May 26: Equality Brew ☕ – monthly blend of voices, ideas and updates for change
- Greater Manchester For Women 2028
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
As we move further into the year, the momentum behind gender equality across Greater Manchester continues to build.
This month’s Equality Brew brings together the latest updates, stories, events and opportunities from across our growing community. However you want to get involved, it’s all here in one place.
So, pour yourself a brew pause to catch up, connect and see where you can be part of the change.
📢 Discover what we’ve been talking about
Browse the recently published blogs on our website:
🗓️ Add these dates to your diary
Attend these events happening across Greater Manchester throughout May:
Push for Paternity Leave march – A protest is taking place tomorrow, Saturday 2nd May, midday, Alexandra Park, Manchester to demand better statutory paternity and maternity leave and pay. Hundreds of parents will be marching with prams through the city centre. Register to attend.
GM4Women2028’s monthly community meeting – On Tuesday 5th May from 1.00pm to 2.00pm, join us online via Google Meet to keep pushing the gender equality agenda. Attend meeting.
A Play In A Day – Join a community-created play looking at the real story of a Chorlton-based socialist feminist. It's a day of gentle drama workshops with no experience necessary. Taking place on Saturday 9th May, midday to 10.00pm, Chorlton Methodist Church, buy your £10 ticket on Snappy Tickets.
The Corinthians - We Were The Champions documentary screening – There are showings at HOME in Manchester on Sunday 10th May and Saturday 23rd May. Buy tickets on the HOME website.
Handbags & Briefcases networking group – Happening on Wednesday 27th May, 10.30am to 12.30pm at Moonbeam in Manchester, this networking session is a chance to meet with like-minded businesswomen in a relaxed environment. Book your place on TicketTailor.
Equal Seats, Equal Say event – On Thursday 4th June, 5.30pm to 8.00pm, University of Salford, this event by 50:50 Parliament is aimed at encouraging more women into the political space. Register via Eventbrite.
GM4Women2028’s Dialogue, Deeds & Determination – You’re invited to our in-person gathering on Saturday 4th July, 10.30am to 4.00pm, in Rochdale. To turn dialogue into deeds, get your free ticket on Eventbrite.
🗞️ Gender equality news headlines from the web
Here are some stories that stood out to us this month. Note the views expressed are those of the respective authors and don't necessarily reflect those of GM4Women2028:
Media coverage of violence against women reaches ‘dismal’ low, report finds. The Guardian.
Angry young women don’t know how lucky they are. The Telegraph.
'Men's ideas are visionary - but women's are written off as niche'. BBC News.
Going the Extra Mile: Northern Ireland teacher's bid for upskirting justice. ITVX.
📰 Access Women in Data’s report, ‘The Data Delta: The Hidden Reality of Women’s Safety’
The Women in Data report highlights a critical and often overlooked issue: the data used to understand and address women’s safety is fundamentally flawed. Drawing on research, surveys and lived experiences, it reveals how violence against women is systematically undercounted, inconsistently recorded and fragmented across systems – creating dangerous blind spots that limit effective action.
The report argues that improving how data is collected, shared and used is essential to driving meaningful change, setting out key priorities to transform data from a barrier into a powerful tool for prevention, protection and justice.
✔️ Take part in a research project on postnatal experiences of individuals with multiple health conditions
Researchers at the University of Manchester want to understand how people feel about their postnatal health data being shared for research purposes, and they want to hear from people with lived experience of pregnancy and the postnatal (after childbirth) period affected by multiple health conditions that lasted together for months or more.
If you’re aged 18 or over, have experienced a pregnancy while living with two or more long-term health conditions that continued into the postnatal period – either multiple physical health conditions, or at least one physical health condition together with one or more mental health conditions – and received pregnancy and postnatal care in the UK, you’re invited to share your views.
After completing the survey, if you’d like to take part in an interview or focus group, please contact Lucy Higgins via email at lucy.higgins@manchester.ac.uk.
🎶 Have your say in the Mayor’s Music Plan
Greater Manchester Combined Authority is developing a new Music Plan to better understand the needs, ambitions and challenges facing our music sector, and it’s essential they hear from the people who make it what it is. Whether you're an artist, educator, venue operator, promoter, producer, business owner or part of the wider music community, your insight will directly shape the future of music across the city region.
The survey is open here and takes only five minutes to complete: https://bigconversation.co.uk/new-music-plan/.
🪙 Ideas with Impact 2026 – applications now open
Do you have an idea that could make a real difference in the world? Ideas with Impact 2026 is an exciting opportunity from The University of Manchester, designed to help early-stage innovators turn bold thinking into tangible change for people, places and the planet.
With a total of £300,000 in funding available, individual awards of £100,000, £75,000 and £50,000 will be granted to successful applicants, alongside dedicated mentoring to help develop ideas, build networks and accelerate impact. Open to students, staff and recent alumni (within three years), the programme is ideal for those at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey who are working on solutions to global challenges.
Applications close on 22nd May. Learn more and submit application here.
💬 Join the gender equality conversation
Equality Brew is shaped by our community and we want it to reflect what’s happening across Greater Manchester.
If you’re planning an event, leading a project, running a campaign or working on something that supports gender equality, we’d love to hear from you. By sharing your updates, you help strengthen connections, spark new ideas and drive collective progress.
Get in touch at info@gm4women2028.org and be part of a future edition.
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