The representation of women in the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...

has been an issue in the politics of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

at numerous points in the 20th and 21st centuries. Originally debate centred on whether women should be allowed to vote and stand for election as

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

. The

Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament. At 27 words, it is the shortest UK statute. Background The R ...

gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament. The United Kingdom has had three female Prime Ministers:

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

(1979–1990),

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

(2016–2019), and

Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...

(2022). The publication of the book ''Women in the House'' by

Elizabeth Vallance Elizabeth Vallance, Baroness Vallance of Tummel, (née MacGonnigal; 8 April 1945 – 9 July 2020) was a British philosopher, magistrate and policy maker. She held non-executive roles on various boards, and was High Sheriff of Greater London in ...

in 1979 highlighted the under-representation of women in Parliament. In more modern times concerns about the under-representation of women led the Labour Party to introduce and, decades later, abandon all-women short lists, something which was later held to breach discrimination laws. Between 1918 and 2022, a total of 560 women have been elected as Members of the House of Commons. As of December 2022 there are 224 women in the House of Commons, the second-highest ever. This is a new all-time high at 35% and is the first time that female representation in the House of Commons is at more than a third. The previous number was 208, set in 2017, which accounted for 32% of members elected or re-elected that year. Additionally, at the 2019 general election more female than male

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MPs were elected or re-elected (104 women out of 202 MPs in total) – the first time in Labour's history that this has happened. The female member of Parliament with the longest period of continuous service is currently informally known as the Mother of the House.

Suffrage

In 1832 Henry Hunt became the first MP to raise the issue of women's suffrage in the House of Commons, followed in 1867 by

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

. Following this attempts were made to widen the franchise in every Parliament. Women gained the right to vote with the passing of the

Representation of the People Act 1918 The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act. The Act extended the franchise in parliamentary elections, also ...

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 Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, (6 November 1870 – 5 February 1963) was a British Liberal politician who was the party leader from 1931 to 1935. He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to beco ...

, 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. This bill did not specify any age restriction, unlike the voting bill. 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 Helen Ursula Williams BEM (1896 – November 1979), was a British Liberal Party politician who legally stood for parliament even though she was too young to vote. Background She was the daughter of Liberal MP, Aneurin Williams and Helen Elizabet ...

standing in 1923.

Landmarks and records

Political firsts for women in House of Commons

* 1918: Women able to stand for Parliament. * 1918: First woman elected to Parliament (

Constance Markievicz Constance Georgine Markievicz ( pl, Markiewicz ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, socialist, and the fir ...

). However, as a member of

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

, she did not take her seat. Markievicz also became the only woman to represent an Irish constituency in Parliament until 1922 and the first female member who, before the election, chose to become a Catholic. * 1919: Member of Parliament to take her seat (

Nancy Astor Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor's first husband was America ...

) – for

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

s * 1921: British-born member to take her seat (

Margaret Wintringham Margaret Wintringham (née Longbottom; 4 August 1879 – 10 March 1955) was a British Liberal Party politician. She was the second woman, and the first British-born woman, to take her seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Early ...

) – Party * 1924: Minister (

Margaret Bondfield Margaret Grace Bondfield (17 March 1873 – 16 June 1953) was a British Labour Party politician, trade unionist and women's rights activist. She became the first female cabinet minister, and the first woman to be a privy counsellor in th ...

) – for Party * 1926: Member to represent more than one constituency in non-consecutive terms (Margaret Bondfield) – Labour Party * 1929: Cabinet minister and privy counsellor (Margaret Bondfield) * 1929: Female

Baby of the House Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house. The term is most often applied to members of the British parliament from which the term originated. The title is named after the Father of the House ...

( Jennie Lee) – Labour Party * 1929: Independent member elected (

Eleanor Rathbone Eleanor Florence Rathbone (12 May 1872 – 2 January 1946) was an independent British Member of Parliament (MP) and long-term campaigner for family allowance and for women's rights. She was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool. E ...

