Today is International Women’s Day. Today is for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – but is also a call to action to accelerate gender equality.
This year’s theme is #PressForProgress.
A recent report from the World Economic Forum suggested that gender parity is 200 years away – and that’s not good enough.
That's the case in pay, but also in politics.
- A study from IPPR in 2017 showed that only 33% of councillors and 17% of council leaders are women.
- In Parliament, women make up just 32% of MPs
- and in Tower Hamlets out of 45 councillors, only 12 are women (26%)
And despite the strong momentum towards parity – embodied in campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp – there is a lot we need to do.