Gender Gap in UK Elections: Men Dominate Ballots

0:00On May 1st, next week's local and devolved elections in the U.K. show a big gender gap on the ballots, with nearly twice as many men as women running. That's two-thirds men and just one-third women across all races on May 7. No major party has hit equal numbers anywhere. In England's local contests, the biggest batch, women make up 34% of candidates. Mayoral races are worse at 18% female. Wales's Synod sits at 38% and Scotland's Parliament elections clock in at 36%. Labor leads closest to balance in England, locals with 42% women, followed by greens at 41%. Campaigners from groups like 50-50 Parliament warn this means men's voices will dominate local decisions on everything from social care to trash. Pick up. Women's perspectives could get sidelined and councils and beyond. Name trends paint the picture starkly. The top 20 most common candidate first names are all guys except Sarah at number 20.

1:00Your four times more likely to see a David than a Sarah. In May Oral Bids, reform U.K. has zero women, while Scotland's greens actually lead with 60% female candidates. Even with 41% women now in Parliament after last year's general election, local races highlight the tough climb for females. Online threats and abuse keep many away, so pushing for safer politics could balance things out down the line.