Women in Parliament and Government

Standard Note: Last updated: Author: Section SN/SG/1250 26 July 2013 Nick Duckworth & Richard Cracknell Social & General Statistics Section

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. Currently just over one in five Members of Parliament are women, compared with just over one half of the adult population. The 2010 General Election returned a higher number and proportion of female MPs than any previous general election. Prior to 1987 women had never made up more than 5% of MPs. Historically, women found it difficult to be adopted as candidates by the main UK political parties and when they did find a seat, it was likely to be less winnable than those for which men were selected. In the 2005 and 2010 general elections, the all-women short-list policy appears to have helped change this for Labour and to have broken down the association of candidates gender and seat marginality. The UK has the fifteenth highest proportion of women MPs out of the 27 EU Member States. 33% of UK MEPs elected in 2009 are women, compared to 35% of MEPs across all 27 EU Member States. Internationally, the UK Parliament ranks 65th out of the 190 countries included in the Inter Parliamentary Unions 1 February 2013 monitoring report.

This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required. This information is provided subject to our general terms and conditions which are available online or may be provided on request in hard copy. Authors are available to discuss the content of this briefing with Members and their staff, but not with the general public.

Contents
1 Women and men in Parliament and elected bodies 1.1 Parliaments and devolved legislatures Table 1 Men and women in the UK Parliament and devolved legislatures 1.2 Local Government a. b. 2 Current position Historical background 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7

Women MPs since 1918 Table 2 Women MPs elected at General Elections by party 1918 to 2010

Women General Election candidates Table 3 Women candidates by party 1918 to 2010 Table 4 Women candidates and MPs by party, 2010 General Election

Table 5 Candidates by gender and party Great Britain, 2010 General Election 8 4 Women ministers Table 6 Women Cabinet Ministers, 1929 to 2012 Chart 1 Women Ministerial Appointments 1945-2012 Chart 2 Percentage of Women MPs Appointed as Ministers 1945-2012 10 10 10 10

Parliamentary and Political Firsts for women Table 8 Timeline of significant events since 1907

12 12 13 13 13 17 17 17 18

International context 6.1 National Parliaments Table 9 Women in National Parliaments, as of 1 February 2013 Women Speakers of National Parliaments 6.2 6.3 Women Presidents and Prime Ministers European Parliament

Related Library publications

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1.1

Women and men in Parliament and elected bodies

Parliaments and devolved legislatures

143 women MPs were elected at the 2010 General Election, more than at any previous election. Currently there are 147 women in the House of Commons, just over one-fifth of all MPs (23%). A similar proportion of Members of the House of Lords are women. Just over one-third (35%) of members in the Scottish Parliament are women, compared to two-fifths of members of National Assembly for Wales. Following the 2009 European Parliament elections, women comprised one-third of UK MEPs. Table 1 shows the gender breakdown by party in the House of Commons and other elected bodies in the UK. For the House of Commons, MPs have been assigned to parties for which they contested the 2010 election or a subsequent by-election.

Table 1 Men and women in the UK Parliament and devolved legislatures

Table 1 Representatives by gender Con Male House of Commons House of Lords National Assembly for Wales Scottish Parliament Northern Ireland Assembly London Assembly European Parliament (UK Members) Female House of Commons House of Lords National Assembly for Wales Scottish Parliament Northern Ireland Assembly London Assembly European Parliament (UK Members) % female House of Commons House of Lords National Assembly for Wales Scottish Parliament Northern Ireland Assembly London Assembly European Parliament (UK Members) 256 172 10 9 8 19 48 38 4 6 1 6 16% 18% 29% 40% 11% 24% Lab 171 157 15 20 7 8 86 63 15 17 5 5 33% 29% 50% 46% 42% 38% LD 48 63 4 4 1 5 7 26 1 1 1 6 13% 29% 20% 20% 50% 55% Other 28 265 7 51 88 1 16 6 53 4 21 20 1 7 18% 17% 36% 29% 19% 50% 30% Total 503 657 36 84 88 17 48 147 180 24 45 20 8 24 23% 22% 40% 35% 19% 32% 33%

Notes 1. Membership of the House of Commons in July 2013. Inludes MPs without party whip under 'Other'. 2. House of Lords membership in February 2013. Includes peers on leave of absence, suspended, or disqualified as senior members of the judiciary or as an MEP (listed under 'Other'). 3. Membership of devolved assemblies following May 2011 elections. 4. Membership of the European Parliament following the June 2009 elections. Sources House of Commons Library MP database House of Lords Members' Names Information Service House of Commons Library Research Papers RP11/41 Scottish Parliament Elections: 2011; RP11/42 Northern Ireland Assembly Elections: 2011; RP11/43 National Assembly for Wales Elections: 2011; RP09/53 European Parliament

