How many women stand for election every year? It’s hard to tell. That’s because right now, parties don’t have to publish information on the diversity of their candidates.
However, last month, the Minister for Women and Equalities, Annaliese Dodds MP, announced that the government would finally begin the process of enacting Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010. This is a major step forward for diversity in politics and a huge win for the ERS – we have been campaigning alongside Centenary Action to push for change since 2018.
But what exactly is Section 106, and why is it important? Let’s break it down.
What is Section 106?
Enacting Section 106 would require political parties to publish diversity data on the people who put themselves forward as candidates for elections to the House of Commons, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. Diversity data is information about candidates’ characteristics, including their gender identity.
Despite the legislation for this already being written back in 2010, it’s now, after 15 years of inactivity, that this government is finally taking action.
Since 2010, we have seen progress in representation – there are more women in Parliament than ever before, rising from 141 (21.7%) in 2010 to 263 (40.5%) today. But that still means women, who make up 51% of the population, are underrepresented in decision-making spaces.
Why is Section 106 important for women’s representation?
If we want a government that truly represents our society, we need to make sure everyone has a fair chance to get involved. But right now, there’s no standardised way of tracking who is stepping forward, and this means women are being left behind. There’s also no legal obligation for parties to publish this data.
Section 106 will change this – finally lifting the lid on diversity data and ensuring parties are transparent about their selection procedures. By making this information public, Section 106 would encourage political parties to take real action to ensure fair representation.
Publishing data drives transparency, which in turn fuels change. We’ve seen this approach work before – gender pay gap reporting, introduced in 2017, was devised with this rational in mind, and has led to greater awareness and steps toward pay equality. Section 106 could do the same for political diversity.
By making the data transparent, parties can truly be held to account. If parties are forced to make this information public, they can no longer overlook representation gaps without scrutiny.
What happens next?
Our team are continuing to engage with the Government to make sure that Section 106 is enacted to its fullest and delivers real change.
To achieve this, it is essential that Section 106 includes provisions that ensure data is collected and published about all the stages of the candidate selection process. We need to make sure all stages remain transparent, not just limited data being released.
This would mean identifying who applies to become a candidate, who successfully secures a nomination to stand for election, and ultimately, who does and doesn’t get elected. By seeing all this data, we can gain a clearer picture of representation at every stage and address any barriers preventing a more diverse political landscape.
Transparency matters
We cannot let this continue to happen behind closed doors. These measures won’t say who should stand, but they will reveal who is – it’s about transparency. When we can see where the gaps are, it becomes easier to address them.
By shining a light on diversity in politics, we can ensure that everyone, regardless of gender or background, has an equal opportunity to be involved. This is a simple but powerful step toward making politics work for everyone.
We think it’s time women got their fair share in parliament
If you agree, add your name to our call for a fully representative House of Commons and keep up to date with our campaign.
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