Co-operatives UK, the Co-operative College and the Co-operative News present 50 insights from leading women in the co-operative sector.

1. THE CO-OPERATIVE WOMEN’S
CHALLENGE
IN 50 SOUNDBITES
Quotes from interviews by Natalie
Bradbury, Co-operative College

2. Co-operatives are in a strong position to
lead the way on gender equality. We’re
about harnessing variety and
experience from our membership.
Emma Robinson, Member, Suma ”
“

3. I wouldn’t have been chosen by a nomination
committee, but I was elected by a large group
of people. In a big corporation I wouldn’t have
been able to go through the glass ceiling.
Monique Leroux – President, International Co-operative Alliance ”
“

4. There are more and
richer opportunities in
the co-operative
movement. I can be
myself as I share a
belief system with
others. I don’t have to
be a woman in a man’s
suit.
Hanan El Youssef – Director of
Strategy, International Co-operative
Alliance
”
“

5. I have achieved more than I can ever have
hoped to, thanks to the support of believers
in the co-operative ideal who had a
common understanding of the need to
develop talent.
Dame Pauline Green – President, International Co-operative Alliance,
2010 - 2015
”
“

6. I was pregnant when I
joined the housing co-
op committee and my
whole outlook on life
changed. Being a
member of a co-
operative has made
me strong. I know that
nothing can hold me
back.
Paula Farrow – Chair, Minster
Housing Co-operative; Chair,
Confederation of Co-operative
Housing
“
”

7. I feel empowered as an employee
member. I’m part of a democratic structure
that’s getting young people’s voices heard.
Lois McClure – Chair, Co-operative Young Members’ Board
”
“

8. Co-operative
working is non-
hierarchical and
inclusive. Worker
co-ops are
feminist, and
Unicorn is
particularly so,
which is why I am
still here!
Britta Werner – Managing
Director, Unicorn; Vice Chair,
Co-operatives UK
”
“

9. As a member of a co-operative, you have
to be willing to do your bit. You’re aware
you are part of something bigger.
Rebecca Harvey – Deputy Editor, Co-operative News ”
“

10. Organisations
can work better
through using
everyone’s
skillsets; it’s the
responsibility of
co-ops to help
spread that
message.
Emma Robinson”
“

11. Co-operatives
need to ask, how
do we attract
women to come
and work here?
Now traditional
corporates are
talking values, co-
ops have to have
a different ethos.
Dr Cilla Ross – Vice Principal,
Co-operative College
”
“

12. It is important to break down hierarchies and
look out for unconscious bias at all levels.
Mandy Vere – bookseller, News from Nowhere ”“

13. Co-operatives need to
establish a pool of
women to ensure
there is a good funnel
into candidacy for the
board and managers -
and to manage their
talent base.
Monique Leroux ”
“

14. Women’s co-ops give women
opportunities to develop and support
each other to push themselves without
men around.
Mandy Vere ”
“

15. To motivate women it is necessary to
educate and train them in skills and
recognition of themselves.
María Eugenia Pérez Zea, Chair of the ICA Gender Equality
committee
”
“

16. Men need to be involved in the
debate, so we’re not only talking to
each other.
Angela Davies – Projects Director and Company Secretary,
Biomass Energy Co-operative
”
“

17. All the co-ops I'm involved with operate
using consensus decision-making;
activities are shared and rotated, which
avoids gendered task distribution.
Cath Muller – Director, Footprint/Radical Routes ”
“

18. Suma is in an industry that is traditionally
quite male-dominated. We get more women
on board by offering strong maternity benefits
and other initiatives around work-life balance,
job-sharing and flexible working.
Emma Robinson ”
“

19. Women need opportunities to develop
and learn completely new skills with
opportunities to move diagonally, not
just straight up.
Ursula Lidbetter - CEO Lincolnshire Co-operative
“
”

20. We need to go where
women are already and
create the right shapes of
jobs for the right shaped
doorways.
Ruth FitzJohn – President, Midcounties
Co-operative
”
“

21. We think about where we advertise and
how we write job advertisements – such
as using pictures of women doing
manual work and driving trucks.
Emma Robinson
”
“

22. There need to be
networks for women in co-
ops. We can so easily
knock each other down
but there’s a great
strength to be had in
building each other up.
Angela Davies ”
“

23. I’d welcome something
like a women’s
conference or weekend,
similar to Co-operatives
UK’s worker co-
operative weekend.
Rebecca Harvey ”
“

24. You don’t have to
form formal networks.
I didn’t wait for
someone to set
something up – I
organised a co-
operative women’s
day where we could
get to know each
other better.
Ruth FitzJohn ”
“

25. We need to
encourage
women
setting up
their own
co-ops - to
see the
benefits for
themselves.
Mandy Vere
”
“

26. There are so few women in senior roles in
agriculture that I started a ladies in
agriculture group. It started with just five of
us. The latest meeting took place on
International Women’s Day and the
(female) Secretary of State for the farming
industry attended: there were over 150
women there. It’s a little haven.
Christine Tacon – Non-Executive Director, Anglia Farmers”
“