1.2

Local Government

a. Current position Womens representation in local government in England is higher than in Parliament. In 2010, 31% of local authority councillors in England were women. The proportion of female councillors was greatest in London boroughs (36%) and metropolitan districts (33%) and lowest in shire counties (25%). 1 In Scotland, 24% of councillors elected at the 2012 local government elections were women. 2 Women held 26% of council seats in Wales following

LGA, National Census of Local Authority Councillors 2010 http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=15003600 2 Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Local Government Elections 2012 http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefingsAndFactsheets/S4/SB12-38.pdf

the 2012 local elections. 3 In Northern Ireland in 2011, 23% of councillors in local government districts were women. 4 b. Historical background Between 1869 and 1907 legislation was passed which extended the range of authorities to which women were eligible to stand for election. The Municipal Franchise Act of 1869 extended the vote to women ratepayers in local elections and also enabled women to serve as Poor Law Guardians. The 1870 Education Act allowed for married women ratepayers to stand as candidates to local school boards, the first contested election of which took place in Manchester on 1 December 1870. 5 The Local Government Act 1894 allowed women to serve on parish and district councils, but it was not until the Qualification of Women Act was passed in 1907 that women (ratepayers) were permitted to be members of County and Borough Councils. 6 Three months after this Act was passed five women were elected to these bodies in England (Aldeburgh, Reading, Bewdley, Oxford and Oldham). 7 One of the successful women was Elizabeth Garrett Anderson in Aldeburgh where she went on to be the first female elected mayor in 1908. In Scotland the Qualification of Women (County and Town Councils) (Scotland) Act was passed in August 1907. This allowed women to be elected as town and county councillors. Lavinia Malcolm was elected unopposed to the town and parish councils of Dollar (Clackmannanshire), the only woman in Scotland to be elected at that time. 8

Women MPs since 1918

Since 1918, 369 women have been elected as Members in the House of Commons. 9 This is around 8% of all MPs over the period. 224 women (61%) have been Labour MPs, defined as the party of first election. Until 1997 women had never comprised more than 10% of all MPs, and until the 1980s the proportion had always been below 5%. The proportion rose to 18% following the 1997 General Election when 120 women were elected. 143 women were elected in the 2010 General Election, 22.0% of all MPs. Following by-elections 146 are held by women (23%), the highest ever proportion.

Electoral Reform Society, Spotlight on Wales: Women and local government http://www.electoralreform.org.uk/images/dynamicImages/file/Wales/Women%20and%20local%20government%20in%20Wales.p df 4 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister/NISRA, Gender Equality Strategy Statistics: 2011 Update http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/gender_equality_strategy_statistics__2011_update.pdf#page=124 5 Votes for Women Virago Book of Suffragettes, ed Joyce Marlow p19 6 The 1907 Act followed years of uncertainty and confusion, which included challenges in the courts when women first tried to stand for the LCC, women losing their influence on education matters when free-standing boards were absorbed into councils, and losing their places on Urban District Councils when towns grew and sought borough status. 7 Ladies Elect: women in English local government 1865 to 1914, Patricia Hollis 8 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, OUP, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/55608, accessed 5 Feb 2008 9 Two of these (Countess Constance Markievicz in 1918 and Michelle Gildernew in 2001) were elected as Sinn Fein MPs but did not take their seats.

Figure 1: Women MPs as percentage of total 1918-2010

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0% 18 22 23 24 29 31 35 45 50 51 55 59 64 66 70 F74 O74 79 83 87 92 97 01 05 10 General Election year

Table 2 Women MPs elected at General Elections by party 1918 to 2010

Con 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974(F) 1974(O) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 0 1 3 3 3 13 6 1 6 6 10 12 11 7 15 9 7 8 13 17 20 13 14 17 49 Lab 0 0 3 1 9 0 1 21 14 11 14 13 18 19 10 13 18 11 10 21 37 101 95 98 81 LD 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 5 10 7 Other 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 3 4 3 6 Total 1 2 8 4 14 15 9 24 21 17 24 25 29 26 26 23 27 19 23 41 60 120 118 128 143 % MPs 0.1% 0.3% 1.3% 0.7% 2.3% 2.4% 1.5% 3.8% 3.4% 2.7% 3.8% 4.0% 4.6% 4.1% 4.1% 3.6% 4.3% 3.0% 3.5% 6.3% 9.2% 18.2% 17.9% 19.8% 22.0%

Source: Rallings and Thrasher, British Electoral Facts 1832-2006 ; House of Commons Library Research Paper 10/36 General Election 2010

Women General Election candidates

In the 2010 General Election 874 women candidates stood across all parties; 21% of all (4,150) candidates. The number and proportion of women candidates was higher than at any earlier General Election. The previous record was in 2005, when 720 women stood for election.

