52 Example As part of the “How Fair is Britain?” initiative, the Equality and Human Rights Commission in the United Kingdom collected quantitative data on women’s representation in senior positions. The report, Sex and Power 2011, compared data on the representation of women in top positions in 27 categories to data from 2007/2008. It concluded that, while women’s representation in top leadership increased in 17 categories, there was a drop in women’s participation in ten categories, including as members of Cabinet and local authority council leaders and in public appointments. HANDBOOK FOR NHRIs ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY making up 23.4 per cent of members of parliaments in OSCE participating States.30 NHRIs can play an important role in promoting women’s participation in political and public life, by monitoring the extent to which women are elected to office and appointed to senior positions in government, identifying the root causes for under-representation, and working with relevant actors to address these issues. Data on the status of women in the public sector and in public life can be included in annual or ad hoc reports. Example The Lithuanian Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson collects quantitative data on the participation of women in the political and public sectors. The data has revealed a correlation between the number and the position of women on candidates’ lists and the number of women elected. If women were among the first three candidates on the list they had a better chance of being elected. 30 Inter-Parliamentary Union, Women in National Parliaments, as of 31 July 2012. IPU data also shows a significant disparity between participating States, with the percentage in Georgia being 6.6 per cent, Sweden 44.7 per cent, and Andorra 50 per cent.