THE "bizarre" and "macho" culture at Westminster is holding back progress on poverty and gender equality, Mhairi Black says.
Black was the youngest MP when she was elected to represent Paisley and Renfrewshire South in 2015, ousting Labour's Douglas Alexander.
She's since come through two further contests and says a male-dominated Commons culture persists — and is affecting policy.
Speaking to Sky News on the eve of International Women's Day, the SNP MP said of Westminster: "The people within it often have a view that it is some kind of private membership club and it's very bizarre at times.
"The manner in which people conduct themselves often is quite misogynistic at times. I've certainly experienced it."
Recalling an example from the start of her parliamentary career, she went on: "The first time that I was elected I was sitting out in the terrace and there was an elder member, I'll say, who sat down with me.
SNP MP @MhairiBlack says some members of parliament 'have the view that is is some kind of private members club' and can be "very bizarre how people conduct themselves", but admits there are times the house attempts to address these issues.#Ridge: https://t.co/uXMSl3wvr6 pic.twitter.com/SanrGGqZRa
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) March 7, 2021
"I remember asking 'when is it again the summer holidays are?' They leaned in and said, 'I think you'll find it's recess, darling'. And I had to reply, 'I think you'll find I'm called Mhairi, sweetheart'.
"Daft things like that happen much more often than they should and that begins to seep out into the narrative and how we talk about other issues.
"Particularly, when it comes to poverty and the pandemic, we are seeing that a lot of people in government and in parliament in general don't quite get it, they're not seeing how it is impacting women disproportionately and why that matters and why we have to do something to address that."
When asked about the impact of the Covid crisis on women, she said: "Sadly, the trend in most areas of politics seems to be that issues predominantly affect women much worse than they do others.
"Single parents in particular have been really struggling during this period. It has undoubtedly been tough."
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