women_in_politics.mp3
women_in_politics.pdf
Sam
Hello This is 6 Minute English, I'm Sam
Georgina
And I'm Georgina
Sam
How do you do feel about politics, Georgina?
Georgina
Well, there’s a lot around at the moment!
Sam
Yes, indeed!
Georgina
One thing I would like to see in politics, particularly British politics, is more
women in parliament About 34% of our MPs are women, which is the highest it’s
ever been, but it’s still not close to 50%
Sam
In order to be elected though, you first have to stand, don’t you?
Georgina
Yes, we use the verb stand when you are a candidate someone can vote for
Sam
Women in politics is our topic today Before we get into it, today’s question
Which country has the highest percentage of women in its parliament? Is it:
a) Rwanda
b) Sweden
c) New Zealand
What do you think, Georgina?
Georgina
I’m not sure I know New Zealand was one of the first countries to allow women
to vote and they currently have a female prime minister – but I think it’s actually
an African country So I’m going to say Rwanda
Sam
OK We’ll see if you’re correct at the end of the programme There are a number
of projects in the UK at the moment trying to get more women interested in
standing for parliament One of these is the campaign ‘sign-up-to-stand’ from an
organisation called 50:50 Parliament Lucrece Grehoua is someone who has
taken up that challenge and is hoping to stand in upcoming elections She was a
guest on the BBC Radio programme Woman’s Hour She wasn’t always
interested in politics, though How does she describe it?
Lucrece Grehoua
I didn’t really see myself in the Houses of Parliament When we see it on TV it
looks extremely boring, politics looks boring, especially as a young person and so
when I saw that 50:50 Parliament were including women and including young
women, including a diverse range of young women, I thought ‘wow, this is really
for me and it can be for me’ So I decided to #signuptostand Ever since I’ve just
been excited at the prospect of me standing for parliament
Sam
What was her original feeling about politics?
Georgina
Boring! She thought it was boring, particularly as a young person In fact she
couldn’t see herself as a politician She couldn’t imagine herself doing it
Sam
She says that she is now excited at the prospect of standing What does she
mean by that?
Georgina
The prospect of something is the possibility of something So before, she
thought it was boring, now she’s excited at the possibility that she could be a
member of parliament
Sam
So, what was it that made her change her mind and think that politics wasn’t so
boring after all? Here’s Lucrece Grehoua again
Lucrece Grehoua
I think everybody has a politician within them because we all get anger about
something but unfortunately when we see it, it’s all jargon, it’s not very… words
that we can understand Even just as a working class person who hasn’t, you
know, been to a private school and who’s come from a disadvantaged
background and so I realised politics is for absolutely everybody, it’s just the way
that you speak about it has to be tailored to everyone
Sam
One of the things she didn’t like about politics was the jargon
Georgina
Well, no one likes jargon, do they? Jargon is the very specific language and
vocabulary relating to a particular profession Inside the profession people know
what it means, but from outside it can seem very complicated and confusing
Sam
Lucrece said she came from a disadvantaged background This means that when
she was growing up her family didn’t have very much money and that made life
and study very difficult
Georgina
But even though, or maybe because, she came from a disadvantaged
background she has become interested in politics and thinks that it can be
something for everyone, but rather than use jargon you have to tailor the way
you speak for everyone To tailor something is to make it fit – in the same way
that a tailor makes clothes fit, you can tailor your language to make it easy for
everyone to understand And one way to do that is to cut out the jargon!
Sam
That’s just about all we have time for today But before we review the
vocabulary, it’s time to get the answer to today’s quiz question Which country
has the highest percentage of women in its parliament? Is it:
a) Rwanda
b) Sweden
c) New Zealand
Georgina, what did you say?
Georgina
I made an educated guess of Rwanda
Sam
An educated guess and a correct guess Well done And well done to everyone
else who got that right too! According to 2019 figures, Rwanda’s parliament has
over 60% women MPs Go Rwanda! OK, let’s remind ourselves of today’s
vocabulary
Georgina
Of course To stand is the verb we use when someone is a candidate in an
election – when someone stands for election you can vote for them
Sam
If you can see yourself as something, it means that you can imagine yourself
doing that thing
Georgina
The prospect of something, is the possibility of something, so for example, the
prospect of becoming an MP is something that excites Lucrece
Sam
Something that we all hate, except when we use it ourselves, is jargon Words
and language that are very specific to a particular job and which are difficult for
people outside that profession to understand
Georgina
People who grow up without enough money and without access to education can
be said to come from a disadvantaged background
Sam
And finally, to tailor something is to change it to make it suitable for a particular
purpose
Georgina
So for example, if you want to make politics accessible for more people, you have
to tailor your language and cut out the jargon
Sam
Indeed! Well, it’s time for us to go now, but do join us again soon Bye for now
Georgina
Bye!
VOCABULARY
to stand
to be a candidate in an election
to see yourself (doing something)
to imagine that it is possible for you to do something
the prospect of
the possibility of
jargon
vocabulary and expressions related to a particular job
a disadvantaged background
growing up in a family situation without much money
to tailor (what you say)
to change (how you speak) to make it suitable for a particular grou
