Devolution represents an opportunity to do things differently - but we need to make women's voices heard for it to work. 

That's why Fawcett is working with local partners to bring women together in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, to ensure diverse women's voices are heard and that policy makers make decisions to advance gender equality.

This project is funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust. It builds on the success of our project 'Make Devolution Work for Women', which engaged with partners in both regions over the course of two years from 2017, running workshops and collecting data to understand the change women want to see. Our report 'Including Women's Voices' sets out how Metro Mayors can better include women in decision-making.

It combines grassroots collaboration with local women and community organisations, and detailed policy analysis to enable disadvantaged women and girls in two devolved regions (Greater Manchester and the West Midlands) to effectively make their voices heard about the public services that affect their lives.

The project will:

• Focus on skills and employment, childcare and social care, and transport;
• Develop the evidence base on how women interact with these policy areas;
• Publish manifestos for women and girls in each region;
• Promote a longer-term gendered approach to policy making and engagement in the regions;

Fawcett is working in partnership with the Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and West Midlands West Midlands Women's Voices (WMWV) in the West Midlands, and Amity CIC and Happen Together (Diva Manc) in Greater Manchester.

Further reading

• New data shows coronavirus impact on women in West Midlands and Greater Manchester
• Making devolution work for women: West Midlands Data report
• Making devolution work for women: Greater Manchester interim report
• Making devolution work for women: Sheffield City regional data report