'The start of a longer conversation on gender equality'

Women across the North East face unequal challenges and inequalities, which must be addressed if the region is sincere in its ambitions to empower females and drive sustainable growth. That was the overarching message of a high-profile roundtable discussion held prior to International Women's Day at Newcastle Civic Centre. Featuring business, education, Government and local authority figures, the roundtable saw the creation of the Women of Newcastle Policy Network working party to drive watershed change. Here, Colin Young reports on the discussion, which participants say marks the beginning of a much longer conversation.

It is there in black and white – and every colour of the rainbow and a few more besides.

Attendees to the International Women’s Day roundtable in the Pandon Room at Newcastle Civic Centre were each handed a colourful document – the authority’s executive summary – before the debate on the economic empowerment of women began.

Some of the statistics on the double-sided A4 sheet – emboldened by bright colours and fonts – were stark.

It highlighted disparities between the North East and the rest of the country, particularly in comparison to the south and London.

Most strikingly, it showed women in this region face unequal challenges and inequalities in their daily lives compared to counterparts across the UK.

From working more hours for less pay to worse health, living in poverty and having fewer qualifications, the document painted a worrying picture.

In response, the 18 roundtable participants, from business, education, the Government and local authorities, agreed to set up a working party – the Women of Newcastle Policy Network – which will address the issues in the council document and ensure conversations continue.

It will reconvene in a year.

Councillor Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council, who chaired the roundtable, was appointed the city’s first female council leader last year, and said narrowing the gender gap will be critical to driving sustainable and inclusive growth across the region. 

She said: “Despite decades of campaigning and significant legislative progress, there continue to be deeply rooted structural and systemic barriers to gender equality in local and national economies. 

“Important progress has been made in recent years towards greater gender equality, but women still face significant obstacles to participating in the economy on equal terms – with the average regional economy losing out on £1.68 billion per year.

“By removing the barriers that women and girls face, we will unlock a powerful and urgently needed engine of progress – women's talent, energy and creativity that will help build and bolster economies.”

The network aims to create a supportive environment for women, which will encourage learning and development from a young age.

For universities and business, that can start in primary schools and throughout the early school years.

Sarah Glendinning, director of business partnerships at Northumbria University, said the region had an opportunity to work together, which should start with early interventions in primary schools where traditional roles could be redefined.

She said: “In our primary schools, it's not about ‘girls’ and boys’ jobs’; it's about skills and attributes, and giving our young people confidence to pursue whatever they’re interested in.

“There’s also an opportunity for them to explore whatever that may be with the amazing businesses we have. 

“The more diverse people we have making financial and family decisions, the more diverse business base we will have, because funding has traditionally been male-dominated. 

“There are small interventions that can be made at every level of a career trajectory.

“My ask now is, how can we bring those examples together, to learn from each other and supercharge the opportunity we have?”

Professor Andy Long, vice chancellor and chief executive of Northumbria University, talked about the region’s universities work on social mobility.

He highlighted closer collaboration between primary schools in the region, with Northumbria and Newcastle universities, through the North East Raising Aspiration Partnership and the national organisation IntoUniversity, which he said has had a positive impact on the retention of pupils into university education.

He said: “It works from primary schools upwards with a very low rate of participation in higher education.

“And I think there is a parallel around raising the aspirations of young girls.

“We like to think universities are quite progressive in their approaches, but we've all got gender pay gaps – only 32 per cent of professors are women, whereas half of the academic workforce is women.

“But they don't necessarily progress to the highest roles.”

The importance of engaging with schools from a young age was also spotlighted by Sandra Manson, executive director of Newcastle-based consultancy firm Pegasus Group.

A former council employee, Sandra has seen the benefits of mentorship and help to develop passions such as her own in the workplace.

She said: “I started in the planning department at the city council when I was 16, on a one-month contract.

“I got a little bit of interest in planning, and I was mentored by a formidable town planner, the legendary Sue Bridge, who is chair of the RTPI.

“It's all about how we take those stories.

“What do we do about harvesting people who have passion?

“If we don't get into empowering them at that social level, we're not going to fulfil our absolutely brilliant opportunity.”

