Walsall Council marks International Women's Day

International Women's Day is a global movement which celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.  

This year’s theme, 'Invest in women: Accelerate progress’, emphasises the cumulative effect of pay disparities, including daily negative consequences for women, their families, and society. 

Councillor Kerry Murphy, Portfolio Holder for Street Pride at Walsall Council, said, “I’m proud that Walsall Council has a zero gender pay gap and is leading the way for others to follow. 

“Our workforce is predominantly female, with women making up 67.23% of the workforce. What’s more, the representation of women does not reduce the more senior the role. Over half of the corporate management team are women, and we have a female chief executive.  

“As an elected member for the last three years, it’s encouraging to see that more women are becoming councillors too. I am a portfolio holder, and my remit has the largest percentage of male employees within the council. This was something which the leader, Councillor Mike Bird, was more than happy for me to take on. I think it shows how attitudes have changed for the better over the years, with women able to work in male-dominated areas and gain the same respect as a man.” 

Walsall Council is committed to celebrating diversity and promoting equality and a number of events are taking place this week. On the day itself, there will be a staff engagement event in celebration of the council’s inspiring female staff and their achievements. 

The Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Chris Towe, also marked International Women's Day by paying a visit to Aaina Community Hub in Caldmore on Wednesday 6 March 2024 for a social event which celebrated the inspiring journeys of the women of Walsall. 

Notes to editors

Walsall Council workforce profile as of 31 March 2023 - Employment Monitoring Report 2022/23: 

• The workforce headcount at Walsall Council is 3,015.  

• 67.23% of the council workforce are female; the percentage of female employees has remained consistently in excess of 65% of total headcount over the last five years. 

Gender pay gap at Walsall Council: 

• The council’s average (median) gender pay gap is nil (0%) based on full and part-time employees indicating that average pay for male employees is equal to female employees. 

• ONS data (2022) reports the national average (median) gender pay gap for employees (full-time and part-time) at 14.9%. 

The gender pay gap shows the difference between the average (mean and median) earnings of men and women, expressed as a percentage. The data is a snapshot of the workforce as at 31 March 2023. The data represents full-time, part-time and casual workers of the council; however, it excludes agency staff, consultants and education employees. The information displays the percentage difference of the (mean and median) hourly rate for male and female employees.

Ends