ON November 21 1918, the newly enacted Qualification of Women's Act meant that women could represent constituents in Parliament for the first time.

The first election after the passing of this Act saw 17 women standing for election in 1918 and one, Countess Constance Markievicz, was successful in St Patrick’s Division of Dublin. But as a Sinn Fein MP she did not take her seat in Westminster. In 1919 Nancy Astor was elected in a by-election for Plymouth Sutton and became the first women to take her seat in Parliament.

A century on from these momentous landmarks it's perhaps shocking to read there have only been 491 female MPs - while 4,503 male MPs have been elected in that same time.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Act's royal assent, the 50:50 Parliament campaign last week brought hundreds of women to Westminster for the #AskHerToStand event to encourage government to reach full equality in the number of men and women in the chamber.

Among those supporting the day were former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman and recently-appointed Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd with Prime Minister Teresa May also commenting on the lack of diversity in a Parliament where women represent 32% of MPs, while black, Asian and minority ethnic women (BAME) make up just 4% of MPs.

Several senior politicians signed a letter urging the UK Government to enact Section 106 of the Equality Act (2010), that would ensure parties reported their gender gap among election candidates.

One of the 250 women attending was Wanjiku Ngotho, head of regional services at Bawso in Wrexham - a voluntary organisation, providing specialist services to victims and BAME people affected or at risk of Domestic Abuse and all forms of violence.

Wanjiku, 44, who is originally from Kenya but has lived in Wrexham since 2006 and was invited by Wrexham MP Ian Lucas, said: “I enjoyed the day so much. It was really surreal to be there as I never thought I'd get the opportunity to see what I saw.

“I’m really grateful to Ian for thinking of me. As a black woman living in Wrexham, I never thought I'd get the chance to do something like this. It was inspiring – a dream come true for me and I am so grateful to Mr Lucas for choosing me to go."

Mr Lucas took Wanjiku on a tour of Westminster and also arranged for her to watch Prime Minister’s Questions from the public gallery where those in attendance were welcomed by Mrs May who said: "I think we should send a very, very clear message, from everybody across this house, about the significance of the work that an individual Member of Parliament does and the change they can make for their community. It's a great job and I encourage all the women who are here today and thinking of standing to stand for Parliament, get elected, and make a difference."

Wanjiku said it was an ‘eye-opener’ seeing how Parliament works, and was interested to hear questions about modern-day slavery and sexual and domestic violence crop up during PMQs. She deals with such issues on a regular basis in her role at Bawso, which provides specialist services for the BME (black, minority, ethnic) community in Wrexham.

Wanjiku also attended a workshop called Breaking Down Barriers, attended by female politicians who spoke about what inspired them to move into politics. Wanjiku is now considering taking such a step herself.

"It's definitely something I have been thinking about since attending," said Wanjiku. "One MP spoke to us about her journey into Parliament and it made me think, 'wow, that's actually do-able'.

"She told us about how she had started as a local councillor before moving up to a position where she is now a minister. It was incredibly inspiring."

Wanjikou added that she thought there were still too many obstacles standing in the way of women standing to become an MP including the pressures of childcare and the threat of online abuse.

Earlier this year Helen Pankhurst, the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, who were both leaders in the British suffragette movement, convened the Centenary Action Group with more than 100 activists, women’s organisations and politicians who are #StillMarching for women’s right to take part in the decisions that affect their lives. 

She said: “Citizens and MPs are coming together in a symbolic event, with deeds not words and this is important. It’s about collectively saying we can do so much better to improve the lack of women in parliament. And we will.”

Frances Scott, who organised the Ask Her To Stand Day, agreed, saying she felt women could bring something unique to Parliament.

She said: “On this important democratic centenary it is heartening to see MPs taking action to inspire women to stand for political office.

“We are all saying “Women, your country needs you!”.  We need women’s experience and wisdom at Westminster. Today we hope hundreds more women will be inspired to sign up to stand. What a great way to celebrate the day that women could first stand for Parliament. Let’s build a better democracy together!”  

Mr Lucas added: “It was a pleasure to welcome Wanjiku to Westminster and I am pleased she enjoyed the day so much. She is an inspiration through her work at Bawso and a role model within the Wrexham community.

“We need more women to stand for public office, at all levels in politics from the grass roots to Westminster.

“I hope Ask Her to Stand Day inspired Wanjiku and other women like her to stand for election and give us all broader and more representative decision-making.”