With 23 June just a few days away, Britons are closer to making one of the biggest decisions of their lifetimes – whether to leave or remain part of the European Union – and women voters, with one million more of them than men, have the power to decide the outcome.
Significantly, a report from independent think tank British Future has suggested that “women are considerably more likely to be undecided about Europe, [as] many don’t know which way they will vote and of those that do, most are ‘leaning’ one way or another but still have yet to make a final decision”. That’s a huge portion of the voting demographic waiting to be swayed either way.
An ICM poll for the Fawcett Society also showed that twice as many women as men are undecided about whether the debate has addressed their issues.
However, both “In” and “Out” campaigners have their work cut of out for them when it comes to persuading women voters which way to vote about the referendum, as research indicates that on the issue of Britain’s EU membership, women are more open to changing their minds than men and are also less certain whether or not to take part.
Many women are of the view that the debate over the EU referendum has been male dominated and while women grasp the importance of the decision, many feel they have not been given enough information to make an informed decision.
In May, shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said: “Women’s voices have been drowned out by the unmistakably masculine and noisy playground spat that is taking place between Tory blokes.”
Deborah Mattinson, founder of Britain Thinks, said: “When I listen to women talking about the Europe debate, what strikes me is their frustration at the way the different arguments are shaping up. They know this is an important decision, and want more information so they can make that choice when the referendum comes. But nobody really seems to be talking about what matters to them.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, energy minister Andrea Leadsom said women cared about issues such as the cost of living, the cost of the UK’s EU membership and future prospects for themselves and their children. She argued that life outside the EU for “many people”, including women, would be “much better”.
In January, more than 50 prominent women wrote and signed a letter to the Evening Standard, urging Britons to vote “In”. The letter argued that leaving the EU would be detrimental to women and that staying would “strengthen families and the UK’s economy”.
The letter was organised by business woman and chair of Women IN, part of the “Remain” campaign, Jenny Halpern Prince. She said: “This is the biggest choice facing Britain for a generation – and women’s views must be central. Our membership of the EU helps create jobs, helps our economy to thrive and provides really important employment safeguards, like maternity and paternity leave. We’d be putting so much at risk by leaving – it just isn’t worth it.”
Brexit campaigners assert that remaining in the EU will continue to have an adverse impact on employment, welfare funding, the economy and Britain’s safety, and that a vote to Leave would improve Britain’s economy and reduce the strain on welfare benefits, the NHS and other public services.
Leadsom added that the UK had “surrendered its sovereignty” to the EU, that 60 per cent of UK laws and regulations were made in Brussels. She said: “It’s absolutely not the case that the rights of women or equal opportunities would diminish in the UK if it left the EU.”
Campaigners on both sides of the debate have highlighted how a Brexit would impact female-centric issues such as gender equality, social justice, maternity rights, equal pay and tampon tax, to capture women voters. However, what neither camp has managed to do is connect the more economic and political consequences of Brexit on a “personal level”.
The British Future report said: “Both sides of the big Europe argument have struggled to find the voice that makes sense to most women. Campaigners will need to take account of differences between young and old, married and unmarried, women who are working and those without a paid job.
“Voters will be influenced by a range of factors and advocates will need to build up a picture of the various ‘tribes’ of referendum voters, how they are likely to vote and the approaches and messengers that are most likely to persuade them.
“Public voices on both sides of the EU debate are going to have to make their arguments much more ‘human-friendly’ if they want to win the support of undecided voters.”
While women may be more undecided about the EU Referendum, they’re no less likely to vote – and with more women voters than men, that equals millions of votes potentially up for grabs in the referendum. Whether Britain moves forward post 23 June as it is or sans an EU membership remains to be seen, but what’s imperative to both camps is that British women wield the power of their vote.
