Institutional Norms and the Cost of Doing Politics

Women entering non-traditional workplaces commonly experience hostility in the form of sexual harassment. The parliamentary workplace has additional features that make reform difficult, despite feminist standard-setting in transnational bodies. Difficulties include applying employment law to MPs who are not employees in any real sense themselves but have almost complete power over their staff. Adversarial traditions normalise aggressive conduct rather than a respectful workplace and also make it likely that any complaint will be weaponised politically. Many are silenced by fear that to complain will damage their party as well as their own career. Another obstacle to reform has been the tradition of parliamentary privilege, the right of parliaments to regulate their own affairs free from external interference. This has held back the introduction of professional employment standards, on the grounds that the best form of accountability for parliamentarians is at the ballot box.