) * 1929: Non-Christian elected (

Marion Phillips Marion Phillips (29 October 1881 – 23 January 1932) was a Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament in England. Early life and education Marion Philllips was born on 29 October 1881 in Melbourne, Australia. Her parents were Philli ...

) – Labour Party * 1929: Shortest-serving member (

Ruth Dalton Florence Ruth Dalton, Baroness Dalton (née Hamilton Fox; 9 March 1890 – 15 March 1966 at Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages) was a British Labour Party politician. A long serving member of the London County Council, she holds the record for being ...

) – Labour Party; equalled in 1974 by

Margo MacDonald Margo Symington MacDonald (''née'' Aitken; 19 April 1943 – 4 April 2014) was a Scottish people, Scottish politician, teacher and Television presenter, broadcaster. She was the Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (United Kingdo ...

– * 1931: Member to cross the floor ( Cynthia Mosley) – from Labour to * 1931: Member to die in office and oldest woman elected (

Ethel Bentham Ethel Bentham, (5 January 1861 – 19 January 1931) was a progressive doctor, a politician and a suffragist in the United Kingdom. She was born in London, educated at Alexandra School and College in Dublin, the London School of Medicine for W ...

) – Labour Party * 1938: Resignation from the House, i.e. appointment to a stewardship ( The Duchess of Atholl) – Party * 1948: Chair of Committee of Whole House (

Florence Paton Florence Beatrice Paton (''née'' Widdowson; 1 June 1891 – 12 October 1976) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1950. Early life She was born in Taunton, Somerset, where her fath ...

) – Labour Party * 1948: British-born Catholic ( Alice Cullen) – Labour Party * 1953: Member from Northern Ireland; first Irishwoman to take her seat ( Patricia Ford) –

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...

* 1965: Parliamentary Whip (

Harriet Slater Harriet Slater CBE (''née'' Evans; 1903 – 12 October 1976) was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. Life and career Slater, ''née'' Evans, was born in Tunstall, Staffordshire, on 3 July 1903. Educated at Hanley High School and D ...

) – Labour Party * 1970: Deputy speaker (

Betty Harvie Anderson Margaret Betty Harvie Anderson, Baroness Skrimshire of Quarter, (12 August 1913 – 7 November 1979) was a British Conservative Party politician. She was the first woman to become a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, which she served as ...

) – Party * 1974: Youngest woman to leave the House (

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey Josephine Bernadette McAliskey (née Devlin; born 23 April 1947), usually known as Bernadette Devlin or Bernadette McAliskey, is an Irish civil rights leader, and former politician. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Ulster in North ...

) – Independent Socialist * 1975: Leader of the Opposition (

) * 1976: Member outed as LGBT (

Maureen Colquhoun Maureen Morfydd Colquhoun ( ; ' Smith, 12 August 1928 – 2 February 2021) was a British economist and Labour politician. She was Britain's first openly lesbian member of Parliament (MP). Education and early political career Smith was born ...

) – Labour Party * 1979: Prime Minister (

) who led the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. * 1987: Member from ethnic or racial minorities (

Diane Abbott Diane Julie Abbott (born 27 September 1953) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987. A member of the Labour Party, she served in the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn as Sh ...

) – Labour Party * 1992: Speaker of the House of Commons (

Betty Boothroyd Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd (born 8 October 1929) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000. From 1992 to 2000, she served as Speaker of the House of ...

) – Labour Party. As of she remains the only female to hold the office of House Speaker. * 1997: Full-time Minister for Women (

Joan Ruddock Dame Joan Mary Ruddock, (née Anthony; born 28 December 1943) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewisham Deptford from 1987 to 2015. Ruddock was Minister of State for Energy at the Departmen ...

