Parenthood and politics: the factors that shape the experience of women legislators in BC

Equitable gender representation in British Columbia's legislature continues to be a challenge. In this study, I build on the existing literature to examine the experience of women politicians in this setting, paying special attention to the impact of motherhood. I use semi-structured interviews with six current women Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, along with a sample of relevant news articles, to highlight the most important factors of these experiences. I draw attention to the rise of social media and the changing division of household labour as two important elements that have not been focused on in the existing literature. I also confirm that women continue to have lower levels of political ambition and that political parties play a key role in creating opportunities for them. Furthermore, they still face sexist toxicity in public office.