UK ranks number 48 globally for female representation in parliament.
Only 30 percent of members of British parliament are women, according to a report by the Women and Equalities Committee published Tuesday.
The committee recommended the government set a target of 45 percent female representation in parliament and local government by 2030, with failure to comply resulting in financial penalties. The government should also force parties to publish their parliamentary candidate diversity data for general elections, the committee said.
Political parties bear the brunt of responsibility for the imbalance as fewer than 50 percent of candidates for Britain's main parties in the 2015 general election were women, according to the committee's findings.
"Trusting in the long term is not enough," Committee Chair Maria Miller said. "We need intervention to accelerate their pace."
The U.K. currently ranks number 48 globally for female representation in the lower or single legislative chamber, down from number 25 in 1999, the committee found.
According to the report, Boundary Commission proposals to reduce the number of MPs to 600 from 650 could result in a lower proportion of women unless parties take action.
Parliament should also look at ways to improve the working environment and make sure there are no "unnecessary actual or perceived barriers to women's participation," the report said.