About the project.

The Central District Alliance spent a year working with employers and employees to analyse women’s work life journeys, understand the barriers that can stop them from realising their full potential and identify opportunities for change.

Why now?

The pandemic disproportionately affected women and we should be as informed and mindful as possible about how we can reshape our society for the better.

We are facing challenging economic times and need to be as bold and creative as we can to drive good, sustainable economic growth. The best way to grow is to unleash the full power of the whole potential workforce, removing the barriers for anyone who wants to thrive but currently can’t.

Female unemployment rates are higher than male and have not recovered as well post-pandemic

Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams are 21% more likely to experience above average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile

Up to 1.7 million women could take on more paid hours of work if the cost of childcare reduced

An estimated 1.7 million women are prevented from taking on more hours of paid work due to childcare issues (specifically following the pandemic), resulting in up to £28.2 billion economic output lost annually

Diversity of UK Boardrooms is improving, near 40% of FTSE 100 board positions are held by women, compared with 12.5% 10 years ago

Companies with more women on their boards outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return in sales, 66% higher return in invested capital and 53% higher return in equity

Why here?

The Central District Alliance is one of the world’s major economic areas with more than 160,000 employees and 17,000 businesses. It is a global epicentre of business, enterprise, tourism and culture. Pre-pandemic, the businesses in the Central District Alliance area contributed 1% of UK GDP.

We can leverage the economic and cultural power of the Central District Alliance’s footprint, as well as its diversity of offer, to create a blueprint for a fairer and more productive economy everywhere.

Who is behind the project?

The Central District Alliance (CDA) Business Improvement District (BID) is the collective voice of over 400 organisations, representing a highly diversified commercial and cultural base of creative, educational, legal, medical, professional, scientific, and technological brands of global significance. The CDA BID prioritises sustainability, destination modelling, business solutions, public realm, and placemaking within our district.

LCA is a full-service PR consultancy that delivers campaigns, consultations and content to clients across the built environment sector. We utilise market insight to engage local communities, navigate complex political and stakeholder environments and promote brands, places and spaces to help create long-term value for clients in both the public and private sectors.

PRD is an independent social and economic research consultancy focused on inclusive economies. Our core areas of work include socioeconomic and investment strategies for places, partnership and delivery structures, community and stakeholder engagement, impact monitoring and evaluation, and asset strategies. We empower our clients to shape and realise their ambitions as well as to measure and demonstrate positive impact.