Women & the Vote celebrates 'unfinished work' - McInnes

4.42.00pm GMT Tue 12th Feb 2008

Alison McInnes today welcomed the launch of '2008: Women & the Vote', an initiative marking 90 years of the Representation of the People Act which gave women in the UK the right to vote.

However, McInnes echoed the initiative's coordinators by pointing out that women are still underrepresented in the UK parliaments.

"The work begun by the suffragettes is unfinished," said McInnes. "Women comprise a little more than half of the Scottish population, but it is notable that in the Scottish Parliament there are almost two male MSP's for every female MSP."

She continued, "We need to be willing to scrutinise the system which allows for this disproportionate representation - a system which, even today, attracts far more men than it attracts women."

More information about the campaign is available at www.womenandthevote.com.