New drive to boost women in workforce

Mrs Miller set out a plan to get more women into work, into more senior positions and to drive entrepreneurship by providing better support for girls from school age, supporting older women in work and helping them set up their own businesses.

The call for action comes as a report by the Women’s Business Council, set up last year to advise the Government, today sets out its recommendations to boost women’s role in driving forward the economy.

The report found that if women were setting up and running new businesses at the same rate as men, there could be one million more women entrepreneurs.

It said there was untapped potential in the 2.4 million women who are not working – and a further 1.3 million women who want to increase their hours – and suggested that if men and women worked in equal numbers it could boost economic growth by 0.5 per cent a year, with gains of up to 10 per cent to GDP by 2030.

Mrs Miller announced the creation of a task force to help sweep away the barriers that prevent women from excelling at work.

The Government will work with the British Chamber of Commerce to establish partnerships between schools and businesses.