Having more ethnic minorities and women MPs

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  • Created by: Holly
  • Created on: 19-05-13 12:50

Having more ethnic minorities and women MPs

Advantages

  • In a democracy it is essential to have a good representation of all aspects of society. Under representation could lead to other,  illegitimate forms of politics
  • Under-representation could lead to fewer debates affecting those groups, or a lower quality of debate.Which can lead to alienation
  • Could create role models and promote equality within society
  • Mainstream parties talk about an undiscriminating society and encouragement of equal opportunities  They are currently being hypocritical.

Disadvantages

  • We elect MP's to reflect the interests of their constituents. It is unnecessary to be a mirror image of British society in order to fulfill this.
  • Not all women/ethnic minorities possess the same needs/views, they are homogenous. It is impossible to fully represent them.
  • Personal ability and party allegiance should be the main determinants of who gets elected. If somebody is elected purely to represent a social group, this means the most suitable candidate may not be picked.

Evaluation

We should have more ethnic minorities and women as MP's because it is essential for democracy, could cause higher quality debates, promotes equality and stops the main parties being hypocritical. However, a candidate should not be elected purely to represent these groups as they are impossible to fully represent and may cause the downfall of a more suitable candidate. it is also unnecessary to be representative to carry out their role of reflecting the interests of their constituents. 

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