Can cameron capture women's votes? the gendered impediments to a conservative majority in 2015

Abstract

Women have traditionally been more likely to vote Conservative than Labour, but the attraction of younger women voters to New Labour contributed to New Labour's winning electoral strategy in 1997 and 2001. Subsequently, the Conservative Party leadership intensified efforts to attract women voters through recruiting more women MPs and in its policy messages and proposals and in 2005 and 2010 the gender gap was largely neutralised. However, in the contestation for women's votes at the next election we argue Conservative strategies are hampered by weaknesses in their symbolic, descriptive and substantive representation of women and they are unlikely to restore the Party's historical dominance with women voters with potentially serious consequences for the likelihood of a Conservative majority.