Female Conservative Ministers from Cameron to May
| Published date | 01 December 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905816680414 |
| Author | Tim Heppell |
| Date | 01 December 2016 |
16 POLITICAL INSIGHT • DECEMBER 2016
The print media coverage of
the first set of ministerial
appointments made by Theresa
May as Prime Minister had a
confused message when it came to female
ministerial advancement. On the one
hand,
The Daily Telegraph
described her
appointments as a ‘triumph for women’,
and
The Guardian
said that May had
appointed ‘female allies to key Cabinet
positions’. On the other hand
The Sun
focused in on the departures of Nicky
Morgan and Theresa Villiers, and
The
Daily
Mail
noted that overall there were the
same number of female ministers as there
had been when David Cameron was Prime
Female Conservative
Ministers from
Cameron to May
The Conservatives pledged to increase the number of women in
Parliament, and in positions of power. Tim Heppell assesses how
David Cameron, and his successor Theresa May, have fared – and
finds mixed results.
Minister. These mixed messages lead us
to ask how strong was Cameron’s record
on female ministerial advancement and
what was the impact of the first ministerial
selections made by May?
Analysing the level of female ministerial
representation within government has
to be placed within the context of the
target that Cameron had set himself in
opposition – that one third of his ministers
should be female by the end of his first
term in office. This article assesses both
Cameron’s progress towards this target
by 2015, and the impact of the first
© Press Association
Political Insight December 2016.indd 16 31/10/2016 14:28
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