Voters in Iceland came close to electing Europe’s first parliament with a majority of female politicians in 2021. After the first count of votes, results showed that women had won 33 out of 63 seats, representing 52% of Iceland’s politicians. However a recount found that women had in fact won 30 seats, or 47.6%. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Debate
Shouldn’t all parliaments have a roughly equal split between men and women? After all, that would mirror the society they represent. Isn’t it time to force the UK’s political parties to make sure that our MPs accurately reflect the society they represent? Or is this impractical? Would it lead to some candidates who win their own local elections losing out to people who didn’t, just because of their sex? What do you think?
Writing challenges
Write a recount of a situation you witnessed in which someone lost out because of who they were rather than what they could do. Describe what happened, why you think it happened and how it made you feel. Remember to use the past tense and the first person when describing your feelings.
Or
Imagine you are an alien, sent to Earth to write a report on how humans organise themselves. Focus on unfairnesses which, as a reasonable being from another planet, would surprise or shock you. Write a ‘factual’ account of what you see, using the present tense and third person.
Investigate
Find out who was the first woman to be elected to the UK House of Commons. Also, say who was the first woman to take her seat as an elected MP and explain why they are different.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download here.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to schools.theweekjunior.co.uk.