News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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Five reforms still needed to ensure women are fairly represented in politics

The Representation of the People Act 1918 was undoubtedly a significant step forward for women’s rights and democracy.  It gave the to vote to around 8.5 million women previously disenfranchised and abolished almost all property restrictions on men.  One hundred years later and both...

Posted 06 Feb 2018

A portrait of the leader of the Women's Suffragette movement, Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst (left) and her daughters Christabel (centre) and Sylvia (right) at Waterloo Station, London. Mrs Pankhurst was about to leave for a lecture tour of the USA and Canada.

Where are the women in May’s local election?

Since the Prime Minister’s unexpected announcement of a General Election last week there’s been little time to talk of anything else. Our 24 hour news cycle is now dominated by images of May, Corbyn et...

Posted 27 Apr 2017

A stagnating Senedd?

In general, diversity in Parliaments is on the rise across the UK and the world. But it’s by no means inevitable, or uniform – and making our often archaic institutions reflect the public they represent...

Posted 25 Apr 2016