International Women’s Day

Josh Newbury Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Josh Newbury (Cannock Chase) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to speak in today’s phenomenal debate marking International Women’s Day, alongside so many remarkable women from across this House, including the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton (Hannah Spencer), who gave an inspiring maiden speech. Although she is no longer in her place, I particularly thank her for her words of solidarity for our trans community, including trans women, who should never be forgotten in this discussion. It is appalling that the hon. Lady has already experienced intimidation just for standing shoulder to shoulder with our trans siblings, but I hope she knows that many of us, on both sides of the House, will have her back on that.

As a man, I approached this debate with a little hesitance, because I am acutely aware that the experiences being discussed today are not my own, but I also remembered how many women from across the House contributed so thoughtfully to the debate on International Men’s Day, and that reminded me that progress on equality has never come from working at cross purposes to one another, but from working together. The women who shaped my life, particularly my mum and my sister, raised me not only to respect women, but to champion them—to raise women up, to challenge barriers whenever we see them and to take that responsibility seriously in the work that we do in this place.

Since becoming a father to my daughter, these issues have taken on an even deeper meaning for me. When you look at the world through the eyes of your child, you start to notice things that you might once have taken for granted. My daughter is only six years old, and yet I have already heard her say things like, “I can’t do that, that’s a boy’s job,” or describe certain roles as ones that require you to be “brave”—an attribute that she associates with men.

I can assure the House that my husband and I made sure that she knows that she can do any job that she wants to do, and that she is exceptionally brave herself, but hearing that from a six-year-old reminded me that, despite the progress we celebrate on International Women’s Day, the messages that children absorb about what women and girls can or cannot do can still shape their ambitions from a very early age. As a parent, and as a Member of this House, that is something that I feel a responsibility to challenge. Every girl, in this country and beyond, should grow up believing that her ambition is limited only by her talents and her determination.

One issue that I want to touch on, which has been mentioned by other hon. Members, is the perception of masculinity, and how that shapes the experiences of both men and women. For a long time, I have spoken about the challenges facing young men and boys, but doing that should never be seen as being in opposition to championing women and girls. In fact, the two go hand in hand. If we want a healthier society, we have to address both sides of that equation.

[Wendy Chamberlain]

The hon. Gentleman has made me remember something very important. When Sarah Everard was murdered, a number of us were lighting candles, and I remember having a conversation with my son and my daughter, during which my daughter, who was 15, told her brother about all the times that she had been cat-called and harassed on the street. I agree with the hon. Gentleman that it is important that the issue is not just about educating girls or educating boys—it is about educating the human beings that we are raising. Does he agree?

[Josh Newbury]

I completely agree with the hon. Lady. Allyship across many different characteristics is essential, but I have always felt that anything that men can do to echo and raise up the voices of women is incredibly powerful. We should take that seriously and not shy away from it in debates such as this one, where we may perhaps feel that our voice is not as important, as it absolutely can be.

Too many men and boys today feel disillusioned with politics, with opportunities and with what positive masculinity can look like in modern Britain. That is a real issue that deserves serious attention, but the answer to the challenge is not to exploit those frustrations by turning men against women, or to seek votes by weakening women’s rights, yet that is exactly the direction that some would take us in. For example, as we have heard, the Reform candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election suggested that people without children should be taxed for that, placing pressure on women to have children. That misogynistic view of women’s role in society should be rejected in the strongest terms.

I am proud of everything that this Labour Government are championing for women, including closing the gender pay gap. British women still earn 13% less than men, but the pay gap is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet. Large employers are required to publish gender pay gap data, but that alone will not close the gap. This is not just fiscal; it is cultural. Thanks to the Employment Rights Act, employers will have to publish clear action plans showing how they will close the gap and support women to progress.

Before they even go into work girls can feel, as my daughter has shown me, like there are things that are not for them—certain ambitions that are out of reach. When we look at the history of opportunity in this country, we are reminded of how much can change when assumptions and prejudices are challenged. One of the most powerful examples of that is the work of Jennie Lee. As well as being a true Fifer, as noted by my hon. Friend the Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward), Jennie was also one of my predecessors as an adopted sister of Cannock.

As the Minister for the Arts in the 1960s, Jennie championed the creation of the Open University, which was built on the belief that talent should not be limited by background, age or sex. The idea that someone could study for a university degree from their own home was dismissed by many as unrealistic, but Jennie believed that education should be open to anyone with the determination to learn. The result has been extraordinary: the Open University has educated millions of people across this country and beyond, many of whom might never have had the opportunity otherwise to access higher education.

That legacy reminds us that expanding opportunity is not simply about access to education; it is also about expanding the horizons of what people believe is possible for themselves. But equality also depends on recognising the barriers that women still face in other areas of life. Women’s health has been overlooked far too often, with conditions such as endometriosis taking years to diagnose and many women leaving the workforce because of untreated menopause symptoms. I am proud that this Government are taking steps to tackle medical misogyny, from strengthening rights at work to improving support for conditions that largely affect women and expanding opportunity through education and childcare.

According to a report published by UN Women in 2022, it could take close to three centuries before we achieve full gender equality. That statistic should give us pause, but it should also strengthen our determination, because progress does not happen by itself; it happens when we smash outdated assumptions and refuse to accept that inequality is inevitable. If my daughter and millions of girls growing up across this country are to inherit a fairer society, it will need all of us in this House to continue that effort.

[Several hon. Members rose—]