Angela Eagle, the current chair of the Labour party and a vigorous campaigner for equality, takes a hard-headed view typical of female politicians who insist there should never be a let-up, that the fight must never end. “The suffragettes thought that if you got the vote for women, everything else would follow. But we still have a lot further to go. …
Sex Harassment Rife in Commons [Daily Mail]
Sex harassment rife in Commons: Dozens of young aides claim to have been victims of drunken MPs
House of ill repute [Independent]
Nigel Evans found not guilty: ‘There would be quite senior MPs, drunk, flirting with us’ – one young Tory reveals the after-hours culture in the Commons The nights out were what I remember the most. And they were often big nights for those of us working as Conservative researchers and interns in the House of Commons.
Women in Parliament and Government [House of Commons Library]
This note shows how the number of women in Parliament has changed since 1918, when women first became eligible to be elected as MPs. It presents comparative data for women in Parliament and other elected bodies in the UK and internationally. It also looks at some milestones over the last 100 years for women in Parliament and Government in the UK.
A lack of mothers in the cabinet is bad for everyone [Guardian]
Some may mock the observation that the cabinet has no mothers – but a large part of the reason women are still much less likely to be MPs than men is that many of them are mothers.
Sexminster Expose [Channel 4 News]
Channel 4 News has been investigating sexual harassment in parliament. We spoke to 70 people hailing from all political parties and found this is something that’s really part of the fabric. Cathy Newman 10 April 2014
Glamour Tweets
An MP has claimed some Conservatives make lurid hand gestures towards Labour women during debates in the Commons.
Why We Want a More Gender Balanced Parliament
Experts have given many reasons for the need of a more gender balanced Parliament. Here are some that I particularly like:
Have we reached a tipping point in Britain for women on boards?
As research shows that high-earning women mean happier families and Lloyds pledges to raise its female executive ratio to 40 per cent, Rosamund Urwin asks: are we at the tipping point?
David Cameron and a deluge of women on the front benches [Guardian]
They’ve tried Punch and Judy, they’ve tried softly-softly; and on Wednesday the parties settled on a new means for settling the balls-out battle for PMQs. A woman-off!
A Sexist Stench Pervades British Politics [Evening Standard]
Councillor tweets glamour picture in female politicians jibe
A sexist stench still pervades British politics [Evening Standard]
The lack of women in Parliament isn’t just a national embarrassment: it should be a national emergency
PMQs: Cameron and Miliband on women on Tory front bench [BBC News]
The Labour leader claimed a “picture tells a thousand words” as he mocked David Cameron for a lack of women on the government front bench during Prime Minister’s Questions. See video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26052724
Can Theresa May make it to the top? [Guardian]
While flashier talents have come and gone, the home secretary is now a potential leader of the Conservatives. What does her rise tell us about the Tory party today – and its relationship with women?
#AskTheLeaders: David Cameron [Sky News]
1.34: ‘Today parliament is not properly representative of the country’
Why women in politics still have a long way to go, in 7 charts [Independent]
Women only account for 27 per cent of all announced prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) for the general election, according to an analysis by i100.co.uk. SEE FULL CHARTS HERE: http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/why-women-in-politics-still-have-a-long-way-to-go-in-7-charts–ekQYkR2Foe
Addressing the under-representation of women in Parliament [Guardian]
Networking, party support and updated working practices are the key to addressing Westminster’s gender imbalance, says Róisín Watson
Is Britain's parliament hopelessly out of date? [Guardian]
With Tory women MPs quitting Westminster over its old-fashioned ways, Lib Dem reforms failing and the young being urged not to vote, parliament could be called unfit for purpose
Stella Creasy MP: We need men and women to ask "How will equality happen?" [Newsnight]
As the controversy over Lord Rennard continued to rage, TV personalities Anne Robinson and Joan Bakewell join Stella Creasy MP and Kirsty Wark to discuss sexual harassment and sexual inequality. Stella Creasy starts 4.20 mins in, responding on behalf of younger women.