Being a councillor is still a difficult career for women – why this matters for democracy

By Ana Catalano Weeks, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics, University of Bath
Anna Helgøy, Postdoctoral Fellow - Department of Political Science, University of Oslo

The results of the May local elections across England highlighted a persistent problem in British politics: women remained underrepresented in local government. While attention often focuses on increasing the number of women elected, an equally important challenge is keeping them in office once they get there.

Although there has been progress in recent decades, women still make up only around a third of councillors…

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