Lynne Featherstone, Minister for Equalities, has promised that the new Government would not roll back progress that has been made on equality.
In her first speech since being appointed, Ms Featherstone, quoted on the Government Equalities Office website, said that she would be a strong voice for women at the heart of the Coalition Government, alongside Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Theresa May.
The Government is committed to a bold and ambitious approach to tackling gender inequality, including promoting equal pay, ending discrimination in the workplace and ensuring that women aren’t unfairly hit by moves to safeguard the economic recovery.
Lynne Featherstone, Minister for Equalities said:
“We understand that gender equality is not only right, it is necessary. Tackling discrimination helps us all – it is not simply a women’s agenda but everybody’s agenda.
“We will not let the progress women fought so hard for slide backwards in this economic climate. We are committed to building a new landscape that works with women, where women and men are afforded the same opportunities and choices to realise their full potential.
“The issue of equal pay is critical to this. Equal pay and measures to remove the barriers to flexible working are absolutely central to the Government’s programme.”