Referring to her other role as chair of property and development membership organisation Developing Consensus, Sandra added: “There are challenges and resource constraints, but what can we do to have really sensible conversations?

“We have a number of pillar groups, which put across inward investment and inward development planning and infrastructure. 

“And the constant theme across all those groups is about skills and recruitment, and one of the things is that private sector companies can do more.

“This is almost like a call to arms for companies within the city; what can we do to step up and become mentors?

“We can come with an action plan, launch a campaign to get businesses to sign up and put their resources across all levels.

“And then encourage them to get out there and get that message across.”

Michelle Percy, director of investment and growth at Newcastle City Council, said: “If you look at the growth of the city over the last ten years, some of the evidence from the executive summary makes quite difficult reading.

“And if you talk to some of our citizens, they feel the difference between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ has grown in the time their families have grown.

“How do we narrate between all of our residents in the east and west of the city, who have intergenerational poverty and intergenerational unemployment; how do we, in the next ten years, bring opportunity for every citizen in our city?

“That narrative, to bring investment and continue the community work we do, is so important.”

Before hosting a networking and celebratory event at the Civic Centre – which included a question-and-answer session with former Newcastle United chair Amanda Staveley, North East advocate and journalist Charlie Charlton revealed she had met many families across Newcastle and seen first-hand their struggles with daily life.

Addressing their needs was important, said the Newcastle Helix community engagement manager, but she added it was a measure of the task ahead that there are also opportunities at senior management level, which will filter through and bring more hope to girls.

She said: “Is there a problem? Yes. Is there an easy solution? No.

“I can talk about the wonderful opportunities at Newcastle Helix, in terms of graduate jobs and pushing that side of the economy.

“But that site is surrounded by some of the poorest, most socially and economically deprived parts of this city.

“Families are struggling, some women are potentially working three jobs and some mums are going to college to learn English as a second language to get minimum wage jobs. 

“It's going to take a lot of effort from all facets, and my concern is how much can you do as a local authority, how much is about governmental change and how much does that policy stretch in terms of real action?”

More positively, Charlie outlined a meeting with Chris White-Horne, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, whose change to working arrangements has had a positive impact on him and fellow employees.

Charlie said: “He went to the Ministry of Defence because he wanted to start working part-time.

“And the Ministry Of Defence told him that he was a lesser man, but he still did it.

“And when the opportunity came to go to the UK Space Agency, he told them he only wanted to work part-time, and they were delighted.

“They were trying to change that perception.

“Now, he does a senior management role as a job share.

“Only in that top-down way can you change culture.”

Bringing down the gender pay gap in some industries – such as football – will remain difficult in the era of the multi-million-pound earning player.

Amanda Staveley, chief executive at PCP Capital Partners and former chair of Newcastle United Football Club, acknowledged that was an additional challenge in the country’s number one sport, and particularly with the financial power of the globally-devoured Premier League.

That was one of the key issues when she took over at St James’ Park with husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, when they helped lead the Saudi consortium takeover four years ago. 
 
She said: “When we took over at Newcastle, we decided we would become a real wage employer; we felt that was really important.

“But, of course, with a lot of footballers earning a great deal of money, the disparity is large with people who are doing equally valuable jobs within the organisation.

“We found there's a social issue and there's a cultural issue, especially in the North East, and there’s that working man’s sense of pushing beyond the boundaries.

“So, I think you’ve got to look at the issues of actually living within the community, and we want to see how we can really try to push for social change and equality, and treat social mobility.”

The Ripon-born businesswoman also asked what difference devolution could make to accelerating action on gender parity in the region, which found support from the whole room.

Vanessa Jardine, chief constable of Northumbria Police, said: “I'm genuinely excited about devolution and the opportunities it will bring to the region, but I’m also worried about it because I’m not sure our ambition is as wide as it needs to be.

“Looking at the public sector reform aspect, I’ve done an exercise where we’ve mapped out families and their interactions with public services, and what you find is a child starts school at five, by nine they’re missing school, and the interaction with public services starts very early. 

“For some, their lives are ‘mapped out’ from the age of six or seven-years-old, and in order to truly tackle that we need all the public services to take a different approach.

“We really need to rethink the system.”

