Today (Monday 8 March) is International Women’s Day, when the spotlight is turned on inequalities faced by women and the contribution they make to society.
In Nottingham, the day is being marked with a series of virtual events organised by the City Council and partners from across the city, with more events happening over the week too. There is a wide choice of sessions including poetry, Zumba and business workshops. Find out more here: https://iwdnottingham.com/.
At the City Council, the Cabinet is made up predominantly of female executive councillors for the first time. Of the ten executive councillors, seven are women; three of the five Executive Assistants are women; while overall among the 55 councillors, 29 are women. Cllr Sally Longford is the council’s Deputy Leader and its Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Democratic Services.
She said: “I’m proud of the fact that after the last council elections in 2019, we took a conscious decision to increase the representation of women among our executive councillors. We wanted to achieve gender balance, as well as increase BME representation, so that councillors better reflect the city they represent.
“International Women’s Day is a chance to celebrate the many incredible achievements by women, all too often in the face of discrimination, and to acknowledge those great women who have gone before us to help get us where we are today. I am very hopeful that the next generation of women will take us even further forward towards equality for women.”