United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Exclusive: presiding officer Alison Johnstone says it will be disappointing if parliament cannot attract more female politicians.

It will be “really disappointing” if the Scottish parliament cannot attract more female politicians within the next five years, says Holyrood’s presiding officer, as she launches Holyrood’s first women’s audit to investigate barriers to representation and participation.

Only two of the government briefings held at the height of the coronavirus pandemic were led by a female politician, and in both cases it was the home secretary, Priti Patel, a report into gender representation across the UK’s top jobs has shows.

The 2022 Sex and Power Index, compiled by the Fawcett Society, a charity campaigning for women’s rights, showed equality is still “decades off”, as men continue to dominate the top ranks of law, politics and business.

A politician has called for an end to the insults that women receive on social media when they enter the political spotlight.

Kahina Bouhassane received a deluge of abuse on social media when she stood as the Green Party’s candidate for Sussex police and crime commissioner. The 23-year-old deputy chair of Brighton and Hove Green Party decided to speak out about the comments as she wants to more women to take part in political life.

A Scottish council which has no female councillors hopes to encourage more women to stand in next May's local government elections. In the last elections in 2017, for the first time in its history, no women were elected to the Western Isles' Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.