by Rachel O'Neill

When the British Trades Union Congress debated the risks posed by high heels in the workplace, Conservative MP and columnist Nadine Dorries came out in defense of teetering footwear.

She said she is small and needs high heels to stand up to her male colleagues. The implication that she feels inferior to her male colleagues and needs to be taller to gain their respect confirms her acceptance of institutional inequality. Ms Dorries makes no mention of her taller female colleagues. Maybe that’s because she has none.

For every woman in the cabinet and shadow cabinet there are five men. The gender imbalance is an old refrain but cannot continue to be ignored.

The low choice of role models for women, compounded by the expenses mire and the handling of the financial crisis makes politics an unattractive career for them. But, women are needed to bring values to a system that currently lacks their input. The rewards will benefit of balanced decision making will benefit everyone.

Harriet Harman did choose politics, and is condescendingly labeled a champion of women’s interests. However, the issues she has spoken out on, such as rape laws, male dominance of the banking industry, and the need for females in senior party positions are important to all voters and should be addressed.

She stands out as a lonely female because she is up against male groupthink in the cabinet and sadly, often the media. If she had more female colleagues the fact she is a women would not be so important.

In order to fill the seats around her with more female faces women need to look to politics in a wider sense for inspiration. There are plenty of successful women in other fields who play a political role because of their power and expertise. Campaigners like Shami Chakrabati of Liberty, women like Eliza Manninghambuller of MI5 and in finance, Angela Knight, chief executive of the British Banker’s Association. Just recently Joanna Lumley was a decisive figure in winning a victory for the Ghurkas.

Politicians should look to call upon female advice more. Forget Jamie Oliver, bring in Nigella, we don't want Alan Sugar but Deborah Meaden. If more high-profile female figures were recruited to work for the government this would encourage more women into conventional politics. It would show that women can make a real difference, and that male politicians need female counterparts to help deal with other powerful women.

The other way to bring women into the fold is to recruit outsiders into the process. By encouraging non-political people to come forward, women can feel they are creating a new era of politics rather than a maintaining a fusty institution. The females who are currently in parliament need to welcome outsiders and be open minded about change.

David Cameron’s recent plea for novices to stand as MPs attracted a number of impressive women to the approved list of Tory candidates. Merryn Myatt, 55, from Cheshire, is a businesswoman and former presenter of the BBC consumer programme The Really Useful Show. Nigerian-born Nini Adetuberu, 29, works with drug addicts in north London, and Charlotte Vere, 40, gave up a career as a finance director to become chief executive of a charity helping people with mental health problems.

Sarah Wollaston, a local Doctor, became the precursor to the potential success of recruiting people from a non-political people when she was picked to succeed the MP Anthony Steen in Totnes, Devon, last month.

This approach has been criticised for attracting people who have no political credentials apart from the fact they are not political.

But, when the slate is so grimy, with all MPs stained by the expenses scandal and stuck in the inertia of a system providing no inspiration or hope to those they are supposed to represent why not just start again? Moments of crisis make radical change possible. So, why not be really radical by attracting people with a new approach and perspective?

By looking for inspiration and recruits outside the established political sphere maybe this can change. Who knows? Perhaps one day men will be outnumbered by five to one in the government and its opposition, the fallen bank will be resurrected as Lehman sisters and men will get their legs shortened to be the same height as women. Then we will need to start all over again to redress the balance.