And greater representation in Parliament long-term, Dr. Sonia stresses, will lead to better outcomes for women in the UK.

She cites recent policies hitting them the hardest, yet these rarely, if ever, take women into account. Take austerity, where women have borne 86% of the burden since 2010. “I think the answer to that is having women in those positions where they’re making decisions. If you look at certain policies in recent years, I think it’s quite obvious for a lot of them, had there been more women making decisions, they wouldn’t necessarily have got [through],” she says. “Either women weren’t thought about when they made these policies, or they understood that and continued pushing forwards with them.”

She attributes the slashed funding for social care spending – which has shrunk by £7bn since 2010 – as a key example. “We’re more likely to be carers even if they’re in a paid or unpaid role,” she says.

The Equal Pay Act and UK parliamentary attempts to change the law on abortion in the UK and Northern Island, spearheaded by MP Stella Creasy, are testament to women’s visibility in Parliament, she says.

The inevitable impact this will have on people of colour, particularly women, has been a long-held concern for Dr. Sonia. “If you look at morality rates among women in pregnancy, the risk of death among black and Asian women is significantly higher than their white, British-born counterparts. There’s been no improvement and a lack of drive to do something about it,” she says. “If you’re not affected by it personally, it may not be at the forefront. If you’re a white man, it can be quite difficult to relate to the experiences of a single black woman bringing up children in inner city London struggling to make ends meet.”

A 50:50 Parliament director on why politics desperately needs more women