The analysis of opinion polls claims that working-class females, who want to stay at home and raise children, are ignored by the feminist “sisterhood” typified by Harriet Harman.

However the report adds that women are not switching their votes to the Conservative party, which also wants mothers to return to work, but instead becoming disillusioned by all political parties.

It comes as senior MPs scramble to highlight their family-friendly policies ahead of what is being called the “Mumsnet election” because of the influence of the web forum used by middle-class mothers.

Geoff Dench, a sociologist who presented his findings at a seminar organised by the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, said: “Women who value home and family life above a career are becoming disenfranchised. The feminist ‘sisterhood’ has clearly failed them, and the result is that they are withdrawing their support from the mainstream parties.

“Politicians of all parties should be concerned about this, because (as all the research in this seminar series has shown) the proportion of young women who prioritise home and family has been growing steadily in recent years, and so their votes matter.”

Prof Dench studied the responses given over the past 20 years in British Social Attitude surveys to questions about family life, happiness and political allegiance…. Continue reading