In 2014, the UK Parliament fell to 65th in the world in terms of women’s representation. At the recent Women of the World Festival (WOW) at London’s Southbank Centre, the 50:50 Parliament campaign for equal representation for women had a noticeable presence, visible in their suffragette-invoking white, green and violet-logoed T-shirts.
When a member of 50:50 Parliament came over to chat and pointed me to their petition, I found myself vaguely bemused. Why is it that we (I have signed it) are asking for a 50:50 balance? Over the past 20 years, taken to the nearest 1%, women have in fact made up 51% of the UK population. Surely it would be fairer, albeit less catchy, to demand 51:49?