Table 3 Women candidates by party 1918 to 2010

Conservative Labour Number % Number 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974(F) 1974(O) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 1 5 7 12 10 16 19 14 29 25 33 28 24 21 26 33 30 31 40 46 63 69 92 122 153 0% 1% 1% 2% 2% 3% 3% 2% 5% 4% 5% 4% 4% 3% 4% 5% 5% 5% 6% 7% 10% 11% 14% 19% 24% 4 10 14 22 30 36 33 41 42 41 43 36 33 30 29 40 50 52 78 92 138 157 149 166 191 Liberal Democrat SNP % Number % Number 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 7% 6% 7% 7% 7% 7% 6% 5% 5% 5% 6% 8% 8% 12% 15% 22% 25% 23% 26% 30% 4 16 12 6 25 5 11 20 45 11 14 16 24 20 23 40 49 52 75 106 143 140 139 144 134 1% 3% 3% 2% 5% 4% 7% 7% 9% 10% 13% 7% 7% 6% 7% 8% 8% 9% 12% 17% 23% 22% 22% 23% 21% 1 10 8 8 6 9 6 15 15 16 13 17 PC % Number 0% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 15% 11% 11% 8% 13% 8% 21% 21% 22% 22% 29% 1 1 1 2 1 1 6 9 7 7 7 4 7 Other % Number 0% 0% 0% 14% 0% 0% 9% 0% 4% 0% 0% 6% 3% 3% 16% 24% 20% 18% 18% 10% 18% 8 2 1 1 4 4 4 11 11 1 1 8 10 11 14 23 74 72 70 205 284 233 271 372 All % Number 2% 3% 4% 2% 7% 6% 9% 8% 7% 0% 2% 2% 8% 10% 7% 5% 8% 11% 13% 22% 22% 17% 18% 17% 17% 17 33 34 41 69 62 67 87 127 77 92 81 90 81 99 137 161 216 280 329 571 672 636 720 874 % 1% 2% 2% 3% 4% 5% 5% 5% 7% 6% 7% 5% 5% 5% 5% 6% 7% 8% 11% 14% 19% 18% 19% 20% 21%

Source: Rallings and Thrasher, British Electoral Facts 1832-2006 ; House of Commons Library Research Paper 10/36 General Election 2010

At the 2010 General Election the number of female MPs increased to 143, which was the highest number and proportion ever. The Conservative and Labour Parties each had more women candidates than at previous elections, and the percentage of female MPs in each party increased. This was due in part to the Labour Partys continuation of all-women shortlists to replace retiring male MPs in regions of England and Wales with less than 25% female Labour MPs, as well as the Conservative Partys promotion of women candidates included in a candidate A-list. Women comprised 30% of Labour candidates and 31% of Labour MPs in 2010, but for the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, women were under represented among MPs relative to candidates. 24% of Conservative candidates were women compared to 16% of those elected as Conservative MPs. 22% of Liberal Democrat candidates were women compared to 12% of their MPs. Table 4 Women candidates and MPs by party, 2010 General Election
% women Candidates Conservatives Labour Liberal Democrats 24 30 22

MPs 16 31 12

Table 5 shows the balance of men and women candidates for each of the seats in England, Scotland and Wales in 2010 by marginality to their party at the previous general election.

Marginality is measured as the difference in percentage vote share 10 of the partys candidate from the winning candidate or, in seats won by the party, from the candidate in second place at the 2005 election. A positive marginality means the party won the seat in 2005. Seats with a negative marginality are those that party did not win in 2005 a seat with marginality between -0% to -10% should be easier for that party to win than one where the marginality is between -20% to -30%. Table 5 Candidates by gender and party Great Britain, 2010 General Election
Marginality Conservative Men Number of candidates <-40% <-40 to -30% <-30 to -20% <-20 to -10% <-10 to -0% <0 to 10% <10 to 20% <20 to 30% >30% All % men and women <-40% <-40 to -30% <-30 to -20% <-20 to -10% <-10 to -0% <0 to 10% <10 to 20% <20 to 30% >30% All 46 52 58 71 73 40 65 64 12 481 Women 30 20 19 29 23 10 11 6 1 150 Labour Men 14 56 72 49 19 53 65 47 66 442 Women 2 20 9 15 26 35 25 33 24 189 Liberal Democrat Men 54 148 161 60 21 20 20 6 4 494 Women 16 32 46 20 10 8 4 0 0 137

