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28 June 2023

Angela Rayner MP and Julia Gillard: In Conversation

Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, joined former Prime Minister of Australia and Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) for an In Conversation event.

Angela Rayner MP in Conversation with Julia Gillard

The event, which was hosted by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership focused on the Labour Deputy Leader’s journey to the higher echelons of politics, touching on the challenges of being a woman on the political frontline and how women are often treated in leadership roles.

Reflecting on the barriers women like herself face when getting into politics, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party explained that Labour will appoint a diversity tsar in the hope of encouraging more women, ethnic minorities and those from a working-class background to stand for office across all political levels and parties.

She also spoke of the cultural barriers that can prevent women from entering politics, using her own experiences as an example, "I don't know why we've not had a female Labour leader yet, “maybe part of the problem is a culture problem. You have to surrender so much of your life. Women in the 21st century want to have it all, but the truth is I've had to be absent from my son's lives.”

You can catch up with the event below. 

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