Fewer than one in six Scottish Conservative candidates in next month’s council elections are female.
Women make up 30% of would-be councillors overall, with 775 of the 2,550 candidates who are standing in the local government elections.
Female representation on councils has “flat-lined for decades”, according to campaigners at Women 5050.
While no party achieved a 50/50 gender divide amongst its candidates, Women 5050 said the Tories “continue to lag well behind” in terms of the proportion of female candidates.
The group, which wants women to make up 50% of all councillors and MSPs, carried out its own analysis of the candidates who are standing for election to Scotland’s 32 councils on May 4.
In a “shocking” 21 wards, there are no female candidates on the ballot paper, it found.
The Greens have the largest proportion of female candidates, with women making up 45% of those running, while 41% of all SNP candidates are women.
A third (33%) of Liberal Democrat candidates are women, compared to 32% of Labour candidates.
Less than one in five (18%) of independent candidates are female, according to the research, while 17% of Conservatives who are running for election are women.
Click here to read the full article published by Evening Express on 5 April 2017.
Fewer than one in six Scottish Conservative candidates in next month’s council elections are female.
Women make up 30% of would-be councillors overall, with 775 of the 2,550 candidates who are standing in the local government elections.
Female representation on councils has “flat-lined for decades”, according to campaigners at Women 5050.
While no party achieved a 50/50 gender divide amongst its candidates, Women 5050 said the Tories “continue to lag well behind” in terms of the proportion of female candidates.
The group, which wants women to make up 50% of all councillors and MSPs, carried out its own analysis of the candidates who are standing for election to Scotland’s 32 councils on May 4.
In a “shocking” 21 wards, there are no female candidates on the ballot paper, it found.
The Greens have the largest proportion of female candidates, with women making up 45% of those running, while 41% of all SNP candidates are women.
A third (33%) of Liberal Democrat candidates are women, compared to 32% of Labour candidates.
Less than one in five (18%) of independent candidates are female, according to the research, while 17% of Conservatives who are running for election are women.
Click here to read the full article published by Evening Express on 5 April 2017.