Posts Tagged ‘Womens representation’
The ballot box calls all the boys to the yard…
A look at how women MP's fared in the general election; Will Cameron champion womens representation and what will the new cabinet look like? Will British women ever be fairly represented in parliament?
Written by Hannah Bullivant
Illustration by Jenny Robins
I didn’t plan on staying up so late on Election night. I had well-meaning plans involving a cup of tea, my pajamas and being tucked up in bed with a book by 10pm. But like many people, as soon as the exit polls rolled in, I was hooked. My emotions swung from disbelief to elation, despair to complete confusion, the latter being the prevailing feeling.
I am not sure if there is any other point in the year where this is the case, but all eyes were on Sunderland. Initially I was baffled by the focus on rushing to count the votes. I would rather it was accurate than rushed, it isn’t Total Wipeout (although how I wish it was! Imagine - the party leaders racing round the course, being pounded with mechanical fists and squaring up to the Big Balls?!) But as the first, second and third result came in, I realized that for a brief, bizarre moment, we had a 100% female government. Imagine that. And bloomin bizarre it was. But why? Why is it so hard to imagine an all female government?
The sad reality is that women are still dramatically under-represented in key areas of public, political and economic life: In the last British Parliament of 646 there… read more
