It’s a rich man’s world: How class and glass ceilings intersect for UK parliamentary candidates
| Author | Rainbow Murray |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211040025 |
| Published date | 01 January 2023 |
| Date | 01 January 2023 |
https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121211040025
International Political Science Review
2023, Vol. 44(1) 13 –26
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/01925121211040025
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It’s a rich man’s world:
How class and glass ceilings
intersect for UK parliamentary
candidates
Rainbow Murray
Queen Mary University of London, UK
Abstract
Why is politics dominated by wealthy men, and how do gendered and class barriers to running for office
intersect? This article addresses these questions using the UK as a case study. Drawing on interview data, I
highlight the formal and informal institutions that shape the class and glass ceilings in electoral politics. I identify
how the high personal costs of running for office, especially in relation to candidates’ time, present a barrier
to those without significant financial resources. These costs are gendered, as women typically have less time
and money than men. These resource barriers are compounded by additional gendered obstacles including
discrimination, abuse and gendered family roles. I find that the intersection of the class and glass ceilings
creates cumulative barriers that are particularly prohibitive for working-class women. The findings extend our
understanding of class and gender gaps within politics and, crucially, the intersection between them.
Keywords
Elections, gender, class, finance, institutions, UK
Introduction
The best way to make a small fortune from politics is to start with a large one.1
Politics has long been dominated by privileged men. Despite recent efforts to reduce gender gaps,
women remain underrepresented in nearly all political arenas (Paxton et al., 2020). Meanwhile, the
wealth gap in politics remains stark (Carnes and Lupu, 2016). While women entering politics have
helped to increase diversity in a number of ways (Barnes and Holman, 2020), they often come from
the same affluent backgrounds as their male counterparts. This has led to accusations that gender
quotas have simply replaced elite men with elite women (Childs, 2015; Williams and Paun, 2011).
Yet social class plays an important role in representation, with working-class legislators across the
political spectrum being more responsive to the needs of working-class voters (Barnes and Saxton,
Corresponding author:
Rainbow Murray, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK.
Email: r.r.murray@qmul.ac.uk
1040025IPS0010.1177/01925121211040025International Political Science ReviewMurray
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