In 75 constituencies, there were no women on the ballot paper – this isn’t what my grandmother fought for

My great-grandmother, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, fought for women to have a political voice in Westminster. It is her and her daughters Christabel, Sylvia and Adela who come to mind when I look at the election results. Some of my ancestors might be celebrating; others in the doldrums.

However, I feel certain that they – as I do – would move quickly beyond party political gains or losses to reflect on the implications of the results for women.

Yesterday’s election has some positives in terms of female representation but there are also many concerns. Turnout at 67.25 per cent is higher than many of the 28 elections in the 100 years. However, our democracy is still weaker for those absences. So many sacrifices have been made throughout history for the right to vote, yet people still do not take up this right.

In these elections, there was absolutely no chance of a woman being elected in 75 constituencies. From Calder Valley to Weston-Super-Mare, even if the electorate wanted to vote for a woman, they had absolutely no choice because there wasn’t a single woman on the ballot paper.

For the first time ever, Labour and Liberal Democrats returned more women than men as MPs, a sign of massive change. However, the Conservatives are still lagging behind with only 87 women out of 364 seats. Despite great efforts on the part of Women2Win and others, the Conservatives are by far the worst party for women’s representation.

Of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, only 220 have gone to women. We now have 34 per cent of women in Westminster, up from 32 per cent. Progress yes, but more than 100 years since some women got the vote, is this really good enough?

I have no doubt that suffragists and suffragettes alike would be shouting a resounding no. At this rate, it will take another 50 years for women to be proportionately represented in Westminster.

Although we now have 37 ethnic minority women – more than minority men – women of colour, disabled women and LGBT+ women are still chronically underrepresented.

Now, only one out of six parties has a woman leader. Jo Swinson of the Liberal Democrats has lost her seat and resigned, leaving us with Nicola Sturgeon as our last remaining one.

This election saw horrendous abuse against women. In the social media age, online abuse is the new source of women’s oppression, and women of colour are disproportionality targeted. Many women politicians are forced to have 24-hour security and carry panic alarms. Even those volunteering to knock on people’s doors can face torrents of abuse from householders. The Suffragettes would recognise all this. They experienced imprisonment, force-feedings, state brutality and humiliation by the state, the media and the public. More than a century later, women politicians are still fair game when it comes to harassment.

I am more interested in advancing diversity in politics and engagement by citizens than I am in party politics. Last year, 100 years since some women won the right to vote, I set up the Centenary Action Group, to eradicate barriers that stop women from taking part in politics. Many, many thousands of members joined up through the Women’s Institute, Girlguiding, The Fawcett Society and Muslim Women’s Network, to name but a few. We are determined to push for better representation in order to strengthen our democracy.

We know that more women in parliament would bring a better understanding of the issues women face today. It is no coincidence, for example, that women still experience pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment and unequal pay, and are known to be hardest hit by public sector cuts. We need parliament to really understand the implications of these realities.

The Centenary Action Group has two immediate calls for the new government as it considers its priorities:

1. To act fast to clean up the rhetoric in politics and tackle the abuse that is facing so many women in the public eye today.

2. To enact Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, which would require political parties to publish diversity data on candidates standing in elections. It is only when we know about individual practices that parties can be held to account, and change can happen. Labour, Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the SNP have all committed in their manifestos to enacting Section 106 of the Equality Act. It is down to the Conservatives to step up.

Last month, Boris Johnson, the prime minister, vowed to ensure equal representation of future Conservative candidates, making sure that “women are supported to take up the opportunities that politics present”. The government needs to make this happen. We all need to keep up the pressure.

I'm still marching, demanding deeds, not words – as I know my ancestors would be.