50:50 Parliament's Frances Scott on building a better, more gender-balanced democracy.
Joining me for the first of a very special new sub-series looking at getting more women elected to power across the UK is Frances Scott, the driving force behind 50:50 Parliament, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in parliament. In this episode, Frances shares the mission and vision of 50:50 and how her daughter's election to school council opened her eyes to the lack of representation for women in leadership roles. She explores how that representation for women isn't just limited to politics - it's an issue that affects us in all areas of life - and shares her thoughts on what needs to be in place for women to thrive in leadership roles - representation, resources, responsibility, and respect. Tune in to hear more about how 50:50 is working to create a more equal and representative government for all.
Frances launched 50:50 Parliament in 2013 with the 50:50 Change.org petition, and in 2016 started the "Ask Her To Stand" campaign to inspire and support women in running for Westminster. Since then, she has been working to help women get selected and elected across all political parties. Before entering the world of political activism, Frances had a background in operations and marketing, having worked in the hotel and tourism industry. In addition, she also taught antenatal classes and sat on the Maternity Services Liaison Committee of Mary's Hospital Paddington. In 2018, she was named one of the Evening Standard's #Progress1000 most influential political change-makers, while in both 2020 and 2021, she was included in the list of Women in Westminster: The 100, which celebrates the achievements of women who are shaking things up and challenging policymaking in Westminster.
This episode of the Power Done Differently podcast was brought to you in partnership with 50:50 Parliament, the campaign to promote equal seats and equal say for women in parliament. The views and opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect the views and positions, or official policy of 50:50 Parliament, and do not constitute an endorsement guarantee, warranty, or recommendation. The Power Done Differently podcast assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy contained in third-party materials or on third-party sites referenced in this podcast.
50:50 Parliament is a charity working to build a better democracy. Please support our work by becoming a “Friend of 50:50” and making a small donation here. 50:50 is a friendly network here to help women progress in politics at a local and national level. We are an inclusive, intersectional campaign working with all the political parties to empower women with our
#AskHerToStand and #SignUpToStand programmes.
When women click #SignUpToStand we: – send them an interactive Personal Political Profile – allocate them a 50:50 Buddy – invite them to weekly party specific Bite Size meetings – and offer bespoke support to women from diverse groups. In the corridors of power, men still outnumber women by 2:1. We invite everyone, men and women, to support our work and join our mailing list at www.5050Parliament.co.uk
