Centenary Action has launched ‘The Promise’ for business leaders and entrepreneurs to take a lead in supporting their employees to vote, by sharing resources about how to vote and by enabling employees to vote on Polling Day through working from home or flexibly to get to the ballot station.
Launched in 2018, to mark the centenary of some women getting the right to vote, Centenary Action was established by Professor Helen Pankhurst CBE, granddaughter of Sylvia and great-granddaughter of Emmeline, and is a cross-party initiative that aims to create a gender equal parliament by 2028. Part of this mission is to get more women – in all their diversity – engaged with politics and by making their interests heard during the election.
Prof Helen Pankhurst said: “Women only make up 35% of the number of MPs and they are still not at the heart of policy making. The elections are a time when we can put a spotlight on the power of the female vote. Women are 51% of the electorate and we can ensure that our politicians hear that we expect better representation in numbers and policies. As part of our campaign, we are calling on Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs to sign up to Centenary Action Promise. Which sees businesses share resources on how to sign up to vote and where possible make time/space for their employees to take part in their democratic right.
“A more responsive Government that is reflective of the country will make for a more productive and thriving environment for businesses and citizens alike. It is in our business leaders’ interest to enable this, which is why we have created The Promise. In the last election, 67% of the UK voted, this was a drop in the previous general election – since then, it seems that voter apathy has increased.”
In a recent poll of 500 women from across the country by Centenary Action and Onepulse, it found that 76% of women plan to vote at the election, with 12% saying they won’t, and a further 12% saying that they don’t know. 21% of women think that the political parties only think about women’s issues for tactical gain and 28% of women don’t think that the political parties think about the female vote.
To sign up to The Promise, please visit – https://centenaryaction.org.uk/
Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash
