United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

A record number of women have been elected to the Scottish Parliament, with 58 female MSPs winning seats in the Holyrood election.

Women now represent 45% of Scotland's 129 MSPs.

The first woman of colour elected to the Welsh Parliament said she wants to inspire and be "a voice" for those who have faced barriers entering politics.

Conservative MS Natasha Asghar said the Senedd is "very outdated" and should reflect "more diverse communities that truly represent Wales".

Oireachtas committee hears of abuse encountered by public figures online

The online targeting of women politicians and women journalists is a matter of “real concern”, the deputy chief executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has told an Oireachtas committee.

Fawcett Society says more needs to be done to encourage women into politics

More needs to be done to encourage women into politics, the UK’s leading charity for gender equality has said, as data reveals that just one-third of candidates in this week’s English council elections are women.

Since its creation in 1999, the Scottish Parliament has provided a forum to address issues like health, education and the environment, which directly affect the nation. However, as far as representation goes, there is room for improvement. Things could change dramatically in this year’s parliamentary elections, set to take place on 6 May. This is the second of four reports.

Scottish voters go to the polls to elect a new crop of MSPs on 6 May, with parties under more pressure than ever to correct the imbalances in the gender and diversity of their representatives.

Could we be on course for the largest contingent of female MSPs ever, and the most diverse parliament in Holyrood's history?

What's the issue?

Downing Street has not used a female minister to lead its coronavirus press conference for more than six months, a tally by the Guardian has found, prompting accusations that Boris Johnson does not value the women in his team.

It has also emerged that the government has sent out no female minister as its main representative on the regular morning round of TV and radio interviews for five weeks – and has done so only once in the past two months.