The Fawcett Society - Official

02/09/2026

We won’t achieve equality for women without fixing parental leave.

Women still take on more unpaid care and too often carry the financial and mental burden when a child is born, affecting their earnings, careers, well-being and financial security.

The Government’s Parental Leave Review ends this year.

Now is the time to act.

Fawcett and Movember have brought together campaigners, charities, academics and experts to call for change.

Better maternity and adoption pay, so women aren’t pushed into financial hardship when they take time to care.

Proper leave for fathers and second parents, so care can be shared more equally.

Fair support for self-employed women, so they aren’t penalised for taking time out to have and care for a baby.

Parental leave and pay from day one, whatever you earn and however you work.

And reform must reflect the reality of families today, including single parents, Black and Brown parents, kinship carers, adoptive parents, parents with a disabled child and parents facing serious illness.

Swipe to see what we’re calling for 👉

27/08/2026

📣 Next month We're heading to Labour Party Confrence and this year, we’re putting feminist thinking on AI firmly on the agenda.

For the first time, we’re hosting our own event at Labour Women’s Conference:

AI at Work: Will Women Share in the Opportunity?
Saturday 26 September 2 – 3.30 pm
Arena Room Derwent, Convention Centre at Liverpool Experience Campus

AI is already transforming the world of work, from how we’re recruited and paid to how our performance is assessed, how we progress and which jobs are automated.

But women are entering this transformation from an unequal starting point. Will women share equally in the opportunities AI creates, or will new technologies reproduce and deepen existing inequalities?

Joining us will be voices from across politics, policy and AI expertise to ask what government, employers and technology companies need to do to ensure AI delivers greater gender equality and better work.

We are leading the feminist conversation on AI, including the future of work. Women must have a meaningful voice not just in responding to technological change, but in shaping it.

🌟 And you’ll see plenty more of us across conference, as we join allies and contribute to events and conversations throughout the week.

21/07/2026

Last week, our Chief Executive Penny met with then Chancellor Rachel Reeves to discuss Fawcett's work and the future of women's equality. Political roles may change, but our mission doesn't. We'll continue working with decision-makers across government to ensure women's rights, economic equality and opportunity remain on the agenda. Whoever is in office, we'll keep making the case for women.

21/07/2026

The AI Minister has a full in-tray. Women’s equality must be on it.

Congratulations to Kanishka Narayan on his appointment as Minister for Artificial Intelligence.

In this video, we set out practical and workable asks that would help ensure technological progress does not come at the expense of women’s rights.

21/07/2026

As the new Cabinet takes shape, we're pleased to see progress we've long called for: A standalone Minister for Women and Equalities recognises that advancing women's equality is a full-time job, and for that Minister to attend Cabinet. We are pleased to see Bridget Phillipson take on this role as her sole remit. We have called for 50% of cabinet positions to be women, and this has also been achieved.

We also say goodbye to the first and only female Chancellor. Last week, our Chief Exec, Penny, met with Rachel Reeves to discuss Fawcett's work and the history of the women's rights movement. Standing beside the original sculpture of Millicent Fawcett, it was a reminder of the women whose campaigning made such progress possible.

We now look forward to working with the new Chancellor to continue that progress; ensuring no woman has her choices or freedoms limited by financial inequality, and to back the policies that will help close the gender pay gap.

However many political changes and reshuffles - we will always advocate for women being at the heart of government.

20/07/2026

Women have always worked. What we've had to fight for is the right to be paid equally and have our work valued. The government has launched a full consultation on equal pay and pay discrimination, and it includes measures Fawcett has campaigned on for years.

Salary transparency in job adverts, with real numbers, not ranges so wide you could drive a bus through them. A new enforcement unit, so individual women no longer carry the whole burden of challenging discrimination. Practical tools to help workers find out if they're being underpaid.

We also want these reforms to work for the future. Algorithms increasingly set salaries, score performance and shape promotions. The consultation doesn't yet cover AI, so we're working with the Office for Equality and Opportunity to close that gap. Because pay inequality is the result of sexism built into how we value women's work, and no one should get to launder it through a machine.

These measures are proposed, not promised. The consultation is open until 27 October, and if you've experienced pay discrimination, your voice matters most. Lived experience shows the government why these measures are needed, not just nice to have. Respond, and share this with the women who need to see it.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/equal-pay-consultation-survey/

20/07/2026

Our Chief Exec joined Jess Philips MP on Womans Hour this morning to discuss what Burnham's new cabinet needs to do to ensure women and girls equality. From equal pay and parental leave to the rise of Misogyny across all departments!

16/07/2026

📣 It's today! There's still time to join us.

This evening, we're delighted to welcome Elliott Rae MBE, founder of Parenting Out Loud and Equal Parenting Week, award-winning campaigner and leading voice on fatherhood and workplace equality, for an exclusive conversation with Penny East our Chief Exec.

Together, they'll explore why equal parenting is a feminist issue, what better paternity leave could mean for tackling the motherhood penalty and gender pay gap, and how we can create workplaces where caring responsibilities are shared more equally.

They'll also discuss how we can challenge harmful online narratives in the manosphere and empower boys and men to champion gender equality.

This event builds on Fawcett's ongoing work to tackle structural barriers facing women at work and at home, and our partnership with Equal Parenting Week to campaign for better parental leave and more equal workplaces.

There's still time to become a Fawcett member and join us this evening.

Find out more and book your place here: https://bit.ly/4uZFHnP

Our exclusive online member events are back with a summer special

14/07/2026

📣 Today we're delighted to welcome Jill Greenfield as the new Chair of the Fawcett Society.

Jill joins us at a pivotal moment for women's rights and a time of significant political change.

Together, we're calling on the new government to stamp out the 'boys' club' culture at No. 10 by:

Appointing a dedicated Minister of State for Women who sits at the Cabinet table.

Ensuring women make up 50% of Ministers and 50% of political appointments in No. 10.

Taking a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment, sexist workplace practices and sexist political briefings.

As misogyny rises and women's rights face significant backlash, gender equality cannot be an afterthought. Women don't just need to be visible, they need to be equal decision makers at the heart of government.

Read our press release to find out more: https://bit.ly/4wbHg3i

07/07/2026

📣 Closing soon – there's still time to apply or share our new roles!

We're looking for two brilliant people to join the Fawcett Society and help drive the fight for women's rights and gender equality.

✨ Campaigns & Content Manager
✨ Fundraising Manager

If you're looking for your next role, or know someone who is, we'd love to hear from you.

Not looking yourself? One share could help us reach the perfect candidate.

Head to our website for more information and to apply

# WomensRights