WIREDGOV

Inspirational women from across the country were invited to Downing Street last week to celebrate International Women’s Day 2024.

Last week began with a reception at No10 to celebrate inspirational female leaders, attended by over 100 guests across a wide range of industries from businesses to civil society and the NHS.

The event featured a showcase of female-led small businesses, including family-run jewellery company Loel & Co, curly hair products by Bouclème and boxed wine from Laylo. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

I am committed to delivering the long-term change needed to build a brighter future for women and girls. 

And we’ve made huge progress since I became Prime Minister – investing millions to ensure women feel safe on our streets, ensuring girls receive a world class education by boosting standards and championing STEM careers, giving women more choice with the largest ever childcare expansion in England’s history and launching the Women’s Health Strategy and Pharmacy First, making it easier for women to get the care they need more quickly.

But I know there is more to do. Whether it’s making our NHS faster, simpler and fairer for women, or backing female-led businesses, I am determined to deliver the long-term change needed to grow our economy and ensure women across the whole country can succeed.

Minister for Women, and Minister for Women’s Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield said:

International Women’s Day is about celebrating women, but also demanding more for women in every part of their lives. Our Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambitions to make our healthcare system faster, simply and fairer for women.

We are delivering for women up and down the country by rolling out women’s health hubs, bringing all the services women will need across their life under one roof. We have also saved women going through the menopause £15 million a year via new Hormone Replacement Therapy prescription prepayment certificates. This year we’re focusing on improving maternity, care for menstrual problems and conditions like endometriosis and supporting more research into women’s health.

We must also be wise. Closing the gender pay gap between women and men could add an additional £250 billion to the UK economy, so we are using evidence-based actions to tackle inequalities and empower women to flourish.

Last week, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Mims Davies convened a roundtable at Downing Street with female business leaders, health professionals, charities and academics to better understand how the government and business can support women experiencing menopause in the workplace. 

Mims Davies MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health & Work, said:

It was an honour to bring women, and businesses, together for Downing Street’s first menopause employer roundtable this week to discuss what more can be done to support women in the workplace.

With one in ten women between 40 and 60 considering quitting their job due to a lack of employment support, we are working with sectors, businesses and the Government’s Menopause Employment Champion Helen Tomlinson to break the menopause taboo and help women thrive throughout their careers.

On Friday, Mrs Murty hosted a special mentoring session with female role models and business leaders for girls and young women at Downing Street. This is part of the ‘Lessons at 10’ programme, which provides children from across the country with the uniqueopportunity see behind the scenes of the famous black door and with the help of special guests, industry experts and incredible charitable organisations, Lessons at 10 hopes to bring education to life, encourage a love of learning and inspire children fromacross the UK.

The event was delivered together with The Girls’ Network, a charity that partners with secondary schools and colleges across England to offer girls, aged 14-19, a year-long mentoring programme to support their ambitions.

Akshata Murty said:

I’m so pleased to be marking this International Women’s Day by celebrating women in business. It is fantastic to host a special mentoring session with female role models and business leaders for girls and young women at Downing Street.

I know the phenomenal work that goes into running a business. My mother’s endeavours in science, technology, engineering and maths allowed her to push boundaries both academically and professionally and gave her a ringside seat to the technological revolution. 

I hope other women and girls are inspired by role models around them to pursue their own passions.

Katie Thiselton, Co-Executive Director, The Girls’ Network said: 

This is such a great opportunity for our young women to speak with incredible women from a wide range of backgrounds and professions about their careers, the challenges they have faced and what inspires them. 

At The Girls’ Network we often say ‘if you can see it, you can be it’ so giving girls access to women, from so many different walks of life will hopefully show them that anything is possible. 

We hope that by being invited into No10, girls will see that spaces like this are just as much for them as anyone else.  It will be a memorable experience for all involved and I’m sure the girls will come away feeling inspired and motivated in their own journeys.