Women & Politics
Get involved in local and national politics
(Yes, you can change the world)
Key Facts
In England just over a quarter of local councillors are women (29%). 3.5% of councillors are of minority ethnic origin and 12.4% are disabled
- There are now 126 women Members of Parliament 19.5% of all MP's. This was an increase from the 2001 figures when 17.9% of MP's were women.
- Women represent 24% of the UK members of the European Parliament (MEP's)
DTI Women & Equality Unit, Jan 06
More women are needed to engage in South Yorkshire politics and political parties at all levels. If women are under represented, women from black and ethnic minority communities are even scarcer.
If you feel strongly about issues that face your community there are a number of ways that you can strive to ensure that they are fairly represented.
School Governor, Parish/Town Councils, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Councils, Youth Parliament, Members of Parliament.
Most women started out in political life by joining a political party, Trade Union or campaigning pressure group. It is important with any party that you agree with the ethos and a broad range of policies. It is not expected that you will agree with everything the party says or does, there would be no debate or policy discussions if this were the case (and probably no political parties at all!)
All parties welcome new members with open arms and meetings are local. They will not throw you into canvassing or leafleting but will let you develop at your own pace.
Parties are actively seeking to increase representation by women so if you are ready there is no better time to take a first step.
Websites worth visiting are The Fawcett Society and the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Take a look at the websites and women's pages of the big three, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats.
The Conservative Party
Visit the website to see what the Conservative Party stands for:
www.conservatives.com
Conservative Women: www.women2win.com
Local party sites
Barnsley: www.barnsleyconservatives.co.uk
Rotherham: email: rotherhamdistrict@tory.org
Sheffield: www.sheffieldconservatives.org
The Labour Party
Visit the website to see what the Labour Party stands for: www.labour.org.uk
The Labour Women's Network: www.lwn.org.uk
Local party sites
Sheffield Labour Party: www.sheffieldlabourparty.co.uk
The Liberal Democrats
Visit the website to see what the Liberal Democrats stand for: www.libdems.org.uk
Liberal Democrat Women: www.women.libdems.org.uk
Local Party Sites
Liberal Democrats in Yorkshire: www.yorkshirehumberlibdems.org.uk
Sheffield Liberal Democrats: www.sheffieldlibdems.org.uk
The Green Party
Visit the Green Party web site at: www.greenparty.org.uk
Also don't forget if you have enough local support you can stand as an independent candidate - talk to your Town Hall Elections Officer about the rules covering this.
Gender and Politics in South Yorkshire
Click here for statistics on the current position of representation and women in South Yorkshire. Compiled by Julie Berrisford and Sally Crew of South Yorkshire Women's Development Trust, the figures show that we are making progress but there is still along way to go.
Local Elections Offices
Barnsley
The Elections Office, 18 Regent Street, Barnsley, S70 2HG
Tel 01226 773071/ 2, Fax 01226 773095/ 6
email: ElectoralServices@barnsley.gov.uk
Doncaster
Electoral Services, PO Box 7, Copley House, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3EQ
Telephone: 01302 734658/734685
email: elections@doncaster.gov.uk
Rotherham
The Elections Office, Civic Building, Walker Place, Rotherham, S65 1UF
Tel 01709 823521 email: electoral.services@rotherham.gov.uk
Sheffield
The Elections Office, Town Hall, Sheffield, S1 2HH
0114 273 4093
email: elections@sheffield.gov.uk
About my vote and how to register
Are you registered to vote? You need to register because if you are not on the electoral register, you lose your vote. Use this link to download an electoral registration form and to locate your local electoral registration office.
www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
DON'T FORGET TO USE IT!
