Young, free and political (From Stourbridge News)

Young, free and political

7:00am Saturday 24th April 2010 in NewsXtra

She's only 27 and is now running for parliament. Maryam Khan talks about her experiences as a young female politician and how she's finding her first general election campaign.

By Trisha Andres The corridors of Westminster have never been overwhelmed with female faces.

While women make up just over 50% of the population in Britain, fewer than 20% of the MPs in the House of Commons before the forthcoming General Election are female.

But that could all be set to change as a large number of passionate young women try to nudge out the middle-aged men.

One of them is Labour Party candidate Maryam Khan, who at 27 has been involved in politics for nearly 12 years.

"I went to my first ward meeting when I was 16," she says. "It was then that I realised, 'Maybe it's not as easy as I thought it would be'. I was the only young person in the room and one of only three women.

"That made me think: 'Hold on, who's representing young people? How do they know what I want as a young person and as a woman?'"

Khan's father played a huge role in nurturing her interest in politics. "My dad taught me something when I was a little girl. He said, 'If you want to make a change, you have to be in that system that brings that change about'. And that stuck with me."

After Khan finished her degree in law and business, she became actively involved in politics. In 2006 she became the youngest councillor to be elected to Manchester City Council. If elected to Parliament on May 6 she will be the first female Muslim Asian MP in the UK.

But while on the surface Khan appears to be ideally placed to represent the views of the next generation of voters, results of a recent survey suggest that young professional women aren't so easily impressed.

The study conducted by Red magazine of 30-plus professional females revealed that 97% of women are not inspired by female MPs. "That's a striking figure isn't it?" Khan exclaims.

This summer the magazine is launching the Red Adult Internship scheme to encourage more women into professions such as politics, and Khan says such schemes could help to improve the situation.

"If we have a more representative Parliament and councils, we'll get more people interested in politics. Hopefully, that 97% figure will drop."

Khan, who was selected by Red magazine as one of its "Hot 20 Under 30 List", insists that the problem lies in the lack of inspirational figures that young voters can look up to.

"Westminster has traditionally been composed of older men. So a group of 20-year-old women aren't going to be particularly inspired by that group of people. Whereas if they had someone from their own peer group who they can relate to, they might be more interested.

"That's why I think it's important to have a representative government that reflects the diversity of the country. Then we might get more women involved in politics."

Ask her which female politicians have particularly influenced her and she cites Mo Mowlam.

"I think you can't glamorise politics because it isn't a glamorous job at all. Someone like Mo Mowlam for instance, she had a brain tumour but she carried on, she persevered. You have to respect someone for getting on with it and for seeing through the changes and peace in Northern Ireland."

Khan was selected from an all-women shortlist, but positive discrimination to address the gender imbalance has always been a controversial issue.

"There are arguments against women-only selections, of course. Advancement within political parties should ideally be based on meritocracy, I agree. But there have been, if you look at the numbers, problems with women getting through."

She argues that female candidates face more barriers to entry than men and says: "Until we've reached the point when government is more representative, when you don't just see white, male faces, then we're going to have to have all-women shortlists.

"Even the Conservative Party now sees that there is a need for it and are implementing something similar. There must be something in it, otherwise they won't be doing it."

In the run-up to polling day on May 6, Khan says modern technology is proving to be helpful in her campaign. "I use Facebook, Twitter and they've been massively helpful.

"Twitter is so quick to update. It's a good way to quickly getting to a lot of people and engaging with followers. I even have my own hashtag on Twitter (#yeswekhan) which, surprisingly enough, has taken off.

"Using modern technology is a fresh, new approach to politics and a great way to engage with and have conversations with the electorate, especially the younger ones."

Khan is keen for more young adults to engage with politics. "I want them to know that their vote does count and it does make a difference.

"It's actually the most important tool you've got to have your say in a democracy. I was voting since I was 18. I never ever missed an opportunity to vote in my life."

Khan says that the young people she's encountered on the campaign trail aren't necessarily disinterested, just uninformed.

"Most young people I come across have got no clue. They tell me, 'I don't know what's going on'."

She believes education is the key. But most importantly she feels that having people in the government that they can relate to and who they don't find intimidating is crucial in getting more young people involved.

"If you ask someone to describe a politician or an MP, most people would describe a white, middle-aged man. I don't think anyone in the country would describe me," she says.

"But now young adults are stopping me on the street and saying, 'I want to help.'

"Seeing someone who's approachable and who they can relate to is encouraging. I think that helps in persuading young people to come out and help and understand for themselves what the key issues are."

With the big day looming, Khan is starting to feel the pace. "I'm very, very tired. My legs are starting to give way now. I know I'm starting to sound like I'm 100 but my legs are really really aching.

"I need all the energy - physically, mentally, emotionally - to make it. But I'm looking forward to it and I'm very excited. It's one of the closest election races in years and no one knows who will win."

That is why, she insists, your vote is more important than ever.