61% 72% 75% 71% 76% 80% 86% 91% 92% 76%

39% 28% 25% 29% 24% 20% 14% 9% 8% 24%

88% 74% 89% 77% 42% 60% 72% 59% 73% 70%

13% 26% 11% 23% 58% 40% 28% 41% 27% 30%

77% 82% 78% 75% 68% 71% 83% 100% 100% 78%

23% 18% 22% 25% 32% 29% 17% 0% 0% 22%

For Labour, the proportion of women candidates was lower in less winnable seats. In the most winnable seats not currently held by the party (of marginality between -10% and 0%) the proportion of women candidates rose to 58%, very much above the partys average of 30%. For the Conservatives, the proportion of women candidates tended to be higher in less winnable seats, so that their safest seats were less likely to have women standing as candidates. The safest Liberal Democrat seats were also less likely to have women standing as candidates. However the proportion of women candidates rose to 32% in the most winnable seats not currently held by the party (of marginality between -10% and 0%) compared to the partys average of 22% women candidates.

10

A notional 2005 vote share is used for constituencies in England and Wales, as the 2005 and 2010 General Elections were contested on different constituency boundaries.

Women ministers

Currently, 4 out of 22 Cabinet posts 11 (18%) are held by women. This compares to 5 female Cabinet Ministers immediately before the September 2012 reshuffle. There were 4 women in Gordon Browns Cabinet after the June 2009 reshuffle and 8 women ministers in Tony Blairs final Cabinet. Of 121 Government ministers, including the Cabinet, whips, Lords in waiting and 13 unpaid positions, 23 (or 19%) are women. 12 Prior to the 2010 General Election, 30% of ministers were women. 13 Table 6 shows all women ministers who have been appointed to Cabinet posts. Margaret Bondfield was the first ever woman appointed to the Cabinet in 1929, having been previously the first woman non-Cabinet minister in 1924. Altogether 35 women ever have held Cabinet positions. Table 6 Women Cabinet Ministers, 1929 to 2012
1929-31 Margaret Bondfield 1945-47 Ellen Wilkinson 1953-54 Florence Horsbrugh 1964-70 & 1974-76 Barbara Castle 1968-69 Judith Hart 1970-74 & 1979-90 Margaret Thatcher 1974-79 Shirley Williams 1982-83 Baroness Young 1992-97 Virginia Bottomley 1992-97 Gillian Shepard 1997-98 Ann Taylor 1997-98 & 2007-10 Harriet Harman 1997-2001 Mo Mowlam 1997-2003 Clare Short 1997-2007 Margaret Beckett 1998-2001 Baroness Jay 2001-03 Helen Liddell 2001-02 Estelle Morris 2001-07 Patricia Hewitt 2001-07 Hilary Armstrong 2001-07 & 2009-10 Tessa Jowell 2003-07 Baroness Amos 2004-08 Ruth Kelly 2006-09 Hazel Blears 2006-09 Jacqui Smith 2007-08 Baroness Ashton 2008-10 Yvette Cooper 2008-10 Baroness Royal 2010-12 Caroline Spelman 2010-12 Cheryl Gillan 2010-12 Baroness Warsi 2010Theresa May 2011Justine Greening 2012Maria Miller 2012Theresa Villiers

Source: David Butler and Gareth Butler, British Political Facts (updated)

In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the UKs first woman Prime Minister. At the same time the 1979 election returned the lowest number of women MPs for nearly thirty years. One other woman held Cabinet office during the time that Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. This was Baroness Young, who was Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords in 1982-83. 14

11 12

Including Prime Minister; http://www.number10.gov.uk/the-coalition/the-cabinet/, accessed 3 October 2012 http://www.number10.gov.uk/the-coalition/the-government/, accessed 3 October 2012 13 Hansard Ministerial Listngs 14 House of Commons Factsheet M4, Women in the House of Commons

10

Chart 1: Women Ministerial Appointments 1945 -2012

160

140

Number of Women MPs

120

100

80

60 Number of women appointed to ministerial posts 40

20

Source: Centre for the Advancement of Women

Chart 1 shows the number of women appointed to ministerial positions during each post-war parliament, alongside the number of women elected as MPs at each General Election. Chart 2 shows the percentage of total and Government women MPs appointed as ministers in each post war parliament. The highest percentage of women MPs appointed as ministers came during the Labour Government of 1966-70 (38%), closely followed by the 2005-10 Labour Governments (37%). The 1966-70 Labour Government and the 1992-97 Conservative Government had the highest percentage of their female MPs appointed as minsters (53%)
Chart 2: Percentage of Women MPs Appointed as Ministers
(excluding by-election results) 60%

