Gillian Keegan MP introduced the Women and Work APPG's Annual Report, within her role as the Co-Chair of the group. The report sets out several recommendations to the Government entitled: Making the Industrial Strategy Work for Women. The group have made six key recommendations drawn from contributions from politicians, employers, businesses and other key stakeholders.
The Women and Work APPG is a cross-party group that constructively examines the role of women in the workforce, making recommendations to Government on delivering gender balance within the UK economy.
In January 2017, the Building our Industrial Strategy Green Paper set out the Government’s aim to build a policy which would address long-term challenges to the UK economy. However, it did not directly address issues relating to gender inequality
in the workplace.
Through our programme of meetings over the course of the year we have heard evidence from a range of stakeholders about how the Industrial Strategy could work better for women. Themes included sector-based gender segregation, diversifying gender roles, disability and gender in the workplace, automation and technology, education and enterprise, and the ‘gig’ economy.
In November 2017, when the Government introduced its Industrial Strategy: Building a Britain Fit for the Future White Paper, the APPG were pleased to see several direct references to supporting women and other under-represented groups to participate more fully in the labour market. However, more needs to be done. We hope that these recommendations will help to ensure that women are seen and heard when the Government and employers implement the policies outlined in the Industrial Strategy in the months and years ahead.
