United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

IN 1999, Scotland had 37 per cent female MSPs, which rose to 40 per cent in 2003 but there was drop to 33 per cent in 2007 and then a tiny rise to 35 per cent in 2011.

(Read article at: Daily Record)

They transformed British society in little more than a generation – campaigning on everything from equal rights to abortion and apartheid. Today hundreds of the veteran activists from some of Britain's most famous protests, ranging from Greenham Common to the miners' strike, will gather for the first time. The worlds of social campaigning, politics and art come together today in a "Silver Action" event at the Tate Modern, London, where some 400 women campaigners aged over 60 will talk about their work.

Wales has benefited from the ground-breaking 50:50 ratio of men and women at the Assembly, improving women's representation in the political and economic life of the country. However, there is still "a long way to go" towards achieving full equality.
For more information, please visit http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk

The number of women in the Scottish Parliament has dipped from 50 to 43 following last week’s election. The Lib Dems still have just 2 women, while the Greens have none, as their group was reduced from seven to two. The Tories however, have made some progress, increasing their number of women to five. Half the Labour Group and one third of the SNP group are women.

Senior women from politics, trade unions and education meet to highlight Train to Gain pilot designed to help women obtain Level 3 qualifications.
For more information, please visit the Further Education News' Website.

Moves to help Muslim women exert more influence in their communities are to be announced in the latest bid to curb violent extremism. Ministers want women and younger people to act as "voices of moderation" and will set up a £650,000 fund to break down barriers to their participation in local leadership roles.
To read the full article, please visit the Guardian Unlimited's Website.

Despite a dearth of female candidates in London in this Ontario election (20 of 22 in the four ridings are men), women run nearly half of London's major campaigns, doing the unglamorous work that can spell victory.
To read the full article, please visit The London Free Press' Website.