50% Government Women MPs 40%

30%

Total Women MPs

20%

10%

0%

Source: Centre for the Advancement of Women

11

Parliamentary and Political Firsts for women

Table 8 sets out a number of firsts and significant events over the last century for women in Parliament and political life. 15, 16 Table 8 Timeline of significant events since 1907 1907 1908 1918 1918 1919 1924 1928 1929 1948 1958 1964 1965 1970 1975 1979 1981 1992 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 2001 2006 2006 2007 2007 2009 2010 Qualification of Women Act allowing women to be County and Borough councillors many stood in 1 Nov elections Elected Mayor in England (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson) Women able to stand for Parliament and those over 30 given the right to vote Member of Parliament elected (Countess Constance de Markievicz) 17 Member of Parliament to take seat (Nancy Astor) Minister (Margaret Bondfield) Vote given to women on same terms as men Cabinet minister, and privy counsellor (Margaret Bondfield) Chair of Committee of Whole House (Florence Paton) Life Peerages Act; first women life peers to take seats (Lady Reading and Baroness Wooton) Parliamentary Whip (Commons) (Harriet Slater) Parliamentary Whip (Lords) (Baroness Phillips) Deputy Speaker (Betty Harvie Anderson) Leader of the Opposition (Margaret Thatcher) Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher) Leader of the House of Lords (Baroness Young) Speaker of the House of Commons (Betty Boothroyd) Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Margaret Beckett) Secretary of State for Social Security (Harriet Harman) Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mo Mowlam) Full-time Minister for Women (Joan Ruddock) Chief Whip (Ann Taylor) Secretary of State for Scotland (Helen Liddell) Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Margaret Beckett) First House of Lords Lord Speaker (Baroness Hayman) Secretary of State for Home Affairs (Jacqui Smith) Attorney-General (Baroness Scotland) EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy (Baroness Ashton) Secretary of State for Wales (Cheryl Gillan)

A list of women holding various posts in parliament, politics and public life is available from the Centre for the Advancement of Women in Politics. 18 BBC Womans hour Womens history timeline provides a list of key events by decade since 1900. 19

15 16

COI, Women in Britain, 2 edition, 1996 Centre for Advancement of Women in Politics, http://www.qub.ac.uk/cawp/index.html 17 Elected in the General Election but along with 72 other Sinn Fin MPs she did not take her seat. 18 http://www.qub.ac.uk/cawp/observatory.html 19 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/timeline/timeline.shtml

nd

12

6
6.1

International context
National Parliaments

Data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union shows the proportion of women in the lower (or single) House of different countries legislatures following the most recent elections. The UK is ranked joint 65th. Rwanda is ranked first (56%), followed by Andorra (50%), Cuba (45%) and Sweden (45%). Table 9 Women in National Parliaments, as of 1 February 2013
Low er or single House Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Country Rw anda Andorra Cuba Sw eden Seychelles Senegal Finland South Africa** Nicaragua Iceland Norw ay Mozambique Denmark Netherlands Costa Rica Timor-Leste Angola Belgium Argentina Mexico Spain United Republic of Tanzania Uganda Serbia Nepal Germany The F.Y.R. of Macedonia Ecuador New Zealand Slovenia Algeria Guyana Burundi Sw itzerland Portugal Trinidad and Tobago Austria Ethiopia Afghanistan Elections Sep-08 Apr-11 Jan-08 Sep-10 Sep-11 Jul-12 Apr-11 Apr-09 Nov-11 Apr-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Sep-11 Sep-12 Seats* 80 28 586 349 32 150 200 400 92 63 169 250 179 150 57 65 220 150 257 500 350 350 386 250 594 620 123 124 121 90 462 67 105 200 230 42 183 547 249 Wom en 45 14 265 156 14 64 85 169 37 25 67 98 70 58 22 25 84 57 96 184 126 126 135 83 197 204 40 40 39 29 146 21 32 58 66 12 51 152 69 % Wom en 56% 50% 45% 45% 44% 43% 43% 42% 40% 40% 40% 39% 39% 39% 39% 38% 38% 38% 37% 37% 36% 36% 35% 33% 33% 33% 33% 32% 32% 32% 32% 31% 30% 29% 29% 29% 28% 28% 28% Elections Sep-11 ------------Apr-09 ----------May-11 ------Jun-10 Oct-11 Jul-12 Nov-11 --------N.A. ------Nov-12 Dec-12 --Jul-10 Oct-11 --Jun-10 N.A. May-10 Jan-11 Upper House or Senate Seats* 26 ------------53 ----------75 ------71 72 128 266 --------69 ------40 142 --41 46 --31 61 135 102 Wom en 10 ------------17 ----------27 ------29 28 42 91 --------19 ------3 10 --19 9 --7 19 22 28 % Wom en 38% ------------32% ----------36% ------41% 39% 33% 34% --------28% ------8% 7% --46% 20% --23% 31% 16% 27%

