100th International Women's Day - Merlene celebrates with women around the world

10.00.00am GMT Mon 8th Mar 2010

There is indeed much to celebrate of strides that have been made by women, their achievements both within the family as well as in greater society. However there are still areas for much concern.

In the UK, only 20% of Parliament is made up of women MPs of which only 2 out of a total of 646 MPs are ethnic minority women.

In the board rooms of the top hundred companies as well as in public appointments, women remain sadly under represented. And despite the Equal Pay Act coming into force 40 years ago, there is still a 17% pay gap between men and women doing the same job.

"The suffragettes in the UK only achieved the vote for women in 1928 and it is so important that we do not take this for granted today. Come the elections this year, I am hoping that the turn out in Hammersmith will be high especially amongst women" said Merlene.

"I will certainly be counting on your support should you agree that we need to forge a fairer society and have Parliament more representative of modern Britain today" added Merlene.