by Lois McLatchie, The Critic
We must re-centre our politics around the family
Aphra Brandreth MP recently argued the Conservative Party should become “the party of businesswomen.” It’s a well-intentioned remark — no one disputes that women ought to flourish in professional life. But it points to a deeper problem on the Right: a chronic narrowing of vision about what women actually want, need, and contribute to our society.
Too often, when Conservatives speak about “women’s empowerment,” it is with a singular focus on paid employment. Rhetoric across the political spectrum celebrates women climbing the corporate ladder, but whispers, if anything, about those who focus on shaping family life at home. We idealise the “boss babe” while ignoring the backbone of society: mothers.
This isn’t to disparage working women. Of course, women can, and do, lead in business, politics, and public life. But let’s be honest: a great many women don’t have careers in the Westminster sense. They have jobs. And for many, those jobs are a means to an end — not an end in themselves. A significant number of women find their deepest purpose not in quarterly reviews or KPIs, but in raising the next generation. This is neither regressive nor outdated. It’s human.
For generations, women have found meaning, dignity, and fulfillment in motherhood and family life. Yet in today’s policy debates, these women are all but invisible.