International Women’s Day

Baroness Hooper Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hooper (Con)]

My Lords, in thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Lloyd, for initiating and introducing this now annual debate, congratulating all the excellent maiden speeches and listening to the many and varied speeches, I cannot help reflecting that, although there is still a long way to go in many countries, including our own, there is good news too.

If I may be personal, I am told that I am now the longest-serving woman in your Lordships’ House—not the oldest, but the longest-serving. There is general good news to underline. For example, when I graduated in law, only 10% of law graduates were women; now it is well over 50%, and the same goes for doctors. That is clear evidence of positive change and should give hope to the engineers, scientists and others who have been speaking about their particular fields.

We have also had three women Prime Ministers, albeit one on a rather short tenure. There are more women in Parliament—evidenced by our maiden speakers today—and, as already pointed out, more women as council leaders, although not, I think, as yet, a directly elected mayor who is a woman; oh, there is a nod. I also point out, incidentally, that these things can go both ways. I recently met the first male nurse to become president of the Royal College of Nursing; he is happy to be called Matron.

In personal terms, I was the first woman partner in my 100 year-old law firm. I was one of a handful of women to be elected in the first direct elections to the European Parliament in 1979. I was the first woman president of Canning House, the leading specialist organisation for enlarging and building our links with Latin America, and I was the first woman director on the main board of a leading pharmaceutical public company.

However, I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, and at a time when it was recognised that more women should be involved in the running and management of commercial enterprises. Those of us with suitable qualifications were positively pushed to do our bit. I think that is something that is also happening now. There is recognition that there are still things to be done for our women in this country, and there are more open minds on this. Things have clearly changed greatly since my day, but they can always improve.

After my perhaps slightly indulgent trip down memory lane, I would like to focus on the good news from Latin America. It may surprise some people to know that there are currently more women ambassadors in London, from 19 Latin American countries, than from any other region in the world. There are also currently women presidents in Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela, and in the recent past in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. There are more women parliamentarians than ever before, thanks in particular to the introduction of quotas. These are valuable role models in countries which are often thought of as being very macho. But, this year, we have elections for a new Secretary-General of the United Nations and, as of now, at least four of those candidates are from Latin America, so—vamos a ver.

Nevertheless, there are the usual problems as well. A recent OECD analysis showed that, in virtually all these countries, education and health for girls and women is still below the level that it should be, and employment is almost inevitably in lower-paid jobs; women are in 90% of social care jobs, for example, throughout the countries of Latin America. The prevalence of the informal economy in many countries also contributes. There is also a need to look at the problems of violence and abuse against women as well as problems over property rights.

I had hoped to look into some aspects of Mexico, with the first woman President in Mexico doing such a valiant job, and a large meeting in Mexico City held this time last year, which was attended mostly by women, as part of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s programme and committee on women, led by a Mexican lady, Senator Cynthia López Castro.

Unfortunately, however, there is never enough time to say everything that could be said. I look forward to hearing from the remaining speakers and, indeed, from the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Malvern, who has the formidable task of winding up such a great array of speakers. I look forward to celebrating International Women’s Day on Sunday.