For most of my younger years, politics felt distant. I associated it with Parliament on the television, men in suits arguing, complicated language about budgets and committees, and decisions that felt far away from my day-to-day life. I voted when I could, because I believed it was important, but I never really thought of domestic policy as something that directly shaped me as a woman.
I never really understood the phrase “the motherhood penalty” until I lived it. It sounded like one of those abstract feminist concepts, something you might read about in a policy paper or hear mentioned in a debate. But when I had my first child, the phrase took on a very real, very personal meaning. Suddenly, I felt like my career, my earnings, and even my sense of self had been hit with a price tag simply because I became a mother.
Women may hold talent, ambition, and skill, yet across business, industry, justice, politics, and other influential sectors, they remain severely under-represented in senior leadership. This is not due to lack of potential, it is the result of systemic barriers, cultural biases, and structures that gatekeep power. The leadership gap is not just unjust, it makes the economy weaker, democracy poorer, and visions narrower.
Poverty is not gender neutral and it disproportionately impacts women. Women are more likely than men to be poor, to live in persistent low income, to fall into debt, to lack savings, and to face structural barriers that entrench economic insecurity.
Unpaid work, cooking, cleaning, caring, volunteering, emotional labour, is the unacknowledged foundation of daily life. It sustains families, communities, and economies, yet remains invisible in national statistics, undervalued by policymakers, and disproportionately borne by women.
The gender pay gap in the UK reflects systemic inequalities shaped by workplace cultures, historic norms, care burdens, and policy gaps. When women earn less than men, it's not merely an economic statistic; it's a barrier to autonomy, opportunity, and long-term security.
Homelessness is a complex issue, shaped by economic forces, housing policy, and social inequality. But a subtler and often overlooked dimension lies underneath: gender. Women and men experience homelessness in different ways, shaped by societal expectations, exposure to violence, and systemic inequality.
The gender pay gap is one of the most revealing indicators of gender inequality in the UK. While significant progress has been made toward equal rights in the workplace, the journey toward equality in earnings between men and women is far fro
The gender pay gap is one of the most revealing indicators of gender inequality in the UK. While significant progress has been made toward equal rights in the workplace, the journey toward equality in earnings between men and women is
Period poverty, defined as the lack of access to sanitary products, education, and facilities for menstruation, is an issue that affects millions of people in the UK. It is a challenge rooted in inequality, stigma, and economic hardship, and it continues to impact the education, health, and dignity of women and girls.
Benevolent sexism, often cloaked in seemingly polite “chivalry, is a subtle but powerful force that reinforces traditional gender hierarchies under the guise of protecting and valuing women.
The default response for tackling gender-based violence is often more policing, tougher sentencing, and increased surveillance, however many many are beginning to question whether relying so heavily on criminal justice institutions actually keeps women safe.
