Social media, public perception two main challenges women face in municipal race

Rothesay councillor Tiffany Mackay French remembers being in her early 20s when Tory MLA Margaret-Ann Blaney was referred to as "Barbie" at the Legislature.

"Nobody says those things about a man, right? They just don't," she said. "That's what I was seeing and that's not a very nice image to have. Why would you want to be called that in the media and not be taken seriously?"

Social media and perception are the two main challenges women face when running for election, she said.

To address the problem, she created See Jane Run, a grassroots organization to help Saint John women who are interested in running for office.

See Jane Run will host online sessions on how to campaign leading up to the municipal election, starting tomorrow at 7 p.m. with a session on platform design.

Other sessions include board effectiveness, online image and social media, civics 101, team management, media preparation for public speaking and a panel with current councillors. 

She said the organization hopes to convince some women to run in the municipal campaign, with nominations closing on April 9 at 2 p.m.

She said when she ran in Rothesay in 2016, she didn't receive training after she was elected. Instead, she took a course on board effectiveness on her own.

"I really wanted to create this because I wished I had it in 2016," she said.

"It leads to better decision-making, it's better policy." ​- Rothesay councillor Tiffany Mackay French on the presence of women in politics.

She said when candidates run for office, they have to open up about themselves. and with social media playing a big role in campaigning, both good and bad can things happen. Often, female candidates get the brunt of the negativity.

Trolls push disrespectful comments which they wouldn't normally say in person, she said. 

"When candidates' privacy is infringed and when people make personal attacks, it's a horrible experience for people to go through," she said.

She said municipal politics is a great way of getting more women involved and the "perfect first step" for a career in politics.

When she ran for Rothesay in 2016, Mackay French had three children in elementary school.  So, at the municipal level, she said politicians don't have to travel much and don't need to represent a party, which can make a difference.

"With the municipal elections coming up, that's a great message to give to women," she said.

She said some of the social media attacks can come from party politics.

"That's where the kind of bickering starts and sometimes it gets very nasty. That doesn't take place in municipal politics as much." 

More women elected at provincial level

Former provincial NDP Leader Elizabeth Weir is one of the founders of Women for 50%, a group similar to See Jane Run, designed to help women with campaigning at the provincial level.

The group ran a survey after last September's provincial election where approximately half of the 74 female candidates participated. Weir said only four per cent of women in the survey said they will definitely not run again.

Another 24 per cent said they will not likely run again. 

Still, Weir told Information Morning Saint John that she is surprised by the number.

"These are women candidates who went through I think the hardest election, probably in the history of this province, you know for any candidate, in a pandemic, a quick election call," she said.

"There also was an increase in the number of candidates who thought the atmosphere was open and welcoming for women, which surprised the heck out of me."

A difference in policy

Mackay French said she has approached women considering running for office but said their first response is often that they are nervous about the negative attention they will receive from social media. 

Still, she said it's important to have women in politics because they bring diverse perspectives.

"It leads to better decision-making, it's better policy," she said.

Mackay French said women feel supported when they feel like they have a group of women to lean on and to lift them up.

She said it's also important to speak to younger girls and let them know who the female leaders in their community are.

"Just so they know that it's possible and they saw those examples of women growing up."