2014 was hailed as a watershed moment for feminism in the media. It was the year that mainstream media finally picked up on grassroots feminist campaigns such as @EverydaySexism, No More Page 3 andthe Counting Dead Women project. Sadly, it was also the year that the gender pay gap actually increased after years of slow but steady progress, numerous allegations of sexual misconduct involving male staff and female detainees at Yarl’s Wood detention centre were disclosed and the victim of football rapist Ched Evans was forced to change her name and move home several times after receiving online abuse.

Only last week the Fawcett Society launched its latest report Where’s the benefit? An inquiry into women and jobseeker’s allowance at the House of Commons, which found that the jobseekers benefit system is making some groups of vulnerable women even more likely to experience poverty. The problem with the current system basically boils down to the fact that women and men are treated the same without accounting for specific circumstances of women’s lives. Could this slight oversight maybe, just maybe have anything to do with the make up of those in charge of creating the legislature?

Last week’s Woman’s Hour focus group certainly think so and they are not alone. A TNS poll carried out for the programme revealed that one-in-four women feel like none of the political parties understand the issues that worry them and their families and a shocking 48 per cent of women feel that none of the party leaders understand what life is like for them and their families.

The 21^st century was until recently regarded as a post-feminist era and women were told they have never had it so good. It is true that an unprecedented number of women hold successful careers and more power in society than was historically imaginable, yet as a social group women continue to draw the short straw. To this effect research produced by the House of Commons Library reveals that a staggering 85 per cent of the £26bn of austerity cuts has come straight out of women’s pockets. As more and more stories populate the headlines, it is impossible not to notice a certain pattern emerging, which leaves me thinking political representation matters just as much as we had original thought.

The underrepresentation of women in traditionally male-dominated professions and within the top echelons of the vast majority industries is a well-known fact. For centuries, women have been disadvantaged in terms of their social capital and the strength of their networks but this is slowly changing thanks to voluntary organisations such as the Fabian Women’s Network.

FWN is a thriving women’s network that exists for the sole purpose of achieving political and social change and increasing women’s participation in public life. As a wing of the Fabian Society, Britain’s oldest left centrist political think tank, the Network leverages its historic and long-standing link with Fabian parliamentarians for the benefit of women seeking to diversify the ranks of MPs, local government officials, councillors and other public and private sector establishments. Madeleine Albright, the first female US Secretary of State, famously said,’There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women’. For the last 10 years FWN has flourished with this mantra in mind, bringing together women for the purpose of sharing experiences and developing valuable connections.

As the Fabian Women’s Network celebratesits 10 Year Anniversary next week, Seema Malhotra MP, shadow minister for preventing violence against women and girls, is expected to deliver a keynote speech on the topic of ‘women and power’.

As women continue to be disproportionately disadvantaged on the basis of their gender in this country, FWN pledges to continue its journey at the forefront of the campaign for women’s power, rights and equality and invites you to join us in celebrating our achievements whilst looking forward to the future.

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Fabian Women’s Network celebrates its tenth anniversary on Tuesday 10 February 2015 from 6-8.30pm at Royal Society of Chemistry, London W1J 0BA. For more information click here

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Paulina Jakubec is a member of the  Fabian Women’s Network executive and public speaking scheme coordinator

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