Our say | How can we get more women into politics?

It was an opportunity to not only celebrate the contribution of women to our community but also look at how far we've come down the road towards equality between the sexes - and how far we have to go.

The wage gap remains the starkest illustration of enduring inequality, but the relative lack of women in political leadership roles must also be acknowledged.

But why, in 2020, is that still the case? Why do we have so few women in elected positions on local, state and federal government?

It's not a question of ability and, with women making up half the population (actually, slightly more across Australia) it should not be a question of numbers.

So it can only be a question of desire, of not enough women wanting to enter politics. And one of the reasons for that must be the fact that, too often, politics is still seen as very much a boys' club.

It's a charge that's often been levelled at Bathurst Regional Council, which currently has just two female councillors out of a total of nine.

And with Cr Monica Morse already declaring she won't seek re-election at September's council elections, and Cr Jacqui Rudge yet to confirm she would be seeking a second term, there's a real chance that we will have no female councillors by the end of the year.

The picture is no better at state and federal level. There has never been a female Member for Calare, nor Member for Bathurst.

It's a story repeated many times over across the state and the country but one that does our community a disservice.

And cracking the mystery of just how we can get more women into politics needs to become a focus for all levels of government.

Politics works best when the elected officials most closely reflect the communities they represent. That is not happening at present.

Quotas are a dirty word in Australian politics but it's time for a "whatever it takes" approach. And changing our combative style of politicking might also convince more women to seek election.

So many women have so much to offer Australian politics that it only makes sense to find a way to get them involved.

And sooner rather than later.