Feb-10 Jul-12 Aug-12 Jun-10 Oct-11 Jul-12 Nov-11 Oct-10

Feb-11 May-12 Apr-08 Sep-09 Jun-11 Apr-09 Nov-11 Dec-11 May-12 Nov-11 Jul-10 Oct-11 Jun-11 May-10 Sep-08 May-10 Sep-10

13

Low er or single House Rank 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 68 68 71 71 73 74 74 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 86 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 100 = = = = = = = = = = = Country France Tunisia Lesotho Belarus South Sudan El Salvador Bolivia Iraq Lao People's Democratic Republic Canada Australia Sudan Lithuania Viet Nam Namibia Kazakhstan Singapore Liechtenstein Croatia Poland Kyrgyzstan Latvia Bulgaria Philippines Pakistan United Kingdom Malaw i Mauritania Czech Republic Eritrea Uzbekistan Israel Luxembourg Peru Bosnia and Herzegovina Italy China Greece Cape Verde Estonia Dominican Republic Cambodia Saudi Arabia Republic of Moldova Bangladesh Honduras Monaco Tajikistan Mauritius Slovakia Indonesia Sao Tome and Principe United States of America United Arab Emirates Madagascar Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Montenegro Venezuela Morocco Turkmenistan Saint Lucia San Marino Elections Jun-12 Oct-11 May-12 Sep-12 Aug-11 Mar-12 Dec-09 Mar-10 Apr-11 May-11 Aug-10 Apr-10 Oct-12 May-11 Nov-09 Jan-12 May-11 Feb-09 Dec-11 Oct-11 Oct-10 Sep-11 Jul-09 May-10 Feb-08 May-10 May-09 Nov-06 May-10 Feb-94 Dec-09 Jan-13 Jun-09 Apr-11 Oct-10 Apr-08 Mar-08 Jun-12 Feb-11 Mar-11 May-10 Jul-08 Jan-13 Nov-10 Dec-08 Nov-09 Feb-08 Feb-10 May-10 Mar-12 Apr-09 Aug-10 Nov-12 Sep-11 Oct-10 Dec-10 Oct-12 Sep-10 Nov-11 Dec-08 Nov-11 Nov-12 Seats* 577 217 120 109 332 84 130 325 132 308 150 354 139 500 78 107 99 25 151 460 120 100 240 284 342 650 193 95 200 150 150 120 60 130 42 630 2978 300 72 101 183 123 151 101 350 128 21 63 69 150 560 55 433 40 366 23 81 165 395 125 18 60 Wom en 155 58 32 29 88 22 33 82 33 76 37 87 34 122 19 26 24 6 36 109 28 23 55 65 77 146 43 21 44 33 33 26 13 28 9 135 635 63 15 21 38 25 30 20 69 25 4 12 13 28 104 10 77 7 64 4 14 28 67 21 3 10 % Wom en 27% 27% 27% 27% 27% 26% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 24% 24% 24% 24% 24% 24% 24% 24% 23% 23% 23% 23% 23% 22% 22% 22% 22% 22% 22% 22% 22% 22% 21% 21% 21% 21% 21% 21% 21% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 19% 19% 19% 19% 19% 18% 18% 18% 17% 17% 17% 17% 17% 17% 17% 17% Elections Sep-11 --Jun-12 Aug-12 Aug-11 --Dec-09 ----N.A. Aug-10 May-10 ----Nov-10 Aug-11 ------Oct-11 ------May-10 Mar-12 N.A. --Nov-09 Oct-12 --Jan-10 ------Jun-11 Apr-08 --------May-10 Jan-12 ----------Mar-10 --------Nov-12 --10 2010 ------Oct-09 --Jan-12 ---

