Pinsent Masons and Fawcett Society announce women’s suffrage centenary partnership for 2018

06 Dec 2017 | 05:25 pm | 1 min. read

The UK’s leading women’s rights and gender equality charity the Fawcett Society has today announced a partnership with international law firm Pinsent Masons to mark the centenary of the first votes for women.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which enabled all men and some women over the age of 30 to vote for the first time in the UK, the organisations will come together to collaborate on a programme of nationwide events throughout 2018. The events will promote the importance of women's participation in politics and public life as a factor in achieving gender equality.

The programme includes a suffrage centenary reception and exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall and regional events at the Museum of Liverpool and Manchester’s People's History Museum, culminating in an event at the end of 2018 to mark the centenary of women in UK parliament.

Carolyn Saunders, partner and head of London office at Pinsent Masons, said:

"For us at Pinsent Masons, gender equality and diversity is far more than just a tick-box exercise, and we strive to create both a workplace and wider society where men and women stand on a level playing field. Earlier this year women made up 68% of our promotions to partner level – meaning we hit our target early for at least 25% of our partners to be women – and the firm was also named one of The Times' Top 50 Employers for Women.

"This centenary of votes for women is important to commemorate, as it was a vital early step in giving women agency and changing their role in society. We look forward to collaborating with The Fawcett Society to mark the anniversary of this significant milestone on the path towards real gender equality."

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society said:

“We are delighted that Pinsent Masons is going to be our lead partner for next year’s anniversary. We have already collaborated on some important new research on the gender gap in financial security, so it's great to find a company that shares our values and our priorities. We look forward to working with them in the months ahead to take forward this important work at a critical time."

For more information on the work of The Fawcett Society visit https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk

Latest press releases

Show me all press releases

Pinsent Masons advises Supervisory Board of Telefónica Deutschland on successful delisting tender offer

Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised the Supervisory Board of Telefónica Deutschland on the delisting tender offer of Telefónica Local Services GmbH, a subsidiary of Telefónica, S.A.

Pinsent Masons hires senior litigation and investigations partner Melanie Ryan in London

Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has appointed litigation partner Melanie Ryan to join its Global Investigations team in London.

Pinsent Masons MPillay advises SUSI Partners on investment in Alba Renewables

Law firm Pinsent Masons MPillay has advised Swiss-based infrastructure investment manager SUSI Partners on its investment in Alba Renewables to build a renewable energy infrastructure business focused on The Philippines.

People who viewed this press release also viewed

Show me all press releases

Pinsent Masons advises Supervisory Board of Telefónica Deutschland on successful delisting tender offer

Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised the Supervisory Board of Telefónica Deutschland on the delisting tender offer of Telefónica Local Services GmbH, a subsidiary of Telefónica, S.A.

Pinsent Masons hires senior litigation and investigations partner Melanie Ryan in London

Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has appointed litigation partner Melanie Ryan to join its Global Investigations team in London.

For all media enquiries, including arranging an interview with one of our spokespeople, please contact the press office on

+44 (0)20 7418 8199 or 

Location contacts

We are processing your request. \n Thank you for your patience. An error occurred. This could be due to inactivity on the page - please try again.