The Women in Parliament All Party Parliament Group (APPG) Inquiry: Sarah Childs and Annabelle Miles [1]
Today the APPG Women in Parliament will publish its report into the under-representation of women at Westminster[2]. Its conclusion is straightforward: the current percentage of women in the House of Commons – 22.6% – is simply not good enough. The UK ranks 65th out of the 189 countries included in the Inter Parliamentary Union’s monitoring report[3].
Sarah Childs, Professor of Politics and Gender, University of Bristol
Whilst parity of representation remains a long way off, the APPG recognises that some progress has taken place over the last two decades, not least in terms of the number of women elected to Parliament; in the selection procedures employed by parties; and in making Parliament a more family-friendly work environment. Examples of progress can be seen in the changes to sitting hours, a significant improvement from their pre-2012 state, and the opening of a workplace nursery in 2010. But this is no time for complacency. Indeed, with a general election less than a year away, ‘all political parties agree that there is much more to do to create a modern, aspirational and representative Parliament.’