Women In The Conservative Party

EDM number 235 in 2002-03, proposed by Colin Challen on 28/11/2002.

That this House notes that in her opening speech at the 2002 Conservative Party conference, the Conservative Party Chairman observed that at the last general election only one out of 38 newly elected Conservative honourable Members was a woman and called upon her party to represent all of Britain; further notes that of the 56 Conservative parliamentary spokesmen so far selected, according to the Conservative Party website on 28th November only eight appeared to be women; further notes that the division of labour for the organisation of the 53rd Winter Ball in aid of Conservative Party marginal seats, at which tables sell for ú1,750 each, of 77 vice presidents only 11 appeared to be women, whereas of 80 committee members only six appeared to be male and 33 female members felt obliged to use their husbands' first names and therefore concludes that with one or two notable exceptions it remains extremely difficult for women to advance in the Conservative Party; and calls upon the Conservative party to make the fullest possible use of the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 in order to demonstrate that their commitment to women's equality is not purely rhetorical.

This motion has been signed by a total of 2 MPs.