International Women’s Day 2025 is dedicated to “accelerating action” to create a gender equal world. But what role can the UK Data Service – and data generally – play in accelerating women’s equality?
Empowering researchers and policymakers
We asked Joanne Webb, Associate Director of the UK Data Service and Head of Department for the UK Data Archive at the University of Essex, how the UK Data Service can help increase momentum to address the systemic barriers and biases that women face. She emphasised the importance of data access in meeting these challenges:
“The UK Data Service facilitates access for research to a wealth of datasets that can help accelerate gender parity by identifying systemic barriers and informing policy interventions. For example, the quarterly Labour Force Survey provides crucial insights into gender pay gaps, occupational segregation, and employment patterns over time.
“We can also provide information on the differences experienced outside of traditional employment. For example, “Understanding Society (building on and incorporating the British Household Panel Survey), tracks differences in unpaid labour and work-life balance between genders.
“By making these datasets accessible, the UK Data Service empowers researchers and policymakers to develop targeted, data-driven solutions to advance gender equality.”
A call to action
The UK Data Service is part of a broader data landscape. For Debora Price, Deputy Director of the UK Data Service and a Professor of Social Gerontology at the University of Manchester, the provision of data is of central importance to efforts aimed at fostering equality:
“Achieving a more equal society is not only a matter of social justice but also of progress. History has shown that high-quality, gender-disaggregated data is essential to this ongoing mission. Without it, the specific barriers women face remain hidden – whether it’s the gender pay gap, disparities in access to STEM, unequal opportunities for training and advancement, underrepresentation in leadership, or the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work.”
She notes that when these issues are highlighted, they become harder to ignore: “Data serves as both a call to action and a catalyst, motivating governments, employers, civil society, and individuals to address and correct these imbalances.”
Key studies for International Women’s Day 2025
The Understanding Society study, or the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), which began in 2009, is conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), at the University of Essex.
(University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research. (2023). Understanding Society. [data series]. 11th Release. UK Data Service. SN: 2000053, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-Series-2000053)
British Social Attitudes Survey
The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series asks a representative sample of the population for their views on life in Britain. It gathers data on a wide variety of topics, covering everything from gender, family, sexuality, class identity, the workplace, generational differences, morality and politics. In 2023, BSA celebrated its 40th anniversary and there was widespread media coverage of its findings around the changing perception of women’s place in society.
(NatCen Social Research. (2023). British Social Attitudes Survey. [data series]. 3rd Release. UK Data Service. SN: 200006, 
UK Data Service › DOI )
Scottish Social Attitudes Survey
The Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey launched in 1999, following the advent of devolution. It has similar objectives to the BSA survey, as it aims to capture public opinion and inform the development of public policy in Scotland.
(ScotCen Social Research. (2019). Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. [data series]. 2nd Release. UK Data Service. SN: 2000049, UK Data Service › DOI )
Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS)
EVENS is the biggest ever UK research survey into the lived experiences of ethnic minorities throughout Britain. The survey covers a wide range of social science research and policy questions. Respondents can choose from the most comprehensive range of racial, ethnic and religious identities offered by any UK population study to date. This level of detail enables deeper insight into the lives of people from a variety of ethnic minority groups within the UK. The study should yield further interest when it comes to the responses of ethnic minority women.
In 2023, Dharmi Kapadia, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Manchester and one of the research team behind EVENS, was interviewed in an exclusive podcast with the UK Data Service.
(Finney, N., Nazroo, J., Shlomo, N., Kapadia, D., Becares, L., Byrne, B. (2023). Evidence for Equality National Survey: a Survey of Ethnic Minorities During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2021. [data collection]. UK Data Service. SN: 9116, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-9116-1)
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a study of employment within the UK population. It provides the official measures of employment and unemployment and collects other related data such as types of occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over. LFS is a valuable resource in terms of researching inclusion in the workplace.
(Office for National Statistics. (2024). Labour Force Survey. [data series]. 10th Release. UK Data Service. SN: 2000026, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-Series-2000026)
Research and Innovation Workforce Survey
The Research and Innovation Workforce Survey aimed to help the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) improve strategic analysis of current and future research and innovation policies. It was designed to develop talent and skills, attract people to the UK research and innovation workforce and ensure that the working environment is diverse and inclusive.
(Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. (2024). Research and Innovation Workforce Survey, 2022: Secure Access. [data collection]. UK Data Service. SN: 9205, DOI: UK Data Service › DOI )
Short-Term Employment Surveys, 2020-2023
Another useful tool in terms of measuring inclusion in the workplace – the Short-Term Employment Surveys (STES) are three statutory, quarterly surveys of private sector businesses. The surveys ask businesses for their number of employees (male/female/full-time/part-time) on a specified date. Online questionnaires are sent to a sample of approximately 37,000 businesses each quarter.
(Office for National Statistics. (2024). Short-Term Employment Surveys, 2020-2023: Secure Access. [data collection]. 9th Edition. UK Data Service. SN: 8912, UK Data Service › DOI )