My Lords, it gives me great pleasure to open this International Women’s Day debate—for

the fourth year running, I think. International Women’s Day provides us with the perfect

opportunity to come together, to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women and to

commemorate the great progress we have made and continue to make. Around the world today,

women and men will be marking this celebratory occasion in various ways. There will be events

in local communities, discussions in places of work, arts performances in schools and

debates across countries, much like the one taking place today in your Lordships’ House,

and it is a privilege to be just one part of these celebrations.

We have come a long way in a short time and we should celebrate all that we have accomplished.

Last year, in particular, was an outstanding year for women’s progress, and I want to

highlight some of our incredible achievements. We allocated £5 million of funding to mark

the centenary of voting rights for women. This money funded over 300 projects that raised

awareness of this crucial milestone and encouraged more women, in particular, to participate

in democracy, building a diverse political system that reflects the nation it serves.

For example, the Courage Calls event built on the Ask Her to Stand model, featuring workshops

hosted by parliamentary experts and discussions with serving MPs, and providing help and guidance

for 350 women to get on that crucial first rung of the political ladder. I hope to see

some of the women who participated enter Parliament as sitting MPs one day.

There was the Centenary Cities fund, allocated to seven towns and cities to celebrate their

suffrage history. These cities hosted a range of exciting projects to celebrate as well

as remember those individuals who helped to make votes for women a reality. Let me give

your Lordships a taste of what was on offer. In Manchester, we had cycle rides through

history, touching on the lives of some of the women who made important contributions

to the cause of women’s suffrage. In Nottingham we had banner-making workshops, encouraging

people of all ages to celebrate the anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918.

In Bristol we had the Black Women 100 event, which unearthed stories about the incredible

women of colour who fought for the right to vote in the early 20th century. This is just

the tip of the iceberg. I know that in Leeds, Bolton, Leicester and London there were hundreds,

if not thousands, of other events, which took place as part of the celebrations.

Of course, we had the statue of Millicent Fawcett—the first statue of a woman to stand

in Parliament Square—and the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in my home city of Manchester. It

was a huge privilege to be part of the unveiling, and what made it so special and so significant

for me was the fact that my daughter was watching from the building opposite, where she works.

I know she wished to work for her employer due to its proven track record on gender equality,

which makes me incredibly proud of her. I am certain that all these statues will serve

as a reminder to all us of the courage of our foremothers, and will inspire future generations

of women and girls to come.

In November, we hosted Women MPs of the World. More than 100 female MPs from across the world

participated, and we witnessed history as the House of Commons Chamber, for the first

time ever, was filled solely with women. It was a herculean task to pull it off. I must

pay tribute to the right honourable Member for Camberwell and Peckham. It started as

her idea and evolved into a collaborative effort of two political parties, three government

departments and three arm’s-length bodies to fly in around 100 female MPs from around

the world to participate in receptions, plenary sessions and workshops here in Westminster.

It demonstrated the power the House has when we all pull together.

Last year’s work has left a lasting legacy that will undoubtedly provide greater opportunities

and influence for women in our society. But the fight for equality did not stop last year.

We need to carry forward the momentum from the centenary year to make sure that our progress

towards gender equality does not stall.

We know that inequality still persists across the world. Globally, one in three girls or

women has been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. Every two minutes a woman dies

in pregnancy or childbirth. Over 200 million women living in 30 countries have undergone

female genital mutilation. In the UK, we know that women are much more likely to have time

out for caring, with lasting impacts on pay and progression. Nearly 90% of those not working

due to caring for home and family are women. The gender pay gap still stands at 17.9%.

Until we have true economic, social and gender parity, we will never be equal.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Balance for Better”. With that

in mind, I want to look to the future. I want to talk about what the Government are doing

to ensure we have better balance in our society and how we are delivering for women and girls.

Yesterday, the Government published the refreshed violence against women and girls strategy,

which sets out how we are going further and faster in our response to these terrible crimes.

Much has changed in the three years since the Ending Violence against Women and Girls

strategy was published. We have a better understanding of the effects on victims and have seen increased

public awareness through the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns, which is welcome.

The refreshed strategy will implement a review of the criminal justice response to rape and

serious sexual violence, which is crucial to ensuring that victims and survivors see

the justice they so desperately need. I welcome increased reporting of these crimes, which

shows that more victims have the confidence to come forward, but we must ensure that the

police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the response through the courts are as robust

and effective as can be. We will also develop guidance for providers and commissioners on

best practice in supporting LGBT victims of VAWG, as well as reviewing our national statement

of expectations to ensure that VAWG services delivered locally are as effective as they

can be. Sadly, violence is something that touches many of our lives. We must do all

we can across government, working with statutory agencies and specialist third-sector organisations,

to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

Later this spring, we will publish our gender equality and economic empowerment strategy,

setting out our plans to address the persistent gender-based barriers that women—and men—face

across the country at every stage of their lives. The strategy will focus on four key

themes: entry and progression in the workplace, especially for those far from the labour market

or in low-paid, low-skilled work; optimal choice over parental leave and childcare;

economic well-being in later life; and attitudes and social norms about the roles that men

and women play.

My right honourable friend the Minister for Women and Equalities shared her emerging thinking

about the strategy with a wide range of stakeholders on Monday this week. She set out that a key

theme will be tackling the financial fragility that impacts on some vulnerable women and

girls. As a compelling example of this, she announced that she will be convening an expert

cross-sectoral task force to find sustainable ways to address period poverty in the UK,

along with UK aid support for projects tackling period poverty and stigma globally.

