North West Women & Work Taskforce
Investigating women's participation, in leadership roles, in the regional economy
The North West Women & Work Taskforce was launched at the 2nd Northwest Equality & Diversity Conference in November 2009. The Taskforce had three primary aims:
- To investigate and develop evidence-based conclusions on women’s leadership in the region, and make recommendations for inclusion in the Regional Strategy 2010, Government Office North West’s BME Advisory Group’s leadership proposals, and the refresh of the North West Equality & Diversity Strategy.
- To investigate barriers to women’s participation in the North West economy in target sectors and aspects of the economy (entrepreneurship, bio-medical, engineering and digital and creative) and identify sustainable solutions for inclusion of women at senior executive levels.
- To consider women’s potential for leadership in the region’s economy, taking into account the diversity of issues, backgrounds and barriers encountered by women from many different walks of life, and outline opportunities for encouraging women into non-executive roles in the private and public sectors.
During its meetings from December 2009 to May 2010, the Taskforce considered the following themes:
- The structure of work
A re-organisation of work that would be more “female friendly”. This would cover part-time work, home working, flexible hours, childcare, initiatives to support men to take on more caring responsibilities; use of procurement as a lever for change. - Positive action
Consider women’s leadership development programmes, networking opportunities, mentoring and the specific recruitment measures proposed in the Equality Bill - Cultural change
Examining whether behaviours expected of or perceived as necessary in leaders are based on typically male rather than female characteristics. What price do women pay to fit in? What are the attrition rates? Is the culture different in organisations with a critical mass of female leaders?
For more information about the Taskforce, visit NWDA Northwest Women & Work Taskforce
