Getting more women into politics

Parliamentary democracy, in its simplest terms, is about electing people to represent the views of wider society. In doing this, we might expect it to reflect society, but in reality, this hasn’t been the case.

While we have has seen some progress in the number of women in the Assembly chamber and sitting around the Executive table, they still only make-up 33% of all MLAs, and there is some way to go to achieve equal representation of men and women. But there are barriers – real and perceived – to getting more women into elected office.

While this lack of representation extends across race, gender, disability and class, locally and beyond, our focus is on equipping women with the skills and tools for a career in politics through our “Hear Her!” programme delivered alongside 50:50NI.

Online abuse, juggling family life with long working hours and challenging party structures are some of the reasons that can put women off running for election, and whilst we can’t do anything about these challenges in the short term, we can help empower women with the knowledge and information to demystify what can be a daunting prospect.

So, if you are a woman that has thought about a career in politics, but perhaps don’t know where to start, or just want some ideas as to how you can start thinking about a campaign, join us on Friday 25 March at 10am in the Crescent Arts Centre for our “Hear Her!” Taster Session.

For tickets, go to: https://imaginebelfast.com/events/getting-women-into-politics-training-taster-session/