ELECTION 2024: SPECIAL
As the general election looms, we speak to four women about the issues that really matter to them
OVER THE LAST 14 years there have been five Prime Ministers, five general elections (including this one) an EU referendum that divided the country, a pandemic and devastating global conflicts that have reverberated at home. In the last two years alone we’ve seen the economy shatter, the cost of living soar and rents and mortgages become unaffordable almost overnight. The uncertainty of the modern world has left many feeling they have no sense of security.
Amid all this, women have been getting on with their lives. While debates around tax, crime, immigration and culture wars rage, it’s not what the women we spoke to worr y about the most. They want to live in a country where a single woman on a decent salary doesn’t need a partner to get on the housing ladder; they want a health ser vice that is adequately funded so you can rely on it in a crisis. They crave stability, a childcare system that works and an end to divisive rhetoric, and they’re frustrated that climate issues aren’t front and centre.
Their concerns reflect a potential disconnect between what we see on TV and how some of us actually feel. Labour may be soaring in the polls but there’s still a sense of disillusionment among many. A recent report by elections guru Prof Sir John Curtice found trust and confidence in the UK’s political and electoral system have never been lower. Speaking to women on the streets there is a common sentiment about politicians: ‘You can’t trust any of them.’
Although talk of the ‘women’s vote’ makes us sound like one homogeneous group, we each have personal stories that form part of how we feel and who we are. No stat, survey or headline can tell you this. We sat down with four female voters to find out what’s most important to them this election.
THE DAY I started at Leeds University in 2012 my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In hospital, doctors drew the curtains and quietly told us they couldn’t cure him. We knew we didn’t have long. I was still living at home and decided I’d be his carer. For a while I juggled it with university, but with no other family around I dropped out to focus on looking after him. Macmillan Cancer Support offered help, but I wanted to care for him myself. He died the following year.
The NHS is meant to be there for us from cradle to grave, as the post-war motto goes. It touches everyone at some point and is the backbone of this country. But more recently I’ve watched as spending cuts and privatisation by stealth have worn it down. My dad received great care, but it was clear then that the NHS workers had no capacity to give any more than they already were. What was lacking was t
