The government should enact legislation which would ensure parties reported their 'gender gap' of election candidate, according to the ERS

DEMOCRACY group the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) is calling on the UK Government to enact legislation which would require political parties to report on their 'gender gap' of election candidates. 

The group say the UK Government should enact existing legislation in the Equality Act which would force political parties to reveal the inequality gap of election candidates. 

CommonSpace columnist Kirsty Strickland says there is no excuse in 2017 for continued imbalance in political commentary

DURING every election campaign, there is – or at least should be – a heightened focus on balance.

This usually applies to the balance of party representation, but regularly in Scotland there are calls for it also to extend to balance across the Yes/No divide.

Upcoming elections paint a picture of extreme under-representation of women in Scottish politics

ACTION OVER RHETORIC is the rallying cry of the Women 5050, the campaign advocating 50 per cent representation of women in councils and in the Scottish Parliament, as it revealed that across 32 Scottish councils only 30 per cent of local candidates are women.

After analysing the candidate lists of all wards in all 32 councils for the upcoming May local elections, the charity found that there are 21 wards in Scotland with only men on the ballot paper.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader says he has "lost patience" with party's slow progress on gender representation

THE LEADER of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie, will push to reform his party in a bid to have more women parliamentarians through all-women shortlists.

The MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife has said he has "lost patience" with his party's current set-up which has resulted in only two Liberal Democrat MSPs being elected in four Holyrood elections.

Kezia Dugdale is set to announce the frontbench team for the Scottish Labour Party

THE newly elected leader of the Scottish Labour Party is due to disclose who will be in her frontbench team.

Dugdale will announce 10 selections at a visit to Edinburgh's Punjabi Junction Cafe.

Women's representation in Scottish Parliament fails to return to 2003 high

DESPITE hopes of an increase in the number of women MSPs, the Scottish Parliament will once again include 45 women, with Conservative gains partly blamed for lack of progress.

Yesterday's Scottish parliamentary election returned the same number of women to Holyrood as in 2011, despite use of gender quotas and list zipping by several parties.