Upper House or Senate Seats* 347 --33 57 50 --36 ----103 76 28 ----26 47 ------100 ------23 104 760 --56 81 --100 ------15 321 --------32 61 ----------34 --------99 --164 ------270 --11 --Wom en 77 --9 20 5 --17 ----39 29 5 ----7 2 ------13 ------3 17 172 --8 14 --15 ------2 61 --------3 9 ----------5 --------20 --20 ------6 --2 --% Wom en 22% --27% 35% 10% --47% ----38% 38% 18% ----27% 4% ------13% ------13% 16% 23% --14% 17% --15% ------13% 19% --------9% 15% ----------15% --------20% --12% ------2% --18% ---

14

Low er or single House Rank 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 128 128 131 132 132 134 134 134 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 149 149 152 153 154 155 156 156 158 159 160 161 162 163 = = = = = = = = = = = = = Country Libya Azerbaijan Thailand Gabon Burkina Faso Albania Republic of Korea Democratic People's Republic of Korea Ireland Zimbabw e Chad Mongolia Turkey Chile Guinea-Bissau Cameroon Djibouti Somalia Sw aziland Russian Federation Romania Grenada Guatemala Niger Bahamas Jamaica Central African Republic Dominica Paraguay Sierra Leone Colombia Uruguay Georgia Jordan Syrian Arab Republic Suriname Zambia Togo India Liberia Cyprus Armenia Antigua and Barbuda Cote d'Ivoire Malaysia Ghana Mali Bahrain Barbados Equatorial Guinea Kenya Ukraine Democratic Republic of the Congo Hungary Kiribati Malta Brazil Bhutan Panama Benin Botsw ana Japan Elections Jul-12 Nov-10 Jul-11 Dec-11 Dec-12 Jun-09 Apr-12 Mar-09 Feb-11 Mar-08 Feb-11 Jun-12 Jun-11 Dec-09 Nov-08 Jul-07 Feb-08 Aug-12 Sep-08 Dec-11 Dec-12 Jul-08 Sep-11 Jan-11 May-12 Dec-11 Jan-11 Dec-09 Apr-08 Dec-12 Mar-10 Oct-09 Oct-12 Jan-13 May-12 May-10 Sep-11 Oct-07 Apr-09 Oct-11 May-11 May-12 Mar-09 Dec-11 Mar-08 Dec-12 Jul-07 Oct-10 Jan-08 May-08 Dec-07 Oct-12 Nov-11 Apr-10 Oct-11 Mar-08 Oct-10 Mar-08 May-09 Apr-11 Oct-09 Dec-12 Seats* 200 125 500 114 127 140 300 687 166 214 188 74 550 120 100 180 65 275 66 450 412 15 158 113 38 63 104 32 80 121 165 99 150 150 250 51 157 81 545 73 56 131 19 249 221 273 147 40 30 100 224 445 492 386 46 69 513 47 71 83 63 480 Wom en 33 20 79 18 20 22 47 107 25 32 28 11 78 17 14 25 9 38 9 61 55 2 21 15 5 8 13 4 10 15 20 12 18 18 30 6 18 9 60 8 6 14 2 26 23 28 15 4 3 10 22 42 44 34 4 6 44 4 6 7 5 38 % Wom en 17% 16% 16% 16% 16% 16% 16% 16% 15% 15% 15% 15% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% 11% 11% 11% 11% 11% 11% 11% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 9% 9% 9% 9% 9% 9% 9% 8% 8% 8% 8% Elections ----Apr-11 Jan-09 --------Apr-11 Mar-08 ------Dec-09 --------Oct-08 N.A. Dec-12 Aug-08 ----May-12 Sep-07 ----4 2008 --Mar-10 Oct-09 --Oct-11 --------Jan-12 Oct-11 ----Apr-09 --N.A. ----Nov-10 Feb-08 ------Jan-07 ------Oct-10 Dec-07 ------Jul-10

Upper House or Senate Seats* ----149 102 --------60 99 ------38 --------30 163 176 13 ----16 21 ----45 --100 31 --60 --------245 30 ----17 --66 ----40 21 ------108 ------81 25 ------236 Wom en ----23 18 --------18 24 ------5 --------12 13 13 3 ----4 5 ----7 --16 4 --7 --------26 4 ----5 --15 ----11 7 ------6 ------13 6 ------43 % Wom en ----15% 18% --------30% 24% ------13% --------40% 8% 7% 23% ----25% 24% ----16% --16% 13% --12% --------11% 13% ----29% --23% ----28% 33% ------6% ------16% 24% ------18%

