Women in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom

{{Main|Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom}}

In 1832 Henry Hunt became the first MP to raise the issue of women's suffrage in the House of Commons,{{Cite web

|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/parliamentary-collections/1866-suffrage-petition/the-first-petition/

|title=Women and the vote: Orator Hunt and the first suffrage petition 1832

|website=UK Parliament

|access-date=5 June 2020

}} followed in 1867 by John Stuart Mill. Following this attempts were made to widen the franchise in every Parliament.{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/85015.stm |title=Women in parliament |work=BBC News |date=31 October 2008 |publisher=BBC |location=London |access-date=21 June 2015}}

Women gained the right to vote with the passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918 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, 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.{{cite book |title=Memoirs |first=Viscount |last=Samuel |author-link=Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel |year=1950 |page=131}} This bill did not specify any age restriction, unlike the voting bill.{{cite hansard |house=House of Commons |title=Parliament (Qualification Of Women) Bill |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1918/nov/06/clause-1-capacity-of-women-to-be-members |date=6 November 1918 |column_start=2186 |column_end=2202 |access-date=21 June 2015}} 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 standing in 1923.Cheltenham Chronicle, Gloucestershire, 8 December 1923

{{Further|Records of members of parliament of the United Kingdom#Women}}

• 1918: Women able to stand for Parliament.
• 1918: First woman elected to Parliament (Constance Markievicz). However, as a member of Sinn Féin, she did not take her seat.{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/womenincommons/|title=Women in the House of Commons|website=Parliament.uk|access-date=24 October 2019}} 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.{{cite web |title=9 facts about Constance Markievicz: Incredible Irishwoman who fought in Easter Rising and became first-ever female MP |url=https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/9-facts-constance-markievicz-incredible-irishwoman-fought-easter-rising-became-first-ever-female-mp-149424 |website=Irish Post |date=5 February 2018}}
• 1919: Member of Parliament to take her seat (Nancy Astor) – for Coalition {{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}s
• 1921: British-born member to take her seat (Margaret Wintringham) – {{party shortname linked|Liberal Party (UK)}} Party
• 1923: Disabled woman (Mabel Philipson) – Conservative Party. She had no vision in one eye.
• 1924: Minister (Margaret Bondfield) – for {{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}} 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 (Jennie Lee) – Labour Party
• 1929: Independent member elected (Eleanor Rathbone)
• 1929: Non-Christian elected (Marion Phillips) – Labour Party
• 1929: Shortest-serving member (Ruth Dalton) – Labour Party; equalled in 1974 by Margo MacDonald – {{party shortname linked|Scottish National Party}}
• 1931: Member to cross the floor (Cynthia Mosley) – from Labour to {{party shortname linked|New Party (UK)}}
• 1931: Member to die in office and oldest woman elected (Ethel Bentham) – Labour Party
• 1938: Resignation from the House, i.e. appointment to a stewardship (The Duchess of Atholl) – {{party shortname linked|Unionist Party (Scotland)}} Party
• 1943: Wheelchair user (Lady Apsley) – Conservative Party
• 1948: Chair of Committee of Whole House (Florence Paton) – 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
• 1965: Parliamentary Whip (Harriet Slater) – Labour Party
• 1969: Irish republican non-abstentionist (Bernadette Devlin McAliskey) – Unity
• 1970: Deputy speaker (Betty Harvie Anderson) – {{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}} Party
• 1974: Youngest woman to leave the House (Bernadette Devlin McAliskey) – Independent Socialist
• 1975: Leader of the Opposition (Margaret Thatcher)
• 1976: Member outed as LGBT (Maureen Colquhoun) – Labour Party
• 1979: Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher) who led the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.
• 1987: Member from ethnic or racial minorities (Diane Abbott) – Labour Party
• 1992: Speaker of the House of Commons (Betty Boothroyd) – Labour Party. As of {{year}} she remains the only female to hold the office of House Speaker.
• 1997: Full-time Minister for Women (Joan Ruddock) – Labour Party
• 1997: Member who came out as LGBT in office (Angela Eagle) – Labour Party
• 1998: Chief Whip (Ann Taylor) – Labour Party
• 2010: LGBT member elected (Margot James) – Conservative Party
• 2010: Minor party members elected (Caroline Lucas – Green Party of England and Wales; Naomi Long – Alliance Party of Northern Ireland)
• 2015: Youngest woman elected (Mhairi Black) – SNP
• 2016: Cabinet minister to come out in office (Justine Greening){{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/25/minister-justine-greening-reveals-she-is-gay-at-london-pride/|title=Pro-EU minister Justine Greening reveals she is gay at London Pride saying 'sometimes you are better off out'|last1=Wilkinson|first1=Michael|date=25 June 2016|work=The Telegraph|access-date=22 March 2020|last2=Mendick|first2=Robert|issn=0307-1235}} – 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 (Priti Patel) – Conservative Party
• 2019: Non-Christian by choice of conversion elected (Charlotte Nichols),{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/jewish-labour-candidate-antisemitism-something-i-really-want-resolved-general-election-1.494150|work=The Jewish Chronicle|title=Jewish Labour candidate: Party's antisemitism problem is 'more nuanced' than is alleged|date=9 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230195032/https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/jewish-labour-candidate-antisemitism-something-i-really-want-resolved-general-election-1.494150|archive-date=30 December 2019|url-status=live}} and hijab-wearing member (Apsana Begum) – Labour Party
• 2019: Oldest woman to leave the House (Ann Clwyd) – Labour Party
• 2019: Member to be recalled by a successful petition (Fiona Onasanya) – Independent, originally elected as Labour
• 2022: Youngest, shortest-serving Prime Minister (Liz Truss) and female Deputy Prime Minister (Thérèse Coffey) – Conservative Party
• 2022: Member to vacate her seat for an actual paid office under the Crown (Rosie Cooper) – Labour Party
• 2024: Former prime minister to lose re-election (Liz Truss) – Conservative Party
• 2024: First female Chancellor of the Exchequer (Rachel Reeves) – Labour Party
• 2024: Ethnic minority deputy speaker (Nus Ghani) – Conservative Party
• 2024: Ethnic minority leader of the opposition and also her party's youngest female parliamentary leader (Kemi Badenoch) – Conservative Party

