Contributor(s): Dr Purna Sen | As part of LSE Research Festival 2015 the Above the Parapet project will showcase its recent research on women in public life. Purna Sen (@Purna_Sen) is Deputy Director of the Institute of Public Affairs at LSE. Julia Black is Pro Director for Research at LSE. LSE Research Festival (@LSEResearchFest) is a series of events, free and open to all, celebrating public engagement with social science research. The centrepiece of the series is an annual public exhibition of research from across LSE and other institutions in three categories - film, photography, and poster design. The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public-engagement initiatives. LSE Works is a series of public lectures, that will showcase some of the latest research by LSE's academic departments and research centres. In each session, LSE academics will present key research findings, demonstrating where appropriate the implications of their studies for public policy. A list of all the LSE Works lectures can be viewed at LSE Works.