In an event to mark International Women's Day 2019, the Transport Committee, Women in Transport and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport have invited to Parliament, women from across the transport sector to encourage them to engage with Parliamentary Committees.
While women make up 47 per cent of the UK workforce, only 20 per cent of the workers in the transport sector are women.
Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP, said: "Parliament's Select Committees are working hard to increase the number of women who give evidence to our inquiries. The task is made harder when the potential pool of female witnesses is so small - with women making up only one in five people who work in the transport sector. By introducing potential witnesses to MPs and parliamentary staff, we are hoping more women will be more aware of the work of the Committee and feel encouraged to contribute to our inquiries in the future. Diversity is a real issue for the world of transport - UK plc cannot afford to miss out on the talent from under-represented groups."
The Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport, Ruth Cadbury MP, said: "The APPG and Women in Transport welcome this event. Only one in three witnesses to Select Committee inquiries are women, according to the most recent evidence from the Liaison Committee. Given the small number of women working in the higher levels of Transport, the opportunity for the Transport Committee to hear female voices is even smaller. This is another vital step towards helping women maximise their potential and ensure their voices can be heard by MPs and inform parliamentary scrutiny of transport issues."
President of Women in Transport, Katie Hulland, said: "We advance women in transport and empower them to maximise their potential. An important part of our work is making sure women working in the sector have a voice on public policy issues. We're delighted to partner with the APPG and the Transport Select Committee on this event. We welcome the opportunity to connect parliamentarians with the senior members of our network."
Speakers at the event will include:
* Lilian Greenwood MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee
* Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the APPG, Women in Transport
* Katie Hulland, President, Women in Transport
* Jo Field, APPG Secretariat and Women in Transport Board Member.
The event will take place in the CPA Room, off Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament, on Wednesday 6th March from 6-8pm.
Further information about the work of Women in Transport is available from Jo Field info@womenintransport.com