Event

Gender equality at work: Where are we now?

This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute of Policy Research discusses key milestones, ongoing challenges and the path forward.

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the UK’s Sex Discrimination Act, as well as the coming into force of the Equal Pay Act 1970. Fifty years later, how much progress has been made?

Penny East, CEO of the Fawcett Society, joins us to examine key milestones, persistent challenges, and the path forward for creating truly equitable work environments. Drawing on insights from Fawcett’s flagship campaign, Equal Pay Day, she explores the structural barriers still in place, the impact of policy shifts, and what it will take to achieve lasting equality in the workplace.

Speaker biography: Penny East is Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, the UK’s leading charity campaigning for women’s rights and against misogyny since 1866. She has over 15 years’ experience in the charity sector, leading national campaigns at SafeLives to shape the Domestic Abuse Bill 2021 and launching the UK’s first domestic abuse perpetrator programme with the Home Office and National Lottery. Penny has also held senior roles in mental health, international development, and major public campaigns, including work with the UN Refugee Council, Comic Relief, and the London 2012 Olympic legacy team. A Clore Social Fellow specialising in gender equality, she holds an MA in Investigative Journalism.