) – Labour Party * 1997: Member who came out as LGBT in office ( Angela Eagle) – Labour Party * 1998: Chief Whip (

Ann Taylor Ann or Anne Taylor may refer to: *Ann Taylor (writer, born 1757) (1757–1830), English writer *Ann Taylor (poet) (1782–1866), English poet and children's writer, daughter of the above *Ann Taylor (actress) (born 1936), British actress, hostess a ...

) – Labour Party * 2010: LGBT member elected (

Margot James Margot Cathleen James (born 28 August 1957) is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Digital and Creative Industries from 2018 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stourbridge from 2010 to 2019. Elected as a Conserva ...

) – Conservative Party * 2010: Minor party members elected (

Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who has twice led the Green Party of England and Wales and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brighton Pavilion since the 2010 general election. She was re-elected ...

–

Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW; cy, Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr, kw, Party Gwer Pow an Sowson ha Kembra, often simply the Green Party or Greens) is a green, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since October 2021, Carla ...

;

Naomi Long Naomi Rachel Long MLA (née Johnston; born 13 December 1971) is a Northern Irish politician who served as Minister of Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive from January 2020 to October 2022. She has served as leader of the Alliance Party ...

–

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), or simply Alliance, is a liberal and centrist political party in Northern Ireland. As of the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, it is the third-largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, ...

) * 2015: Youngest woman elected (

Mhairi Black Mhairi Black (; or /vaɾʲɪ/ in Scottish Gaelic born 12 September 1994) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician, serving as the party's deputy leader in the House of Commons since December 2022. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) ...

) – SNP * 2016: Cabinet minister to come out in office (

Justine Greening Justine Greening (born 30 April 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, she served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2011, Secretary of State for Transport ...

) – Conservative Party * 2016: Member to be assassinated ( Jo Cox) – Labour Party. She became also the first Labour MP to die as a crime victim. * 2017: Oldest woman to be re-elected ( Ann Clwyd) - Labour Party * 2019: Ethnic minority female holder of a

Great Office of State The Great Offices of State are senior offices in the UK government. They are the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary or, alternatively, three of those offices excluding the Prime Minister. Current ...

(

Priti Patel Priti Sushil Patel (born 29 March 1972) is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she was Secretary of State for International Development from 2016 to 2017. Patel has been the Me ...

) – Conservative Party * 2019: Non-Christian by choice of conversion elected ( Charlotte Nichols) – Labour Party * 2019: Oldest woman to leave the House (Ann Clwyd) – Labour Party * 2022: Youngest, shortest-serving Prime Minister (Liz Truss) and also her party's youngest female parliamentary leader, and female Deputy Prime Minister (

Thérèse Coffey Thérèse Anne Coffey (born 18 November 1971) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she previously served as Deputy Prime Mini ...

) – Conservative Party * 2022: Member to vacate her seat for an actual paid office under the Crown (

Rosie Cooper Rosemary Elizabeth Cooper (born 5 September 1950) is a British health official and former Labour Party politician who has served as the chair of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust since November 2022. Previously, she served as the Member of Parli ...

) – Labour Party

Records

Margaret Beckett Dame Margaret Mary Beckett (''née'' Jackson; born 15 January 1943) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby South since 1983. A member of the Labour Party, she became Britain's first female Foreign S ...

is the longest serving female MP in the history of the House of Commons. She was an MP for Lincoln from 10 October 1974 until 7 April 1979, and has served as MP for Derby South since 9 June 1983, most recently being re-elected on 12 December 2019.

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Cabi ...

is the longest continuously serving female MP in the history of the House of Commons. She was MP for Peckham from 28 October 1982 until 1 May 1997, and has served as MP for Camberwell and Peckham since 1 May 1997, most recently having been re-elected on 12 December 2019. On 13 June 2017 Harman was dubbed " Mother of the House" by Prime Minister

, in recognition of her status as longest continuously serving woman MP (though she was not the longest serving MP overall, and would therefore not gain any official duties).

Female MPs with over 25 years' service

As of 2022, there are 36 women (out of a total of 560) who have served 25 years or more service in the House of Commons, either continuously or cumulatively.