The gender pay gap reporting deadline for year two is less than a month away. Our world-leading

legislation meant that, for the first time last year, over 10,000 employers reported

their gender pay gap, providing an unprecedented level of transparency, driving board-level

discussions and pushing employers to take real action to close the gap. In fact, Bloomberg

liked our model so much it has integrated our key measures into its gender equality

index for investors.

Reporting is just the start; it is crucial that employers use their gender pay gap data

to identify the barriers to women’s recruitment and progression, and take action to break

down these barriers. We had 100% compliance last year and we expect the same this year.

We saw the gender pay gap fall to its lowest level ever of 17.9%, but it will take until

2052 at this rate—

Baroness Thornton (Lab) We will not be here any more.

Baroness Williams of Trafford No, we will not—to eradicate it completely

in the UK, and much longer globally. We have to do better.

We have committed £5 million in funding to help people return to work after time out

for caring and to find jobs that use their valuable skills and experience. In addition

to the initial £5 million fund we established for returners in 2017, a further £500,000

has been provided to support those with additional barriers to participating in the labour market.

This may include people with complex needs or multiple barriers, such as substance abuse

or homelessness. We have gone even further, and an additional £100,000 of funding has

been announced to support those people with little or no work history. We have also launched

best practice guidance and a toolkit to help employers run effective returner programmes.

We urge them to make the most of these publicly available resources.

Gender equality is a global issue. I recently attended a gathering in Spain of Ministers

from across Europe. While we are leaving the European Union, we are clear that we will

continue to work with partners in Europe and across the world to ensure that women and

girls have the same rights and opportunities as their male counterparts.

I conclude by saying again that I am proud to participate in today’s debate with so

many staunch advocates of gender equality. I am proud to be part of this Government,

and it is an honour to be part of the work we are doing and will continue to do to fight

for gender equality across the UK and the world. We are making great progress and it

is only right that we celebrate how far we have come. Now, all I ask of you is to keep

working together, especially in these challenging times, to think about how we can balance for

better, and how we can ensure that gender equality becomes a reality sooner rather than

later. I beg to move.

Baroness Gale (Lab) My Lords—and Baronesses—I thank the Minister

for bringing this debate before us. It is as she feels: it is a privilege to be speaking

in this debate, albeit late on a Thursday afternoon as last business. Perhaps we could

have a much better time for our debate next year. This year’s theme is “Balance for

Better” and as we consider the UK’s role in advancing gender equality globally, we

must face up to the challenges that remain so as to tip the scales, which are currently

weighted towards men. Whether it is about intimidation in public life, gender-based

violence or equal pay, only by tackling those issues can a truly better balance be found.

Increasing the number of women in public life is about improving decisions and outcomes—and,

more importantly, having our elected institutions look like the people they represent. According

to the United Nations, only 24% of all national parliamentarians are women. In the UK, for

example, 32% of the Members of the House of Commons are women, while the figure for the

House of Lords is 26%, for the Welsh Assembly 47%, for the Scottish Parliament 35% and,

in Northern Ireland, 32%. I am proud to say that the Welsh Assembly is the best in the

United Kingdom, and that if we can do it in Wales we can do it anywhere. That is a challenge

to the rest of the country.

The voice of women in the UK was lost when the coalition Government disbanded the Women’s

National Commission in 2010. Although the Government said at that time that its work

would be taken in house, with the Government Equalities Office having the responsibility,

nothing is now heard from it. It cannot possibly be doing the work that the WNC was carrying

out. Can the Minister tell the House what is happening in this field? The WNC was an

asset to the United Kingdom, comprising over 650 women’s organisations and providing

different Governments over a 40-year period with a great link to women. If this Government

are not prepared to establish a new WNC, I can guarantee that the next Labour Government

will do so. We will provide a strong, independent voice for women’s organisations in the United

Kingdom; it will be women’s voice to Government on a whole range of issues.

Women in politics face an extraordinary amount of abuse online and offline, partly because

they speak up but also simply because they are women. Online abuse can affect women’s

human rights to safety and freedom of expression. Social media companies must do more to protect

female users, but this abuse undoubtedly comes from the sexism that still exists in our society

and that can manifest in even more violent ways. Sadly, many women in public life have

been victims of this violence. I pay tribute to my former colleague, Jo Cox, who was killed

just because she was serving the people of her constituency. We think of her today. As

we call for more women to enter public life, we must always remember those who have paid

the ultimate price.

When talking about the UK’s role in advancing gender equality globally, we cannot ignore

the biggest domestic issue of the day. It is difficult to talk about the idea of a global

Britain while we leave our most important international institution, the European Union.

The EU has been credited with advancing women’s rights and gender equality. According to the

Equality and Human Rights Commission, Brexit could lead to equality protections falling

behind those in the EU, as well as existing ones being removed. The Government continue

to leave no deal on the table, which would be catastrophic not only for the economy but

for equality. The Government’s own impact assessment revealed that no deal would leave

the UK’s economy up to 9% smaller. The Women’s Budget Group said that such a downturn would

disproportionately impact on women. However, there would be many other consequences. A

no-deal Brexit would leave hard-earned women’s rights at the whim of future Governments,

without the protection of an international court. A hard border in Ireland could mean

women travelling to access safe abortions facing increased checks, costs and delays.

Will the Minister explain how women will be protected in the event of an economic downturn

resulting from a no-deal Brexit?

Another dividing line between the sexes remains gender economic inequality. Eurostat ranks

the UK as having the fifth worst gender pay gap in the EU, 2.77% higher than the OECD