Yesterday, I attended the free exhibition at Portcullis House, 209 Women.
The exhibition has been put together to celebrate 100 years of women being able to become Members of Parliament. The Representation of the People Act was passed in February 1918, following a dedicated campaign from women and men to achieve electoral equality. There will be a series of events to celebrate this, including this exhibition.
There are currently 209 women within parliament, and the exhibition provides a portrait of each of the women currently serving in parliament. Each portrait was taken by a range of women photographers, who all volunteered their time and services to the project.
Even though we are in 2018, the world of politics is still very much dominated by men. This exhibition is a powerful way to show our children that women should be very much thinking that they can enter politics, and become MPs. I particularly liked the portrait of Seema Kennedy, who appears on a plinth, in St Stephen’s room, which only has statues of males within it.
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Others were less of statement about equality and said more about the constituency they represented. For instance, Julie Elliot in a working men’s club within her constituency, very different to the rather opulent Houses of Parliament.
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My own MP, Dr Rosena Alin-Kahn chose to be photographed in her hospital scrubs to highlight her commitment to the NHS (she still does shifts within the A and E department at St George’s Hospital, Tooting).
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Within the exhibition space, there is also a bust of my own favourite female MP, Barbara Castle and all she achieved and also a dedicated portrait to Jo Cox and her legacy.
I really enjoyed the exhibition, and it really stirred up the emotion of that we as women should never rest on our laurels and continue making sure that we equality and make sure we are truly represented in all areas of life.
The detail:
The Exhibition is free and runs until February 14th, 2018. You can get tickets on the Parliament website.
The nearest tube is Westminster
After the exhibition finishes, it will go to Liverpool.
For more information, visit the 209 Women website.
