Following two sold-out events in Central London, the Women’s Freelance Network (WFN) has announced three new events will be added to the calendar in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Created by PCG, the membership association for independent professionals and the self-employed, the Women’s Freelance Network aims to bring female freelancers from across sectors together to meet, network and collaborate with others who have started a business alone.
Julie Stewart, Chairman of PCG, said:
“The WFN events in London have been a huge success with hundreds of women coming together to give and receive advice, collaborate on a project or simply to meet like-minded individuals and share their experiences.
“Now it is time to build our network across the country and give women who have started a business outside London the same opportunity. With events in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow, we will create a strong support network along the spine of the UK which will mean that working independently no longer has to mean being alone.”
The new events will see prominent female MPs speaking about the rise of women in self-employment. Recent statistics from the ONS show women choosing self-employment increased by more than 15% last year, compared to only 2.9% choosing traditional employment. PCG’s own research shows that 40% of freelancers are female.
Speakers at the WFN events include Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities who will join the Women’s Freelance Event in Manchester.
Julie Stewart added:
“It’s fantastic that prominent MPs like Sharon Hodgson will be joining us to speak about how women are leading the way in self-employment and discuss how policy makers and business leaders could help female independent professionals.
“There will be lots of inspiring female self-employed professionals joining us at these events and it’s great that they will be joined by equally inspiring female politicians. Both are passionate about what they do and have reached the top of their game through hard work, dedication and skill so I’m confident everyone will come away from these events feeling energised and with expert advice in hand.”
