Former MS Bethan Sayed has suggested that setting general election dates in advance could help political parties better support women candidates and ultimately increase female representation in politics. Ms Sayed, who stood down at the last Senedd election, argued that setting dates in advance would prevent parties from rushing to find women candidates at the last minute, which often resulted in candidates being selected solely to fill quotas rather than for their suitability for an area or community.
Currently, polls suggest that around 50% of Wales’ next MPs could be women. While campaigners welcomed this progress towards achieving gender balance for the first time, they said that more needed to be done as Labour’s predicted success and a reduction in the number of Welsh constituencies were mainly responsible for the shift.
Cathy Owens from political consultancy Deryn suggested that parties still need to do better, although research indicated that Wales might see 15 or 16 female MPs elected in July. Owens argued that there required increased efforts to promote gender equality positively and drive greater diversity in political representation.
Efforts to introduce gender quotas in the Senedd are also under way, with the Welsh government seeking to require parties to have at least 50% women among their candidates. Susan Banducci, a professor of political science at the University of Exeter, argued that political parties have a responsibility to enable voters to select the candidates they desire and said that over two-thirds of people want women to be better represented in politics.
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