Maria Miller local MP for Basingstoke joined an international panel of speakers today to mark International Women’s Day by invitation of the Speaker of the House of Commons to discuss the importance of increasing the representation of women in Parliament.
At the event Maria said, “When I was elected I was the 344th woman ever to be elected to the House of Commons and the 38th woman ever to have held a post in the Cabinet. Whilst we have made some progress in promoting the role of women in Parliament there is still much further to go. Still too many women feel Parliament isn't for women like them and they don’t see it as a way they can use their skills to help make our country a better place to live”
Maria pointed out that the Conservative Party will have one third female candidates in its winnable seats at the coming General Election as a result of the superb work of organisations like Women to Win.
After the event Maria said, “ One of the most important challenges this Parliament faces is demonstrating it is a relevant and important part of our British democracy – having a more representative Parliament is a critical element. We need to modernise Parliament as a place of work to attract more talented and qualified women to want to stand for election”