Young Women and Politics: Would Lowering the Voting Age to 16 lead to Increasing Levels of Political Engagement and Political Participation amongst Young Women?

Young women, aged between 18 and 24, constitute the sector of the electorate least likely to vote. This paper focuses upon political education of young women and girls per se to see if there are measures that can be taken to get them to engage with mainstream politics. If voting age for elections to the Westminster Parliament is lowered – especially in the light of the extension of the franchise for the independence referendum in Scotland, and lowering of the voting age elsewhere– the question of young women voters will grow in importance. It is necessary to ensure that young women feel that their vote matters just as much as their male counterparts. This paper argues for an inquiry to be set up on Young Women in Politics to explore the reasons for and rectify the absence of young female representatives in local and national politics.