15

Low er or single House Rank 164 165 166 166 166 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 176 178 179 179 181 182 183 184 185 186 186 186 186 186 Notes: * Figures correspond to the number of seats currently filled in Parliament = = = = = = = = = = = = Country Gambia Congo Nigeria Saint Kitts and Nevis Tuvalu Maldives Kuw ait Myanmar Sri Lanka Haiti Samoa Tonga Belize Lebanon Iran (Islamic Republic of) Comoros Marshall Islands Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Egypt Oman Yemen Micronesia (Federated States of) Nauru Palau Qatar Vanuatu Elections Mar-12 Jul-12 Apr-11 Jan-10 Sep-10 May-09 Dec-12 Nov-10 Apr-10 Nov-10 Mar-11 Nov-10 Mar-12 Jun-09 May-12 Dec-09 Nov-11 Jun-12 Aug-10 Nov-11 Oct-11 Apr-03 Mar-11 Jun-10 Nov-12 Jul-10 Oct-12 Seats* 53 136 360 15 15 77 65 431 225 95 49 28 32 128 290 33 33 111 50 508 84 301 14 18 16 35 52 Wom en 4 10 24 1 1 5 4 26 13 4 2 1 1 4 9 1 1 3 1 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 % Wom en 8% 7% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6% 6% 6% 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Elections --Oct-11 Apr-11 --------Nov-10 --Nov-10 ----Mar-12 ------------Jan-12 Oct-11 Apr-01 ----Nov-12 -----

Upper House or Senate Seats* --72 109 --------224 --20 ----13 ------------270 83 111 ----13 ----Wom en --10 7 --------4 --0 ----5 ------------12 15 2 ----3 ----% Wom en --14% 6% --------2% --0% ----38% ------------4% 18% 2% ----23% -----

** South Africa: figures on the distribution of seats in the upper house do not incclude 36 speacial rotating delegates appointed on an ad hoc basis; all percentages are calculated on the basis of 54 permanent seats

Source: Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) - 1 February 2013

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Women Speakers of National Parliaments At 1 February 2013, 39 women presided over one of the Houses of the 190 existing national parliaments, 77 of which are bicameral. This represents 20.5% of the 274 posts of presiding officer. The relevant countries are:
Albania Antigua and Barbuda (both chambers) Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Belgium Bolivia (both chambers) Botswana Bulgaria Czech Republic Dominica Estonia Gabon Grenada Iceland India Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lithuania Mozambique Netherlands Pakistan Poland Portugal Russian Federation Rwanda San Marino Singapore Suriname Swaziland Switzerland Turkmenistan Uganda United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania Uzbekistan Zimbabwe

Source: Inter Parliamentary Union Women in National Parliaments, http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/speakers.htm

6.2

Women Presidents and Prime Ministers

At 1 March 2013, a woman holds the post of president or prime minister in 18 countries. 20 9 countries have female presidents: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, South Korea, Kosovo, Liberia, Lithuania, Malawi and Switzerland. 9 countries have female prime ministers: Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Jamaica, San Marino, Thailand, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The Centre for Women and Democracy has also published international comparisons for the number of women Cabinet ministers, at September 2012. 21 6.3 European Parliament

In July 2009, 255 of 736 MEPs were women (35%). The proportion varied from 62% in Finland to 0% for Malta. One third of the 72 UK MEPs elected in 2009 were women, so that the UK had the 17th highest ratio of the 27 EU Member States.

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Centre for Women and Democracy, Women Presidents and Prime Ministers August 2012 Factsheet http://www.cfwd.org.uk/uploads/pdfs/WomenWorldLeadersAugust2012.pdf , BBC Online Park Geun-hye sworn in as South Korea president 25 February 2013 21 http://www.cfwd.org.uk/uploads/CabinetsInternationalSeptember12.pdf

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Figure 3: % of women MEPs by country, July 2009

Finland Sweden Estonia Netherlands Denmark France Austria Bulgaria Latvia Slovakia Germany Belgium Hungary Portugal Romania Spain Cyprus United Kingdom Greece Slovenia Ireland Lithuania Poland Italy Czech Rep Luxembourg Malta 0% 17% 18% 21% 25% 25% 22% 29% 41% 41% 38% 38% 37% 36% 36% 36% 36% 36% 33% 33% 32% 44% 46% 50% 48% 56% 62%

0%

10%

20%

30% 40% % of MEPs

50%

60%

70%

Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/archive/elections2009/en/men_women_en.html

Related Library publications

Further information on political representation of women and other groups can be found in the following Library publications: Women in public life, the professions and the boardroom www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN05170 Women: International Women's Day 2013, background & statistics http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN02936 Women in the House of Lords (House of Lords Library Note) http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/LLN-2012-005 Ethnic minorities in politics and government www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01156 Social background of Members of Parliament www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01528 UK Election Statistics: 1918-2012 www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/RP12-43

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