Current representation

As of December 2022, there are 224 female MPs in the House of Commons.
In February 2018 the

Electoral Reform Society The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) is an independent campaigning organisation based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It seeks to replace first-past-the-post voting with proportional representation, advocating the single t ...

reported that hundreds of seats were being effectively 'reserved' by men, holding back women's representation. Their report states that 170 seats are being held by men first elected in 2005 or before – with few opportunities for women to take those seats or selections. Broadly speaking, the longer an MP has been in Parliament, the more likely they are to be male.

Current female Cabinet members (Conservative Party)

Suella Braverman Sue-Ellen Cassiana "Suella" Braverman (; ''née'' Fernandes, born 3 April 1980) is a British barrister and politician who has served as Home Secretary since 25 October 2022. She previously held the position from 6 September to 19 October 2022 ...

– Secretary of State for the Home Department *

Kemi Badenoch Olukemi Olufunto Badenoch ( ; née Adegoke, 2 January 1980) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for International Trade, President of the Board of Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities since 2022. She previously served in ...

– Secretary of State for International Trade/President of the Board of Trade *

Gillian Keegan Gillian Keegan (born 13 March 1968) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Education. A member of the Conservative Party, she previously served as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health from 2021 to 2022 and Parliamentar ...

– Secretary of State for Education *

Penny Mordaunt Penelope Mary Mordaunt (; born 4 March 1973) is a British politician who has been Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council since September 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) ...

– Leader of the House of Commons/Lord President of the Council *

Michelle Donelan Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (born 8 April 1984) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport since September 2022. She previously served as Minister of State for Higher and Further Ed ...

– Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport *

– Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Historic representation

2019 election

In the 2019 general election, 220 women were elected, making up 34% of the House of Commons, up from 208 and 32% before the election.

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2019 election

* Suella Braverman - Attorney General for England and Wales (2020–22) * Thérèse Coffey – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2019–22)/Health and Social Care & Deputy Prime Minister (2022) * Michelle Donelan – Secretary of State for Education (2022) *

Nadine Dorries Nadine Vanessa Dorries (''née'' Bargery, 21 May 1957) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2021 to 2022 under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A member of the Conservative Party, she ...

– Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport * Baroness Evans of Bowes Park – Leader of the House of Lords *

Amanda Milling Amanda Anne Milling (born 12 March 1975) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cannock Chase since the 2015 general election. She served as Minister without Portfolio in the UK cabinet and, alongside Ben Elliot, as C ...

– Minister Without Portfolio *

– Secretary of State for the Home Department *

Chloe Smith Chloe Rebecca Smith (born 17 May 1982) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from September to October 2022. She previously served as Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health from 2021 to ...

– Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2022) *

Anne-Marie Trevelyan Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (née Beaton; born 6 April 1969) is a British politician, a member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Berwick-upon-Tweed since 2015. Trevelyan is a junior minister, and has served ...

– Secretary of State for International Development (2020)/International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (2021–22)/Transport (2022) *

– Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Developmental Affairs (2021–22)/Prime Minister (2022)

2017 election

In the 2017 general election, 208 women were elected, making up 32% of the House of Commons, up from 191 and 29% before the election.

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2017 election

– Prime Minister * Liz Truss – Secretary of State for International Trade/President of the Board of Trade * Thérèse Coffey – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2019) * Baroness Evans of Bowes Park – Leader of the House of Lords *

– Secretary of State for Defence *

Karen Bradley Karen Anne Bradley (''née'' Howarth, born 12 March 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2019, and has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire Moorland ...

– Secretary of State for Northern Ireland *

Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...

– Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy * Priti Patel – Secretary of State for the Home Department *

Theresa Villiers Theresa Anne Villiers (born 5 March 1968) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005. A member of the ...

– Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs *

Nicky Morgan Nicola Ann Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Cotes, (; born 10 October 1972) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities from 2014 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, ...

– Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport *

Esther McVey Esther Louise McVey (born 24 October 1967) is a British politician and television presenter serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Minister of State for Housing and Pl ...

– Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018) *

Amber Rudd Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fi ...

– Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018–19)

2015 election

In the 2015 general election, 191 women were elected, making up 29% of the House of Commons, up from 141 and 23% before the election.

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2015 election

– Secretary of State for the Home Department *

– Secretary of State for International Development *

– Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities * Baroness Stowell of Beeston – Leader of the House of Lords *

– Secretary of State for Northern Ireland *

– Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2014–16)/Justice (2016–17) *

– Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

2010 election

As elected in the 2010 general election.

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2010 election

– Secretary of State for the Home Department *

Caroline Spelman Dame Caroline Alice Spelman (' Cormack; born 4 May 1958) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Meriden in the West Midlands from 1997 to 2019. From May 2010 to September 2012 she was the Sec ...

– Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs *

Cheryl Gillan Dame Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (; 21 April 1952 – 4 April 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chesham and Amersham from 1992 until her death in 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, she served a ...

– Secretary of State for Wales *

Baroness Warsi Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi, (; born 28 March 1971) is a British lawyer, politician, and member of the House of Lords who served as co-Chairwoman of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012. She served in the Cameron–Clegg coaliti ...

– Minister without Portfolio A total of 46 female ministers have held Cabinet positions since the first, Margaret Bondfield, in 1929. Tony Blair's 1997 Cabinet had five women and was the first to include more than two female ministers at one time. The highest number of concurrent women Cabinet ministers under Tony Blair was eight (36 per cent), then a record from May 2006 to May 2007. Other women have attended Cabinet without being full members, including

Caroline Flint Caroline Louise Flint (born 20 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley from 1997 to 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she attended the Cabinet of the United Kingdom as Minister for Hous ...

Anna Soubry Anna Mary Soubry (; born 7 December 1956) is a British barrister, journalist and former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe from 2010 to 2019. Known for her support of pro-European policies, she was originally elected a ...

and

Caroline Nokes Caroline Fiona Ellen Nokes (''née'' Perry; born 26 June 1972) is a British Conservative Party politician. She was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Romsey and Southampton North in Hampshire in the 2010 general election. Elect ...

. Some who have attended Cabinet have subsequently, or previously been full Cabinet ministers, including Tessa Jowell, Liz Truss and Andrea Leadsom.

All-women shortlists

All-women shortlists are a method of affirmative action which has been used by the Labour Party to increase the representation of women in Parliament. As of 2015, 117 Labour MPs have been elected to the House of Commons after being selected as candidates through an all-women shortlist. In 2002 this method of selection was ruled to breach the

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (c. 65) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status. The Act concerned employment, training, education, harassment, ...

. In response to this ruling the

Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 The Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 (c.2) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The purpose of the Act was to exempt the selection of candidates in parliamentary elections from the provisions in the Sex Discriminat ...

legalised all-women short lists as a method of selection. The

Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act 2010 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during the Brown ministry with the primary purpose of consolidating, updating and supplementing the numerous prior Acts and Regulations, that formed the basis of anti-d ...

extends this exemption from discrimination law to 2030. Ahead of the next general election, ''

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' reported in March 2022 that Labour stopped using

all-women shortlist All-women shortlists (AWS) is an affirmative action practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament (MPs) in the United Kingdom, allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political p ...

s, citing legal advice that continuing to use them for choosing parliamentary candidates would become an "unlawful" practice again under the Equality Act.

Notes

References

External links

* * * ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Women In The British House Of Commons House of Commons of the United Kingdom Women in the United Kingdom

Suffrage

Landmarks and records

Political firsts for women in House of Commons

Records

Female MPs with over 25 years' service

Current representation

Current female Cabinet members (Conservative Party)

Historic representation

2019 election

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2019 election

2017 election

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2017 election

2015 election

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2015 election

2010 election

Female Cabinet members appointed after the 2010 election

All-women shortlists

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links