Women in Parliament

29 April 2025

Back in March, the Fawcett Society published a unique insight into the lives of newly elected women in the House of Commons. When asked what it is really like to be a new MP, it is still evident that Parliament was not designed with everyone in mind, with its outdated procedures and logistical chaos to long hours that disproportionately impact women.  

Coinciding with our last insight, the House of Commons Library released a new briefing on Women in Politics and Public Life. After looking at the stats, it got us thinking about women across Parliament, and where the power really lies.  

With women’s representation in the House of Commons reaching an all-time high of 40%, as MPs continue to navigate the procedure and day-to-day challenges of being a newly elected representative, we wanted to dive deeper into the numbers of this report, to analyse what this means more broadly for women and their access to power in public life in 2025 and beyond.  

Let’s be clear, a Parliament that is 40 percent women is merely a starting point, not the destination.

What also matters is where power resides and whether women are meaningfully empowered to wield it. We must ask, which Cabinet roles do they hold? How many chair influential Select Committees? And crucially, are women represented on the committees that hold the greatest sway in scrutinising those in power?  

In this new Parliament, 50% of Cabinet posts are filled by women (11 out of the possible 22 posts), including the Chancellor and Home Secretary. When accounting for Ministers, at present thirteen women attend Cabinet, which is a near-equal split and the highest number ever of women!

This is significant. 

If we look beyond Cabinet and towards Committee Corridor, the Liaison and Treasury Select Committees are two great examples. These are two of arguably the most powerful Select Committees that can question the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, who is the first woman in this role, throughout the Parliamentary year.  

The Treasury Select Committee is made up of 11 members, 6 of whom are women, and is chaired by Meg Hillier MP. At the point of the General Election being called in May 2024, the make-up of the Treasury Select Committee was 6 women to 5 men under the chair of Harriet Baldwin MP. It is encouraging to see this continuity and lack of back-sliding.  

In the case of the Liaison Committee, this is made up of Select Committee Chairs who have the opportunity to question the Prime Minister roughly three times a year. This Committee has seen its total membership reduce from 35 to 31 in the new Parliament, with a new makeup of 17 women to 14 men. This is a positive improvement to the previous Parliament’s 14 women to 21 men. This new distribution is even more significant, showing yet more women in Select Committee Chair roles and more women having the ability to thoroughly question the Prime Minister throughout the Parliamentary year.  

Although these case studies are small snapshots it is important to recognise the importance of improving the number of women in high-powered positions across the House of Commons. Looking to the end of Committee Corridor, in the Speakers Office, we now have an all-women team of Deputy Speakers, as well as the Speaker’s Chief of Staff, who, notably, is also a woman.  

The importance of representation isn’t just about getting women in the door of the Houses of Parliament. It is ensuring that once they are there, that they have access to the levers of power and in the rooms where decisions are made. 

While the snapshots of the new Parliament are encouraging, we know all too well that progress is not linear. These numbers cannot be taken for granted. The fight to get women into high-power roles has been persistent, but there is no time to relax.  

Westminster still faces chronic and systemic issues that leave women MP’s feeling disenfranchised, to quote an MP from our previous write up, “I wish things were simpler, clearer, more transparent, fairer”. The combination of long hours and insufficient support in Westminster creates a culture that renders the House of Commons inaccessible to many, particularly affecting women, who often shoulder the bulk of domestic responsibilities. 

To ensure women can reach and more importantly stay in high power roles depends on the bedrock that is formed to support them. This means tackling online and in-person harassment, revising sitting hours and introducing robust remote participation measures. Only once these barriers have been dismantled can women be supported and retained in positions of power.  

One thing is certain. We cannot afford to slip back. But to stop this from happening, our fight must be persistent and strategic.  

The JRSST Charitable Trust has supported this work in recognition of the importance of the issue. The facts presented and the views expressed in this piece are, however, those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Trust.