By Lauren Codling
IT is more important than ever that all women make their voices heard, politicians emphasised as the 100-year anniversary of women being able to vote was marked on Tuesday (6).
This week marks the centenary of the Representation of People Act 1918 which was introduced to allow some women to vote for the first time.
Before this law was implemented, women were not given the right to vote in general elections.
On Tuesday, prime minister Theresa May was expected to pay tribute to campaigners who fought for equal rights.
“Those who fought to establish their right – my right, every woman’s right – to vote in elections, to stand for office and to take their full and rightful place in public life did so in the face of fierce opposition,” she is expected to say. “They persevered in spite of all danger and discouragement because they knew their cause was right.”
May, who is the second female leader of the UK after Margaret Thatcher took office in 1979, added: “As the woman at the head of our country’s government, a century after my grandmothers were first given the right to vote, my mission is clear.
“To build that better future for all our people, a country that works for everyone, and a democracy where every voice is heard.”
May is expected to make an appearance in Manchester on the anniversary, a central point of activism for the women’s suffrage movement and the birthplace and home of Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the suffragette movement in the early 20th century.
Other fellow politicians also urged women to continue using the right to vote.
In the 2015 general election, fewer than half of 18-to-24-year-old women and just 54 per cent of women aged between 25-34 voted whilst fewer women than men voted in the 2016 EU referendum.
Dr Rupa Huq, Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, said as a woman, she is “all too aware” of the history of how women and the non-property-owning classes had to fight for the right to do so, which makes “[voting] of amplified significance”.
“I vote to make a difference,” she said. “With all its imperfections and caveats it is our way of having our say.”
The politician added: “Voting may seem a bit distant - putting an x in a box every five years - but it is our way of affecting real change.”
Labour MP Preet Gill, representative for Birmingham Edgbaston, said she hopes to see more women voting and to make sure they are aware they make a difference.
“There is, unfortunately, still a sense in some quarters of questioning whether voting really matters, and indeed at times there is reluctance by women to vote,” Gill told Eastern Eye. “I want to see more women voting, clear in the knowledge that the decisions their elected representatives make affect women just as much as they do men.”
She added that in the current social and political climate, it is a more important time than ever to assure that women make their opinions heard.
“With issues such as the rise of recorded hate crimes in the wake of the Brexit vote and the continued existence of race inequality, it is as important as ever that all women, including Asian women, make their voices heard at the ballot box,” she said.
Conservative MP Rehman Chishti told Eastern Eye the centenary anniversary is both a time to "celebrate and reflect".
Chishti, who represents Gillingham and Rainham, said: "Many women suffered for the cause – and we will be remembering the hundreds of women that suffered and sacrificed their livelihoods to give next generations the vote .
"I’m sure that today there are many aspects of our democracy of which they’d be proud."
He also added that Asian women's votes are "vital".
"Asian women are the backbone of their communities and therefore of the country too - so exercising their vote is vital," he said. "My father, uncle and grandfather were all Imams [so] I know personally that women are highly valued in Asian Muslim communities – and we are showing that."
"Indeed the first Muslim woman to speak at the despatch box was an Asian Conservative MP, Nusrat Ghani."
Labour MP Afzal Khan told Eastern Eye he thinks it is “crucial” that women are engaged at all levels of politics, including turning out to vote.
As the representative of Manchester, Gorton, he added with the Manchester local elections occurring in May, he hoped to see many women, and men, turning out to vote for their local council representatives.
“Turnout at local elections can often fall below levels we see in national elections but I hope this year, with the marking of the centenary of women’s' suffrage, that we see many more people turn out to vote, especially women,” he said.
Khan, who was formerly the Mayor of Manchester in 2005, said the centenary anniversary reminds us of the “hard won nature of the struggle to extend the franchise and the value of participatory democracy to all groups in society”.
“We still have some way to go before our Parliament is fully representative of the country it serves and marking the centenary both highlights the progress we have made to date and the distance we still have to travel on the road to full representation,” he said.
Labour MP Mohammad Yasin, representative for Bedford, told Eastern Eye although he saw the 100 years anniversary as a reason to celebrate, there is still a long way to go.
"There’s still so much more to do – the news only recently confirming the huge gender pay gap for women working part-time confirms the scale of the problem," he said. "Equality is still a way off."
On the importance of women casting their votes and engaging in politics, Yasin added: "The more women vote, the more politicians will feel the need to listen to what they have to say and to tailor their policies to address their concerns, so it’s vital that all women use their vote."
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event