrets or guilt. They will always remain my pride and joy and major achievement in life, knowing that they can stand on their own feet and lead independent, fulfilled lives.
I shall be interested to see how Ed gets on against Cameron in PMQs. I think he will be torn to shreds.
Maalie, no doubt you are right. I guess I must write a post about the Milibands as comments are being posted here about it.