Mother of Parliament

Mother of Parliament is an informal term for the most senior Member of a Parliament when that person is a woman.

The term was used to describe Dr. Winnie Ewing at the first meeting of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. However, in accordance with the standing orders of the Scottish Parliament she was referred to as the "Oldest Qualified Member" in the Scottish Parliament Official Report.

The term is equivalent to Father of the House, which is used to describe the longest continuously serving male member of the House of Commons in Westminster. So far, no woman has been the longest-serving member.