Women in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The representation of Women in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom has been an issue in the politics of the United Kingdom at numerous points in the 20th and 21st centuries. Originally debate centered on whether women should be allowed to vote and stand for election as Members of Parliament. The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament.
In more modern times concerns about the under-representation of women led the Labour Party to introduce all-women short lists, something which was later held to breach discrimination laws.
Between 1918 and 2015, a total of 450 women have been elected as Members of the House of Commons, which is fewer than the number of men (459) in the 2015 Parliament.[1]
Suffrage
In 1867, John Stuart Mill was the first Member of Parliament to raise the issue of women's suffrage in the House of Commons. Following this attempts were made to widen the franchise in every Parliament.[2]
Women gained the right to vote with the passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918 after World War I. This gave the vote to women over the age of 30. However, the Speakers Conference which was charged with looking into giving women the vote did not have as its terms of reference, consideration to women standing as candidates for parliament. However, Sir Herbert Samuel, the former Liberal Home Secretary, moved a separate motion on 23 October 1918 to allow women to be eligible as Members of Parliament. The vote was passed by 274 to 25 and the government rushed through a Bill to make it law in time for the 1918 General Election.[3] This Bill did not specify any age restriction, unlike the voting Bill.[4] This later led to a number of incidents of women under the age of 30, who were not allowed to vote, standing for parliament, notably the 27-year-old Liberal Ursula Williams standing in 1923.[5]
Landmarks and records
- The first successful female candidate was the Sinn Féin politician Countess Constance Markievicz, she however did not take her seat in common with her Irish nationalist parties' policy of abstentionism.[6]
- The first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons was Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor.
- The first woman to hold a Ministerial post was Margaret Bondfield who was appointed Under Secretary in the Ministry of Labour in the 1924 government of Ramsay MacDonald.[6]
- The only female Prime Minister was Margaret Thatcher who led the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.
- In 1992 Betty Boothroyd was elected as the first female Speaker of the House of Commons.[2] As of 2015 she remains the only female to hold the office of Speaker.
- Irene Ward was the longest serving female MP in the House of Commons. She was an MP from 1931–1945 and from 1950-1974.[6]
- Gwyneth Dunwoody was the longest continuously serving female MP. She became an MP in 1974 and died in April 2008, just beating Barbara Castle, who was elected as MP for Blackburn in 1945 and retired in 1979.[6]
Current and historic representation
The publication of the book Women in the House by Elizabeth Vallance in 1979 highlighted the issue of lack of representation of women in Parliament.[7]
All-women shortlists
All-women shortlists, a method of affirmative action has been used by the Labour Party to increase the representation of women. In 2002 this method of selection was ruled to breach the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. In response to this ruling the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 legalised all-women short lists as a method of selection. The Equality Act 2010 extends this exemption from discrimination law to 2030.
2015 election
As elected in the 2015 general election.
| Political Party |
Number of MPs | Number of Female MPs | Percentage of Party's MPs | Percentage of Female MPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Commons | 650 | 191 | 29% | 100% | |
| Conservative | 330 | 68 | 21% | 36% | |
| Labour | 232 | 99 | 43% | 52% | |
| SNP | 56 | 20 | 36% | 10% | |
| Liberal Democrat | 8 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| DUP | 8 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Sinn Féin | 4 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Plaid Cymru | 3 | 1 | 33% | <1% | |
| SDLP | 3 | 1 | 33% | <1% | |
| UUP | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| UKIP | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| Green | 1 | 1 | 100% | <1% | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 100% | <1% | |
| Speaker |
1 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
2010 election
As elected in the 2010 general election.
| Political Party |
Number of MPs | Number of Female MPs | Percentage of Party's MPs | Percentage of Female MPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Commons | 650 | 143 | 22% | 100% | |
| Conservative | 306 | 49 | 16% | 34% | |
| Labour | 258 | 81 | 31% | 57% | |
| Liberal Democrat | 57 | 7 | 12% | 5% | |
| DUP | 8 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| SNP | 6 | 1 | 17% | 0.7% | |
| Sinn Féin | 5 | 1 | 20% | 0.7% | |
| Plaid Cymru | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0% | |
| SDLP | 3 | 1 | 33% | 0.7% | |
| Alliance | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0.7% | |
| Green | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0.7% | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 100% | <1% | |
| Speaker |
1 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
See also
References
- ↑ Keen, Richard (19 June 2015). "Briefing Paper Number SN01250: Women in Parliament and Government" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Women in parliament". BBC News (London: BBC). 31 October 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ↑ Samuel, Viscount (1950). Memoirs. p. 131.
- ↑ "Parliament (Qualification Of Women) Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 6 November 1918. col. 2186–2202. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ↑ Cheltenham Chronicle, Gloucestershire, 8 December 1923
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Factsheet M4: Women in the House of Commons" (PDF). House of Commons Information Office. June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ↑ Heater, Derek (2006). Citizenship in Britain: A History. Edinburgh University Press. p. 145. ISBN 9780748626724.
- ↑ Lowther, Ed; Thornton, Charlotte (8 May 2015). "Election 2015: Number of women in Parliament rises by a third". BBC News. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ↑ "Members of the House of Commons". UK Parliament. 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
Further reading
- Vallance, Elizabeth M. (1979). Women in the House: a study of women Members of Parliament. Athlone Press. ISBN 9780485111866.
External links
- All Party Parliamentary Group Women in Parliament (July 2014). "Improving Parliament: Creating a Better and More Representative House" (PDF). House of Commons. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- "Harman's office Thatcher U-turn". BBC News (London: BBC). 16 September 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2015.