Pam Smith, chief executive of Newcastle City Council and co-chair of the roundtable, said the close relationship between the new Government and North East mayor Kim McGuinness was already showing huge promise and would lead to more investment in infrastructure across the region.

She said: “Taking transport, for example, it’s about creating better access to affordable transport across the whole region, and being able to implement real practical changes locally, which will improve the system and support and maintain good employment.

“And we have to be ambitious to create a robust city and region.

“There are practical measures and changes we can make, which will help women to retain employment, and many things we can do collectively and individually.

“If we brought that all together, it would make a big difference.

“The Treasury campus at Darlington is an example of local and central Government working together, and that has been absolutely brilliant.

“The campus is really reaching out, and we very much feel partners on that.

“That dialogue has worked; we’ve all got different jobs and different pressures, but we all want to solve the same things.”

The Darlington Economic Campus, which includes the aforementioned Treasury base, opened in 2021, and the site has already recruited more than 1000 people, mainly from the local area, to work in seven different Government departments.

One of the leaders on campus is Beth Russell, second permanent secretary at the Treasury, who moved to the area three years ago, and has seen major changes in the new base.

She said: “I’m really interested in public service reform and trying to see how the Government can focus on areas and make a difference.

“The Darlington Economic Campus is all about Government, policy and devolution, and there is a new team in the Treasury, which is all about women in the economy and participation in the workforce.

“We’ve recruited more than 1000 people since we moved from London, and 80 per cent of those recruits are local.

“A recent Treasury-commissioned report, as well as further evidence, has shown our well-planned outreach programmes with universities, schools and ex-forces personnel is nurturing talent.

“The campus is an example of how the Civil Service can create jobs in a place like the North East and open up opportunities outside London, build a truly collaborative environment and build meaningful relationships with those organisations.

“We can see some progress on specific policies at national level, and we continue to see progress on subjects such as employment rights.

“We face quite a complex set of issues, and one of the things I'm acutely aware of is that we’re looking at people with multiple barriers to work progression, or how to think about their future and life chances – and a lot of that is best addressed at local level. 

“That is a lot of what the push for devolution is about, and there is a road towards a more integrated settlement in the North East.

“There will be much more money and flexibility to invest at a local level, and we will certainly support that from Darlington.

“All our senior leadership positions in the campus are women, which is something I am very proud of.”

Pride in the North East and business was also palpable throughout the discussion. 

And, despite the obvious challenges ahead, roundtable members said it is not all doom and gloom.

International aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin is working closely with Northumbria University and the UK Space Agency on the £50 million North East Space Skills and Technology Centre, which bosses say will provide the space sector’s workforce of the future.

And that drive towards world-leading research and technology development will need women in the workforce.

Ben Shaw, Lockheed Martin UK Space’s head of operations and capture, said: “As a greater number of women come into roles and progress, that can only help drive the gender pay gap down.

“So, how do we even that aperture and get more women into STEM roles?

“The growth of the region is based on technology and innovation, and there's a challenge to encourage girls to take up subjects and pursue STEM as a career.

“We’re about 55/45 per cent towards female employment because they’re not taking those subjects. 

“Once we get that pipeline going then, theoretically, we should be able to drive the pay gap down even further.

“There are women out there driving change, and we need more of it.”

Newcastle International Airport is also facing challenges around attracting female workers.

Alice Andreasen, the airport’s chief sustainability and communications officer, is one of two women on the airport board – along with Newcastle City Council leader Councillor Karen Kilgour – and she is seeing positive change.

She said: “I’m really interested in the real living wage discussion.

“There are real discussions at the moment around, ‘is this the right thing for us to do?’

“And that leads into all the opportunities that we're discussing, like leadership programmes or flexible working for all, and shift work patterns.

“But when we go to the board or our private equity partners, what’s the conversation? 

“How are we going to agree a way forward?”

Lesley Fairclough, partner at law firm Ward Hadaway, agreed. 

She said: “Our workforce is about 70 per cent women, and law is traditionally white-male dominated professionals.

“But we keep trying to do lots of things to support women right throughout our business, everything from the minimum wage and hybrid working and flexi-hours to compressed hours, shared parental leave and paying expenses earlier. 

