The discussion, held in co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was opened by Chargé d’affaires a.i. Tania Freiin von Uslar-Gleichen, and moderated by Caroline Wilson, Europe Director at the FCO.
As Guest Blogger for FCO Editorial, Caroline Wilson writes: The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made immense strides forward on gender equality over the last few decades. We now have 54 female Heads of Missions around the world. Women head nearly half of our Embassies across Europe. Although it is now normal to have women in leadership roles, there are not enough of us. We still need to champion female and more diverse types of leadership. Too often leadership is seen as a masculine preserve. Too many women still shoulder the bulk of childcare responsibilities, or are held back by self-doubt. It is still not the norm to find a man who is willing to put his wife’s career first. And the increase in single parent families presents new challenges. These are all things the Foreign Office continues to grapple with.
