University College Isle of Man (UCM) is involved in a new research project.

It aims to explore the changing trends in Manx politics and identify any barriers to women becoming involved.

Four academics from the Isle of Man and the UK are embarking on the study of women in Manx politics.

Dr Catriona Mackie from UCM and Isle of Man-based researcher, Dr Mari Hughes-Edwards of Edge Hill University, along with Professor Peter Edge and Dr Alex Powell from Oxford Brookes University, are working on a Culture Vannin-funded project to explore the role and experiences of women in Tynwald and consider ways of facilitating more women in Manx politics.

Dr Mackie, programme leader for history and heritage at UCM, said: ’The association between women and politics has been important to our island for a long time, after all we were the first country where women got the vote, and the latest trends shows that the appetite for women to be involved in leading the nation is strengthening.

’We’re excited to be involved in these high-level research projects; highlighting our status as a University Centre.’

Through a series of interviews with women who stood for election and those who considered standing, the team will explore the influences on women making the decision to stand and the experiences of women during the campaign process and as members of Tynwald.

Three of the project team gave a talk about the project yesterday (Thursday) as part of the University of the Highlands and Islands webinar series, Islands Matter.

It will be available to listen back to on the UCM website - for more information visit www.ucm.ac.im.

* In this week’s Examiner we will be marking International Women’s Day with a number of interviews with sitting MHKs and MLCs on this very topic.

* We will also have our annual special supplement, WOMANN.