“We ask people to come forward if they have a carer role and considerations they have to include in their working week. 

“My line of work is construction and there’s a parallel in that sector in many respects – kids think of Bob The Builder, whose male; they don't think of female architects or women on site.

"I took my team to see bricklayers on a site the other day, and I met two ladies, had a chat with them and I thought, ‘get in, two girls in there, with their hard hats, on grafting away’. 

“It was wonderful to see, but there is still a lot to do.”

There were also issues not addressed in the executive summary that could bring positive changes, said Jen Hartley, assistant director of investment and growth at Newcastle City Council.

She said: “Despite us all knowing we've got some amazing females in positions of power across the region, actually, if you look at the figures, they're really disparaging.

“I think we need to ensure we champion our successes and the ones that understand the economic importance of bringing females in at board level. 

“Research shows boards with a diverse mix across males and females are the ones that are the most sustainable, and that’s where we need to make sure it starts.”

John Duns, business development director at multi-platform publisher NET, which includes N magazine and Bdaily, highlighted a report published earlier that day.

He said more must be done to assist female entrepreneurs who are being overlooked by investors.

He said: “The report found a 36 per cent difference between male and female entrepreneurs who have applied, or are currently applying, for early-stage seed business funding.

“And female founders are 31 per cent less likely to be successful.

“Male founders received 44 per cent more funding than their female counterparts, which means 60 per cent of total investors said their portfolio is made up of either all-male or majority male founders.

“We want lots of businesses, but we are living in a really tough time in terms of access to capital.

“So, part of the solution has to be around, 'can we access more funding?'

“And to that end, from NET’s perspective, I’m very happy for our senior managers to get involved in this project.”

Jane Robinson, pro vice-chancellor, engagement and place at Newcastle University, concurred, saying devolution offers a fresh opportunity for leaders in the North East to implement fundamental changes.

She said: “Everything is aligning for us.

“There are opportunities for us to work together, to change the way we work, but in a way that saves the system money in the long term, because we improve the lives of people very early on.

“We help support people with complex needs, and we help prevent problems with interventions when needed.

“I think that's really important; it is a systemic change that we need to make.

“There are other aspects.

“If you look at the executive summary, you’ve got women in the North working more hours for less pay than anywhere else, and providing more unpaid care than average.

“Those are two issues we can tackle as a city and a council.

“It sounds really bleak, but I think there are lots of things we can all do that can make a tangible difference to bring more women into the workplace.”

Sajda Nawaz-Bhatti, head of policy and performance at Newcastle City Council, reiterated the need to address issues across the social spectrum.

She said: “We have found there are significant impacts on marginalised women, and one of the things we have to address is the lack of diversity in our organisations.

“How can we represent our communities without lived experience and diversity embedded into the thinking and ethos of those organisations?

“That’s a challenge we all need to take on.

“When we are building our organisations, we need people who understand different cultural backgrounds and values, so you can help open up opportunities.

“That will support innovation, as well as how we transform and build organisations that speak to all communities.

“Looking at diversity statistics, our population is changing rapidly, with 25 per cent of schoolchildren in Newcastle now from an ethnic minority background.

“The data proves the real and positive business impact of diversity in leadership, and this is a challenge we all really need to take on.”

Matt Bratton, regional director for the North East and Cumbria at business organisation CBI, added: “We carried out research in South Wales, which identified that one of the reasons for disparity was the number of absent fathers.

“They were seen as a target area to help the rebalance.

“Another recommendation was to reach out to all women and get them to a level where you can help them on their support journeys.

“I know the report focused on Wales, but I feel there are recommendations and lessons that can be learned across the country, and certainly in this region.”

As the roundtable drew to a close, Pam added: “This is not a talking shop; it is about identifying real issues that can be taken on at lots of different levels and in institutions and businesses.

“We want a network that can ask what are the policy changes we can advocate for, and what is the action plan to deliver that?

“It will allow us to ask, ‘is this what we should be doing?’ and ‘what are we doing collectively?’ 

“We want it to be evidence-based but also action-orientated, and we want to make sure we have the city voice at the centre of the action plan, and that all voices, from whatever backgrounds, are heard. 

“This is the start of a conversation.”

Pictures: Jamie Haslam

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