Equal pay at 45

Equal pay at 45 was the title of Baroness Randerson’s speech last night and refers to the fact that it is 45 years since the Equal Pay Act was introduced.  I was extremely proud to host the event, and more so once I heard the Baroness’s opening remark on how visiting Cardiff University is like returning home.

The Baroness outlined her vision for delivering equality for women in the economy.  She talked of the journey of equality comparing  it to a physical journey starting in Chepstow and en route to Holyhead.  Although slower than we would like, and by no means have we arrived in Holyhead, we are making progress.  The Baroness stressed the importance of encouraging more girls into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and highlighted the important work that our own Professor Karen Holford does in mentoring young girls and encouraging them into engineering.  She even suggested we cloned Professor Holford hundreds of times which I can definitely see some benefits to!