27. I’m a member of
the Co-op Group’s
Aspire women’s
network. We hear
from guests
speakers and you
think: ‘I could do
that – maybe I
could be chief
executive one day!’
Lois McClure
”
“

28. The Co-operative Women’s Challenge
should help bring women together. It is
about getting to know each other and
feeling part of a network where you can
go for help if it is needed.
Britta Werner ”
“

29. Some women need a gentle nudge to be told
they can do it, and an extra nudge to apply for a
role. You need people to believe in you.
Claire McCarthy – General Secretary, Co-operative Party ”
“

30. I’ve seen
unemployed single
mums in the
housing co-op go
on to do jobs as
they’ve got more
confidence and
self-esteem.
Paula Farrow ”
“

31. We always try to
encourage other women
and we are all able to rise
as high as we like. We
support each other
informally in developing
skills.
Mandy Vere”
“

32. Men and women need to work together. There
are a lot of strong young women out there, but
it is important to have strong men around you
who want women to succeed
Lois McClure ”
“

33. The values and principles should enable
everyone to have a say and feel listened to.
Paula Farrow ”“

34. If I could speak to my
younger self I would have
made sure I had a
mentor, someone outside
of my organisation and
not related to my career,
to help me make
decisions.
Christine Tacon ”
“

35. Mentors can ask tough questions about where
you’re going, as well as sharing stories about
the things they’ve been through. If you feel
undermined, you need to know how other
women have survived it.
Ruth FitzJohn ”
“

36. Creating cultures in which women are
visible is significant. Role models are
critical in exemplifying that a woman’s
place is at the top.
Claire McCarthy ”
“

37. If the next layer
up doesn’t look
like you, then you
probably feel that
you are not
welcome there.
Ursula Lidbetter ”
“

38. The co-operative
movement needs an
emphasis on home-
grown women. We
should be putting a
protective circle around
the senior women we
have got and give them
every opportunity to
succeed: then others
will follow.
Christine Tacon ”
“

39. We need to
encourage younger
women to have a go.
There are benefits to
a safe pair of mature
hands, but most of
us are more than
willing to hand over
the baton so there’s
a great future.
Elaine Dean – Chair, Co-
operative Press
”
“

40. Leadership doesn’t come from the top,
it’s not yours – it’s a co-operative of lots
of people. The most important thing as
a leader is to support others to take the
lead.
Monique Leroux”
“

41. There are still not nearly enough
women leaders in the movement. This
isn’t true to the original ambitions of the
Rochdale Pioneers, who were
committed to equality for women.
Dame Pauline Green ”
“

42. Co-operatives sometimes rest on the laurels of
their values and principles and lag behind on
reporting because they are not scrutinised as
much as traditional enterprises. That is no
guarantee of gender equality.
Hanan El Youssef ”
“

43. We need to take
gender as an
important agenda
for society, and the
co-operative
movement should
be exemplary in its
executive ranks
and governance.
Monique Leroux ”
“

44. There is still a way to go to
change the way democratic
structures work and attract a
different type of person.
Ursula Lidbetter ”
“

45. We need to
encourage women to
notice that things
have changed and
offer opportunities to
help them if they are
reluctant to put
themselves forwards.
Ruth FitzJohn ”
“

46. Women need to shout and be enthusiastic
– don’t be afraid to take the challenge and
make the jump.
Lois McClure ”
“

47. We need the adoption of policies of gender
equality and the creation of gender equality
committees.
María Eugenia Pérez Zea ”
“

48. Until businesses within the co-operative
movement take mainstreaming gender
seriously nothing will move forward: you
need agreement from Boards and
Executives, both men and women. It needs
policy and practice to underpin it.
Alison Lamond – Director, Centrifuge Consulting ”
“

49. Let’s go and find our experts because
those women are out there in the ranks
of our co-ops.
Hanan El Youssef ”
“

50. When you’re committed things happen.
Monique Leroux ”“

51. The time for just talking about the
challenge has gone – we need to
monitor it too if we’re to be good co-
operatives.
Pauline Green ”
“

52. The Co-operative Women’s Challenge
• The Co-operative Women's Challenge is a
campaign which seeks to ensure that women are
fairly represented at all levels within the co-
operative movement.
• The challenge aims by 2020 to promote:
1.fair representation in democratic structures;
2.more women in senior management roles; & to
3.campaign for gender equality across the
economy and society.

54. Acknowledgements
• The choice of pictures of themselves were offered by those
interviewed
• Pictures of co-operative enterprises are from the member photo library
of Co-operatives UK and, for Kuapa Kokoo and the Rochdale Pioneers
Museum, the Co-operative College
• Co-operative principles blackboard is courtesy of Willy Street Coop
• Other images courtesy of https://www.pexels.com
• All interviews were conducted by Natalie Bradbury, Information
Coordinator at Co-operative College
• Thank you to Jenny de Villiers, Debbie Harley, Britta Werner and Ed
Mayo at Co-operatives UK and Sarah Alldred at Co-operative College