Voters want more women MPs

We know that when women are more equally represented in Parliaments and other elected bodies there are a multitude of benefits to society:

So, we asked the British public their thoughts about the importance of having more women MPs. Here are the findings:

Two thirds think more women should be elected as MPs

The public have noticed that women are underrepresented (35% of MPs) and they want to see an improvement.

Politics will be improved by having more women in Parliament

Among those who expressed support for increasing the number of women in Parliament:

65% said it’s necessary for women’s voices to be equally represented in Parliament
59% said women should have an equal seat at the decision-making table
51% agreed that we need to shift away from male domination of politics

Voters recognise the barriers to women becoming MPs

69% believe that inequalities within political parties contribute to women being less likely to be chosen for winnable seats
63% see media bias as a barrier
62% think voters often consider women candidates as less competent
56% think parties should do more to tackle the barriers

Unsurprisingly, women are more likely than men to see the barriers – 75% of women compared to 48% of men.

See our blog for more detail on the findings.

Polling was carried out by Opinium. 2,077 UK Adults between 14th – 16th June 2023. Data are weighted to be nationally and politically representative.

Other polling that might be helpful:

Polling