The Know Daily - Wednesday 1 May 2024

_{Read in 5m 36s ∙ Listening to Olivia Dean ∙}

81 different marine species have been identified along the Sussex coastline, as part of a study which scientists say could impact future conservation efforts around the world. Notable species included the tope shark 👇 and European eel - both of which are critically endangered - along with the cat shark and spotted ray.

🗣️ Women in politics

Local elections are set to take place across England and Wales tomorrow, but women will make up only a third of candidates.

What’s the story?
A new study - carried out by equal rights charity the Fawcett Society and Democracy Club - found that just 34% of local election candidates are women. That figure drops to 26% among police and crime commissioner candidates, and 27% among mayoral candidates. 

David, John, Paul, Mark and James were the top five most common first names of local election candidates, noted The Independent. 

Why does this matter?
Despite being underrepresented in local government, women are “more significantly impacted” by local decisions as they are more likely to rely on council-run services such as social care, said the Fawcett Society’s Alesha De-Freitas. 

The report called on the government to require political parties to collect their own candidate diversity data, to enable a better understanding of how women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people are represented. 

Why are there fewer women standing?
The Fawcett Society has said that being a local councillor must be made more accessible to those with caring responsibilities - but the reported upsurge in intimidation of those in local government is undoubtedly another key factor. 

2023 research by the Local Government Association found that 82% of all councillors feel at risk “at least sometimes” in their roles, driven in part by social media. And as we reported last month, there are particular concerns about the impact of such abuse on women. 

What’s the bigger picture?
Around the world, more people are set to vote in elections this year than at any other time in history - but female leadership remains in “noticeably short supply”, according to analysis by The Guardian. This matters because numerous studies have shown that increasing the representation of women in politics is a “huge factor” in improving outcomes for women and girls. 

Our takeaway? If you’re eligible to vote in tomorrow’s local elections - or in any other elections - turn out to make your voice heard on the issues you care about.