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A woman's place is.......?

In most of the rest of the world women are making real contributions in shaping the world of tomorrow. Just think of Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia who won a Nobel Peace Prize for helping to end a bloody conflict. Add in Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany and you begin to see how much talent is being missed in the UK.

There have been many articles in the press about how women improve the success of companies. One recent study showed that Fortune 500 companies with the highest percentage of female directors outperformed competitors with the lowest. As one Canadian report says “Divergence in views – leading to constructive debate behind the boardroom door – encourages diligence in decision-making. ...there is a different internal set of gifts, skills, experiences, and perspectives at work.”

In British politics in particular, there are many able women active at a local level who should consider moving into national or international politics. In the European Parliament 35% of MEPs are now women, compared with just 22% of UK MPs. The number of women MPs in the House of Commons has more than doubled since 1992 but that change seems to be slowing. We should not let that happen. It is important for our future and that of our children.

Let me know what you think.