International Women's Day

On Saturday, I helped mark the centenary of International Women's Day (IWD) by speaking at an event at Hounslow Civic Centre. The event brought together women from across the Borough, giving them an opportunity to celebrate achievements and diversity in the community.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to address more than 900 women who had gathered to celebrate the fantastic wealth of female talent locally. This year's theme for IWD is about 'providing equal access to education, training and science and technology' which in turn will 'provide pathways to decent work for women.'

We are fortunate in this country that girls and women have good access to education and indeed are outperforming their male counterparts at all stages in the education system - but I believe there is more we can do to encourage and increase uptake of science and technology subjects by women in the UK, both of which are extremely important to the future of the economy.

The global picture is of course quite different. I welcome the role that the Millennium Development Goals have played in defining global aims on key issues including access to education for women. In many countries in the world, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, South and West Asia and North Africa, women do not have easy access to education, particularly beyond Primary level. It is right therefore that we use International Women's Day to focus on this issue for girls and women accross the globe.

We have made significant progress in increasing the number of female politicians but the reality is that it is currently a male-dominated world. There are areas, such as the treatment of women in the justice system and the issue of domestic violence in this country that may not always have been given sufficient focus.

Last week, Lord Davies published a report about Women on Boards. Having worked in the City for a number of years, I am keen to address the issue of giving more women the opportunity to take on senior roles in business.

I have organised a debate in the House of Commons on Thursday in the main chamber to debate women's issues and to celebrate women's achievements to date.