Cameron defends female government pledge
Monday, 10 March 2008 12:00 AM
David Cameron has repeated his wish to hand a third of government jobs to Conservative women.
The Tory leader said this was not about imposing quotas but setting the "realistic aspiration" that a third of government jobs could be held by women by the end of his first term in government, should his party win the next general election.
The ambition was criticised when it was first announced, with critics claiming it risked bypassing more talented men.
Speaking to Radio 4's Women's Hour Mr Cameron, however, insisted he supported the Conservative principle that success should be gained "through merit and your own efforts".
Accordingly he rejected calls for all-female shortlists for candidates as a "step too far".
But he accepted the Conservative party "does under-represent women".
Just 17 of the party's 196 seats are held by women. In the Commons four women sit on the shadow Cabinet, alongside five MPs called David, and there are seven women on the 30-strong frontbench Tory team.
Mr Cameron confirmed it was his aspiration that a third of ministers would be women by the end of the next Conservative government - setting the party the implicit task of nearly doubling the number of female MPs.
He continued: "I wouldn't set a quota for the Cabinet, but I think that it is right to set that aspiration for the government as a whole.
"If you look at ministers as a whole, that's Cabinet and junior ministers - the whole of the government, which is normally around 100 ministers - the aspiration is one third of them should be women.
"I haven't set a separate quota for junior ministers or Cabinet ministers - I don't believe in that sort of quota setting - but I think it is a realistic aspiration, it's something that I want to achieve as prime minister."
Mr Cameron insisted he was also "pushing very hard" to encourage more women to stand as Conservative MPs.
But he said the party was struggling to attract good women to come forward as candidates, and then for them to get through to the latter stages of selection.
Despite this, 30 per cent of Conservative candidates are now women.
Mr Cameron cited Margaret Thatcher as an example of how women could "bust the glass ceiling.
He said the Conservative party risked excluding an "extremely talented part of the population," if it excluded women, as it has "for too long".
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