The Women and Work APPG provides a forum to constructively examine and debate the role that policy makers can play to deliver gender balance within the economy.
About the Group
While in recent years we have seen a change in the way that UK businesses work to increase the number of women recruited into the workforce, women still face financial hardship and barriers when it comes to employment. The issue is not just about getting women into work but ensuring retention of female employees by rapidly improving workplace systems and infrastructures to enable women to thrive. We aim to take an intersectional approach to women in the workplace, enabling all women to succeed and be valued in their chosen area of work.
This year, the APPG will explore the intersection of AI and technology with women’s participation in the workforce, a critical and timely theme given the government's focus on tech and AI as drivers of growth and innovation.
So let’s take a glance at the current situation:
As of April 2024, the UK gender pay gap among full-time employees stood at 7.0%, a slight decrease from 7.5% in April 2023. This means that, on average, women earned 93% of what men earned per hour. Over the past decade, this gap has narrowed by approximately 25%.
Recent studies suggest that progress toward closing the gender pay gap is slow. A 2025 report projects that, at the current rate, pay equality may not be achieved until 2065. Additionally, research by the Office for National Statistics suggests that the percentage of women employed in tech in the UK declined by 3,000 between the first and second quarters of 2023. Projections suggest that, without significant intervention, it could take 283 years to achieve gender parity in the tech workforce.
These statistics highlight the need to act now, showing the ever more important work of this APPG.
Ultimately, only by addressing the challenges and costs faced can we help ensure women don’t get penalised financially further and can pave the way for women in the workplace to be treated as valued employees.
We welcome all to our discussions to advocate for this positive change.
Officers
Chair: Baroness Brady
Baroness Brady was appointed to the House of Lords as a Conservative life peer in 2014. Her work spans across business, sports, and media, and she is known for her advocacy of women in leadership roles.
Baroness Brady is the Vice-Chair of West Ham United F.C., and an aide to Lord Sugar on BBC’s The Apprentice. At age 23, she was appointed Managing Director of Birmingham City F.C. becoming the first woman to hold such a post in the top flight of English football.
Baroness Brady has long advocated for women in business. She encourages successful women to mentor and support other women to help them progress in their careers. She believes in creating opportunities for women to develop the confidence to aim for leadership roles and emphasizes the importance of diversifying boards by including female entrepreneurs. Baroness Brady also famously stated that companies without women on their boards should explain why to shareholders.
Prior to being appointed to the House of Lords, Baroness Brady was a Government Business Ambassador between 2013 to 2016.
A full list of APPG Members can be found here.
Information on all the group’s officers can be found here.
Contact the Group
Connect provide the Secretariat to the Group on behalf of the Group sponsors. For information on Connect’s clients, please visit the PRCA Register.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the APPG, please contact us on 0207 592 9592 or email at womenandworkappg@connectpa.co.uk.
This is not an official website [or Feed] of parliament. It has not been approved by either House. APPGs are informal groups of Parliamentarians with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed are those of the group.
Upcoming events:
Women and Work APPG and 50:50 Parliament: ‘Connect and Reflect: Empowering Ethnic Minority Women in Politics’
Date: Monday 27 October
Time: 18:00 - 19:30
Venue: Room O, Portcullis House and via Zoom
In celebration of Black History Month, the Women and Work APPG is coming together with 50:50 Parliament for a ‘Connect and Reflect: Empowering Ethnic Minority Women in Politics’ session in celebration of Black History Month. This session will offer a safe, inclusive space for ethnic minority women in or aspiring to public office to share their lived experiences.
We are delighted to be joined by:
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CHAIR: Kate Osamor, Member of Parliament for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill and Member of the Women and Work APPG
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Natasha Irons, Member of Parliament for Croydon East
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Dame Chi Onwurah, Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
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Baroness Young of Hornsey
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Atonte Semira, Head of Community at UN Women UK and 50:50 Parliament Trustee
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Ellisha Soanes, Award-winning Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Specialist
RSVP to womenandworkrsvp@connectpa.co.uk
Past events:
Women in the Public Eye
Date: Monday 15 September
This session explored the growing dangers faced by women in public-facing roles, particularly in politics, business, and the media. It examined the rise of misogyny, the impact of media scrutiny, and the safety threats that women encounter, as seen during the 2024 General Election campaign.
Making industry work for women
Date: Tuesday 8 July
This session focused on how more inclusive environments in non-office workspaces can be created for women, particularly in industries like construction and infrastructure, where women often face significant challenges such as lack of access to sanitary products, inadequate facilities for menstruation, and the absence of private spaces for breastfeeding or expressing milk.
Engineering the Future: Women Leading STEM
Date: Monday 23 June
This event brought together a distinguished group of industry leaders, policymakers, and experts to advance the national conversation on gender equality in STEM by addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing women and girls in the sector, including breaking down stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing physics and mathematics at A-Level and supporting women’s career progression into STEM leadership roles, particularly within the nuclear industry.
Entrepreneurship and Investment: breaking barriers for female founders
Date: Tuesday 17 June
This session focussed on the barriers women face pursuing entrepreneurialism, including lack of visibility, data, and policy to support inclusive investment practices.
Empowering women in STEM: skills for the future
Date: Tuesday 6 May
This session focussed on empowering women in STEM to develop their skills for the future, exploring why women remain underrepresented in many technical fields, particularly in engineering, computing, and AI.
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Group Sponsors
The Group is supported by a range of organisations across the business world who help fund the running of the Group via its secretariat, Connect.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Group please contact:
womenandworkappg@connectpa.co.uk.
