logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
38m 1s

Why are female politicians still taken l...

The New Statesman
About this episode

Why are women still taken less seriously than men?


Alona Ferber, senior editor at the New Statesman, is joined by Mary Ann Seighart, journalist, former assistant editor of The Times, visiting professor at Kings College London and author of The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it.


One of the things that shocked Mary Ann Seighart most from writing this book was that even the most senior, successful, authoritative women are taken less seriously. Even being president of a country doesn't insulate women from the authority gap. Why is this?


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Aug 23
The Manosphere: Red pills, incels and a misogyny epidemic | James Bloodworth interview
Students across the UK have reported a dramatic rise in misogyny in their schools. The government has described this as being on an "epidemic scale". This is often connected to social media content targeted at young men and boys, but is there more to it?Anoosh Chakelian is joined ... Show More
25m 12s
Aug 22
Can the UK solve the plummeting birthrate dilemma? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian
Due to Britain’s falling birth rates and the government’s desire for lower immigration levels, does the government have any plan to financially encourage and support couples to have children?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to answer listener questio ... Show More
21m 11s
Aug 21
Andy Burnham: the next Prime Minister? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian
The Mayor of Manchester is the most popular choice to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.Keir Starmer is now less popular than Donald Trump.Despite the Labour Party's historic election win just over one year ago, popularity ratings for leading Labour figures have plummeted.Ec ... Show More
20m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Why Women Are Underrepresented in U.S. Politics
Despite making up roughly half of the U.S. population, women only make up about one-quarter of representatives and senators. And this trend is not just national—it holds true globally as well. What explains why women are underrepresented in politics? If women are just as likely t ... Show More
50m 18s
Nov 2022
Why aren’t there more women in politics?
While female representation in politics has improved in recent years, gender parity remains a distant dream. Women comprise more than half of the global population but only 26 per cent of lawmakers around the world are female. Why aren’t there more women in politics? And what wil ... Show More
33m 11s
Sep 2023
Who Runs the World?... Not Women
Female representation in politics leads to numerous benefits, but the vast majority of the world’s most powerful politicians are men. Using the Council on Foreign Relations’ Women’s Power Index tool to track women’s leadership across the globe, this episode examines the problems ... Show More
36m 10s
Jan 2023
Is it getting any easier for women in politics?
Jacinda Ardern’s resignation as New Zealand’s PM this month came as a surprise to millions around the world. When she came to office in 2017, she stuck out as a contrast to populist leaders that dominated the global scene at the time. To some, she was a progressive female icon. S ... Show More
48m 53s
Mar 2022
Only Handbag in the Lobby (with Olivia Blake MP)
Labour MP Olivia Blake says politicians face misogyny in a way women don't in many other jobs. On International Women's Day, she tells Bloomberg Westminster's Caroline Hepker that all women candidate lists have been an effective tool to improve representation.Plus, Conservative p ... Show More
23m 13s
Apr 2022
Why are many women harassed in newsrooms?
Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains open and frank discussions about topic listeners might find distressing. Across Africa’s newsrooms, sexual harassment appears to be rife. That’s according to research by Women in News - a media development programme. Half of a ... Show More
12m 43s
Jan 2023
Andrew Tate: Why is misogyny so popular online?
The arrest of controversial British-American influencer Andrew Tate in Romania as a part of a human trafficking and rape investigation has pulled his brand of online misogyny back into the headlines. Tate, who denies the allegations against him, is a former kickboxer who rose to ... Show More
49m 8s
Mar 2024
Why are women still taken less seriously than men? | Mary Ann Sieghart
Women are routinely underestimated, overlooked, interrupted, talked over or mistaken for someone more junior at the workplace. Author Mary Ann Sieghart calls this the "authority gap" — all the ways women are (still) taken less seriously than men, despite proven competence and exp ... Show More
13m 17s