Diversity in the UK’s democratic institutions

Democracy comprises three more or less separated powers: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. This paper examines how diverse the institutions embodying these powers in the UK are.

Diversity can be defined in terms of the nine ‘protected characteristics’ specified in the Equality Act 2010, which, among other things, prohibits discrimination on the grounds of these characteristics. Data on diversity in different organisations varies in completeness and extent. Selected headlines findings are included below.

The legislature

Women make up approximately 30% of Members of both Houses of Parliament. Among the staff of both Houses, this figure is higher, at approximately 46-51%.

The executive

The average age of the Cabinet is 53 and it includes eight women (including the Prime Minister). In the Civil Service, ethnic minorities are more likely to work in lower grades, as are women.

The judiciary

The proportion of women and ethnic minorities among court judges has remained relatively stable over the past five years, at about 24 and 6%, respectively. These figures were higher among tribunal judges: approximately 40% of them were female, and 9% were non-white. 

The PDF below also includes information about data on other characteristics, including disability and age.