MPs: ‘Players’ and ‘Problems’

This chapter explores an array of parliamentary activities to understand how both men and women MPs as gendered actors are positioned in the everyday parliamentary workplace. The fieldwork was conducted during a period of institutionalisation of democratic practices within the UK House of Commons Select Committee system. Whilst these democratic processes, notably elections to chair positions have widely been praised for improving the standing of the select committee system by moving the power of appointment away from party whips, the dynamics of gender in these changes, such as in elections and performing leadership, makes for a timely investigation and highlights some intricate power relations. The chapter then explores how citizenship is performed in the informal spaces of the House of Commons: in practices of time management, the domestic committees of the House of Commons and journalist relationships. Finally, the chapter explores how gender is performed in place of the lack of a job description and in the context of a lack of a gender lens to online and offline accountabilities.