{{See also|Mother of the House (United Kingdom)|List of female members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom}}

Margaret Beckett has been 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 served as MP for Derby South from 9 June 1983 until 30 May 2024.

Harriet Harman has been 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 served as MP for Camberwell and Peckham from 1 May 1997 to 30 May 2024. On 13 June 2017 Harman was dubbed "Mother of the House" by Prime Minister Theresa May, 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).

As of 2024, there are 36 women (out of a total of 693) who have served 25 years or more service in the House of Commons, either continuously or cumulatively.

As of July 2024, there are 263 female MPs in the House of Commons.

In February 2018 the Electoral Reform Society reported that hundreds of seats were being effectively 'reserved' by men, holding back women's representation. Their report states that 170 seats have been 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.{{cite news | last = Martin | first = George | title = Male MPs are 'blocking' the safe seats – forcing women to fight marginals | url = https://inews.co.uk/news/male-mps-seat-blocking-safe-constituencies-cost-female-politicians/ | work = i | date = 13 February 2018 | access-date = 16 February 2018 }}{{cite web | title = Hundreds of seats effectively 'reserved' by men at Westminster, research shows | url = https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/latest-news-and-research/media-centre/press-releases/hundreds-of-seats-effectively-reserved-by-men-at-westminster-research-shows/ | website = electoral-reform.org.uk | publisher = Electoral Reform Society | date = 13 February 2018 | access-date = 16 February 2018}}

• Angela Rayner – Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Bridget Phillipson – Secretary of State for Education
• Lucy Powell – Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council
• Lisa Nandy – Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
• Rachel Reeves – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Yvette Cooper – Secretary of State for the Home Department
• Shabana Mahmood – Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
• The Baroness Smith of Basildon – Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
• Liz Kendall – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
• Heidi Alexander – Secretary of State for Transport
• Jo Stevens – Secretary of State for Wales

{{See also|Timeline of female MPs in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom}}

• Louise Haigh – Secretary of State for Transport

{{Further|List of MPs elected in the 2019 United Kingdom general election|List of United Kingdom MPs by seniority (2019–2024)}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Grahame |title=General Election 2019: How many women were elected? |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/general-election-2019-how-many-women-were-elected/ |website=House of Commons Library |access-date=25 May 2021 |date=15 January 2020}}

• Suella Braverman{{efn|On leave from 2 March to 10 September 2021}} - Attorney General for England and Wales (2020–22){{efn|Attended Cabinet meetings, but not official Cabinet minister}}/Secretary of State for the Home Department (2022, 2022–23)
• Thérèse Coffey – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2019–22)/Health and Social Care & Deputy Prime Minister (2022)/Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2022–23)
• Michelle Donelan – Secretary of State for Education (2022)/Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2022–23)/Science, Innovation and Technology{{efn|On leave from 28 April to 20 July 2023.}} (2023–24)
• Nadine Dorries – Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
• Baroness Evans of Bowes Park – Leader of the House of Lords
• Amanda Milling – Minister Without Portfolio
• Priti Patel – Secretary of State for the Home Department (2019–22)
• Chloe Smith – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2022)/Science, Innovation and Technology (2023)
• Anne-Marie Trevelyan – Secretary of State for International Development (2020)/International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (2021–22)/Transport (2022)
• Liz Truss – Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Developmental Affairs (2021–22)/Prime Minister (2022)
• Kemi Badenoch – Secretary of State for International Trade (2022–23)/Business and Trade (2023–24)/President of the Board of Trade
• Gillian Keegan – Secretary of State for Education
• Penny Mordaunt – Leader of the House of Commons/Lord President of the Council
• Lucy Frazer – Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
• Claire Coutinho – Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (2023–24)
• Victoria Atkins – Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2023–24)

{{Further|List of MPs elected in the 2017 United Kingdom general election|List of United Kingdom MPs by seniority (2017–2019)}}

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.

