Turning listening into action: what International Women’s Day means for the East of England Co-op

For more than a century, co-ops have championed equality for women, not because it was fashionable but because it aligned with who we are. Progress has never happened by default. It has always required people and organisations willing to move it forward. 

Today, the challenges facing women are complex. Some are painfully visible, from violence and abuse to economic inequality. Others are quieter, showing up in opportunities not offered, in voices not heard, in data that looks positive on the surface, but hides lived experience beneath it. 

As a regional employer with over 3,000 colleagues, we have a responsibility to understand both. We’re working with local organisations to better understand the realities women are navigating and to reflect that insight in how we support our own colleagues. 

We also have a responsibility to ensure opportunity works fairly inside our organisation. Women make up the majority of our workforce, yet representation narrows at more senior levels. That tells us we need to examine how people move forward here, how leaders are chosen and how success is recognised. When our leadership reflects the communities we serve, it strengthens trust and decision-making at every level. 

Over the past year, we’ve reviewed how progression works across the organisation to ensure leadership opportunities are transparent and accessible. We’re also continuing to work on the factors that contribute to the gender pay gap, recognising that these patterns build over time. Listening matters. But it has to change how opportunity works in practice. 

There's no single “woman’s experience”. Women of different backgrounds, identities and life journeys experience work differently. A young woman starting her first role, a mother returning from maternity leave, a trans woman, a Black or Asian woman, a woman from a lower socio-economic background or someone navigating neurodiversity may all encounter different barriers. Many women, including myself, sit at the intersection of several of these factors at once. If we view gender in isolation, we risk missing where inequality is felt most sharply. 

For us, International Women’s Day is not about statements. It is about listening properly and acting on what we hear. 

That commitment is reflected in the launch of our colleague-led Women’s Network, creating space for honest conversations and making sure those conversations lead to real change. It is also supported at executive level, sponsored by our Chief Financial Officer James Norman, reinforcing that gender equality is a leadership responsibility, not a side conversation. 

As part of our International Women’s Day programme, we're hosting local organisations, Future Female Society and Be More Dandelion, both of whom we have supported and who work directly with women and girls across our region. Learning from their experience helps us translate awareness into meaningful action inside our own organisation. 

That partnership reflects something broader. We're rooted in diverse communities, and our responsibility does not stop at our doors. We're proud to have a long history of supporting women-focused charities, and we recognise that the challenges facing women continue to evolve. 

We know there's more to do. We're serious about gender equality for all women and girls, and we want to create workplaces where everyone’s gender identity is respected. Listening is where it begins and action is what follows.