Calls for gender equality for International Women’s Day

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality and to tackle discrimination.

According to the World Economic Forum, we will not see gender parity in our lifetime and it will not be attained for well over a century.

Pay gaps across the UK have been steadily falling since 1997 but progress in the narrowing of the pay gap in London has slowed since the early 2010s. The gender pay gap in London is now 4.2 percentage points higher than the UK level.

The London Assembly has today called for gender equality and commits to inspiring inclusion for women in London throughout its work.

Sakina Sheikh AM, who proposed the motion, said:

“All women have a right to an equal chance and to live free from discrimination. Gender inequality causes us to lose talent from our workplaces and wealth from our communities.

“Women must be given a level playing field to thrive – but we are often unfairly treated or held back. Data on the gender pay gap demonstrate exactly this. This is a huge injustice, made worse by the slow pace at which we are progressing.

"I’m pleased that the London Assembly, as the body that represents all Londoners, can and will inspire inclusion for women throughout our work."

The full text of the amended motion is:

This Assembly celebrates International Women’s Day on the 8 March 2024 and notes this year’s theme #InspireInclusion.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality and to tackle discrimination.

All Londoners can play a role in achieving this aim. Despite the first International Women’s Day being held over a century ago in 1911, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality. According to the World Economic Forum, we will not see gender parity in our lifetime and it will not be attained for well over a century.

GLA Economics showed that London’s gender pay gap was 11.9% in 2023. Pay gaps across the UK have been steadily falling since 1997 but progress in the narrowing of the pay gap in London has slowed since the early 2010s. The gender pay gap in London is now 4.2 percentage points higher than the UK level.

This Assembly notes that gender discrimination creates economic losses for society through misallocation of talent and lower productivity.

We also support the Fawcett society’s key focus areas for changes to national policy including reforming childcare, workplaces that work for women, and women’s representation, especially in politics.

This Assembly also notes that the legislation introduced by the government in 2017, which made it a statutory obligation for organisations with 250 or more employees to report annually on their gender pay gap, has helped to significantly increase transparency in this area.

This Assembly supports the call for gender equality and commits to inspiring inclusion for women in London throughout its work.