• Theresa May – 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
• Penny Mordaunt – Secretary of State for Defence
• Karen Bradley – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Andrea Leadsom – Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
• Priti Patel – Secretary of State for the Home Department
• Theresa Villiers – Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Nicky Morgan – Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
• Esther McVey – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018)
• Amber Rudd – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018–19)

{{Further|List of MPs elected in the 2015 United Kingdom general election|List of United Kingdom MPs by seniority (2015–2017)}}

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.

• Theresa May – Secretary of State for the Home Department
• Justine Greening – Secretary of State for International Development
• Nicky Morgan – Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities
• Baroness Stowell of Beeston – Leader of the House of Lords
• Theresa Villiers – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Liz Truss – Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2014–16)/Justice (2016–17)
• Amber Rudd – Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

{{Further|List of MPs elected in the 2010 United Kingdom general election|List of United Kingdom MPs by seniority (2010–2015)}}

As elected in the 2010 general election.

{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/m04.pdf|title=Factsheet M4: Women in the House of Commons|date=June 2010|work=House of Commons Information Office|access-date=21 June 2015}}

• Theresa May – Secretary of State for the Home Department
• Caroline Spelman – Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Cheryl Gillan – Secretary of State for Wales
• Baroness Warsi – 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, Anna Soubry and Caroline Nokes. Some who have attended Cabinet have subsequently, or previously been full Cabinet ministers, including Tessa Jowell, Liz Truss and Andrea Leadsom.

{{Main|All-women shortlist}}

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.{{Cite web|last1=Kelly|first1=Richard|last2=White|first2=Isobel|title=All-women shortlists|url=http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN05057|date=7 March 2016|access-date=19 November 2016}} In 2002 this method of selection was ruled to breach the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. In response to this ruling the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 legalised all-women short lists as a method of selection. The Equality Act 2010 extends this exemption from discrimination law to 2030.

Ahead of the 2024 general election, HuffPost reported in March 2022 that Labour stopped using all-women shortlists, citing legal advice that continuing to use them for choosing parliamentary candidates would become an "unlawful" practice again under the Equality Act.{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=Alexandra |title=Exclusive: Labour Drops All-Women Shortlists For Next General Election |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-drops-use-of-all-women-shortlists-general-election-legal-advice-unlawful_uk_622226fbe4b03bc49a9a2420 |access-date=14 April 2022 |work=HuffPost |date=7 March 2022}}

{{Portal|Politics|United Kingdom}}

• Blair Babe
• Election results of women in United Kingdom general elections (1918–1945)
• List of female members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
• Lists of female political office-holders in the United Kingdom
• Timeline of female MPs in the House of Commons
• Widow's succession
• Women in the House of Lords
• European countries by percentage of women in national parliaments
• Women in positions of power
• Critical mass (gender politics)
• Women Political Leaders
• Women in government
• Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite web|title=Women in the House of Commons inquiry|url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/women-and-equalities-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/women-in-the-house-of-commons-16-17/|publisher=Women and Equalities Committee|access-date=4 October 2017}}
• {{cite web|title=Women in the House of Commons (archived factsheets)|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/guides/factsheets/members-elections/m04/|publisher=House of Commons Information Office, House of Commons Library|access-date=4 October 2017}}
• {{cite book |last=Vallance |first=Elizabeth M. |title=Women in the House: a study of women Members of Parliament |publisher=Athlone Press |year=1979 |isbn=9780485111866}}
• {{cite web |title=Improving Parliament: Creating a Better and More Representative House |url=http://appgimprovingparliamentreport.co.uk/download/APPG-Women-In-Parliament-Report-2014.pdf |date=July 2014 |author=All Party Parliamentary Group Women in Parliament |work=House of Commons |access-date=21 June 2015}}
• {{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8259036.stm |title=Harman's office Thatcher U-turn |work=BBC News |date=16 September 2009 |publisher=BBC |location=London |access-date=21 June 2015}}
• {{Cite web|date=25 September 2019|title=Women in Parliament and Government|url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN01250|publisher=House of Commons Library}}

• {{cite web|title=Parliament and Women|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/parliament-and-women/|publisher=UK Parliament website}}
• {{cite web|title=Women in the House of Commons|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/womenincommons/|publisher=UK Parliament website}}
• {{cite web|title=Women and the House of Lords|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/womenthelords/|publisher=UK Parliament website}}
• {{cite web|title=Campaigning for women in the Lords|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/houseoflords/house-of-lords-reform/from-the-collections/from-the-parliamentary-collections-lords-reform/campaigning-for-women-in-the-lords/|publisher=UK Parliament website}}
• {{cite web|title=Accommodating women peers|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/houseoflords/house-of-lords-reform/from-the-collections/from-the-parliamentary-collections-lords-reform/accomodating-women-peers/|publisher=UK Parliament website}}

{{Women in United Kingdom politics}}{{Women in national government}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Women In The British House Of Commons}}

Category:House of Commons of the United Kingdom

Category:Women in the United Kingdom