Our work in the area of gender and the equalities agenda is a recognition of the need to share experiences and approaches to tackle the continuing inequalities and discrimination faced by marginalised groups in society. Our gender equality work involves working with British Council offices overseas to share the UK’s experiences and initiatives that have been developed to address the inequalities that women face such as violence against women (including trafficking) and women’s participation in politics.

Women at Work

The Woman at Work project between countries in the Near East and North Africa region and the UK aimed to challenge assumptions about the types of jobs that women can do and inspire the next generation to consider different career choices.

When the Woman at Work project was designed over three years ago it's starting point was to find some inspirational women who would be role models for the next young generation and give visibility to all those remarkable women who quietly day by day are getting on with their lives but slowly changing ideas and attitudes to women in the workplace and demonstrating that women are just as capable as men of succeeding in demanding professions. However what also become clear as the programme progressed is that women all over the world continue to face challenges and barriers in entering and becoming successful in certain professions.  The right to work is one of our fundamental rights it is the social glue of society and underpins and validates the contribution of every individual to the economic well-being of our societies and to their own self-worth. Women at Work aimed to inspire and enthuse young people, men and women, to achieve their full potential, to pursue their ambitions and to believe that everyone irrespective of gender has an equal right to work and to be judged as an equal and by what they achieve. Watch a Women at Work documentary.