Tuesday 8 March is International Women's Day. The FANTASTIC 50:50 news is that on that day there is going to be a special debate in the House of Commons from 4.00-7.00 pm concerning women's representation, among other important topics. We need YOU to write an email to your MP asking them attend. Please do this right now using this link https://www.writetothem.com/ . This is a great opportunity and we need as many MPs to participate as possible! Our MPs need to ask questions about how women can be properly included in Parliament. How can all the parties work together to ensure that more women are elected to Parliament in order to achieve better gender balance at Westminster as soon as possible? The so-called "Mother of Parliaments" should be a world leader but there are over 40 countries with proportionally more women in their Parliaments than the UK. We would like to see men & women, the best of both, running the country and planning our future, together, in more equal numbers. We would like Parliament to draw upon the widest possible pool of talent and experience, including the 32 million women who constitute the diverse majority of the UK population. To get gender parity in Parliament only 134 more women MPs are needed and around 200 more women Peers, from a population of 32 million, this is not a big ask! Currently fewer than 3 in 10 MPs and Peers are women. There are 191 women MPs and 459 men, so men outnumber women by more than 2:1. There are still more men in the Commons than there have ever been women MPs. Parliament runs the country and plans the future of society, half society is made up of women. Women are the majority in life but still a minority in Parliament. Why is it still like this? It is 2016! What can be done to welcome more women to Westminster and improve the gender balance? This matters because representation shapes the policies and women need to be equally involved in all policy decisions. It is Parliament's responsibility to address this democratic deficit and ensure that Westminster is inclusive and representative. Women make a massive contribution to society with their paid and unpaid work, they merit fair inclusion. Please write the email to you MP here and now at https://www.writetothem.com/ Thanks! Frances, Hannah, Tina, Charlie, Brian, Sadaf, Caron and all the #5050Parliament Team!