Portsmouth South MP Flick Drummond has set up a ground-breaking parliamentary group to help tackle the gender pay gap and issues affecting women in work.
Flick is now the co-chair of the Women and Work All-Party Parliamentary Group with Labour MP Jess Phillips.
The move was prompted by research showing the UK is falling behind in gender equality with the 2014 the World Economic Forum global gender gap report finding the country had fallen out of top 20 most gender-equal countries in the world for the first time ever.
To highlight the point further, only 29% of MPs in the present Parliament are women.
“This group of MPs from all parties are in for the long haul to find ways to lobby government, business and society to maximise the potential of women in work by tackling pay discrimination and ensuring that women get a fair chance in the workplace,” said Flick.
“Women do have more choice than ever but many, many studies continue to show we are often paid less, we suffer discrimination when we decide to have children, and we find it harder to reach the top of companies and organisations.
“Jess and I decided we are not going to stand by and watch this inequality, and we have been heartened by the positive response we have received from many quarters about setting up the group.
“Over the next year, we will examine and debate the role that everyone, but particularly policymakers, can play to deliver better gender balance in the years to come.
“It’s vital for fairness, and for the future of our country, that these challenges are confronted.
“The group would like to hear from anyone who has a view on what our agenda should be. Please tweet us at @WomenWorkAPPG.”