Minister for Women and Equalities

Minister for Women and Equalities
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent
Bridget Phillipson
since 5 July 2024
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Style
TypeMinister of the Crown
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's Pleasure
Inaugural holderHarriet Harman
Formation3 May 1997; 29 years ago (1997-05-03) (as Minister for Women)
DeputyMinister of State for Women and Equalities
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)
(including £86,584 MP salary)
Websitegov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-women-and-equalities--3

Minister for Women and Equalities is a government position in the United Kingdom which works in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The minister leads the Office for Equality and Opportunity (formerly known as Government Equalities Office) which is part of the Cabinet Office. The role has also been known as Minister for Women, Minister for Women and Equality and Minister for Equalities.

List of ministers

Minister for Women

Cabinet minister Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Harriet Harman
MP for Camberwell and Peckham
Secretary of State for Social Security		 3 May 1997 27 July 1998 Joan Ruddock Labour Blair

(I)

Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington
Life peer
Leader of the House of Lords		 27 July 1998 8 June 2001 Tessa Jowell
Patricia Hewitt
MP for Leicester West
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry		 8 June 2001 5 May 2005 Barbara Roche
(with Morgan until November 2001)		 Baroness Morgan of Huyton
(until November 2001)		 Blair

(II)

Barbara Roche
(November 2001 – June 2003)
Jacqui Smith
(from June 2003)
Tessa Jowell
MP for Dulwich and West Norwood
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for the Olympics		 5 May 2005 5 May 2006 Meg Munn Blair

(III)

Ruth Kelly
MP for Bolton West
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government		 5 May 2006 28 June 2007

Minister for Women and Equality

Cabinet minister Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Harriet Harman
MP for Camberwell and Peckham
Leader of the House of Commons		 28 June 2007 11 May 2010 Barbara Follett
(October 2007 – October 2008)
Maria Eagle
(October 2008 – June 2009)		 Labour Brown
Maria Eagle
(with Foster from June 2009)		 Michael Foster
(from June 2009)

Minister for Women and Equalities

Cabinet minister Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Theresa May
MP for Maidenhead
Home Secretary		 12 May 2010 4 September 2012 Lynne Featherstone Coalition
(Con–LD)		 Cameron-Clegg
Maria Miller
MP for Basingstoke
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport		 4 September 2012 9 April 2014 Jo Swinson Helen Grant

Minister for Women and Minister for Equalities

Cabinet ministers Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Women:
Nicky Morgan
MP for Loughborough
Financial Secretary to the Treasury (attending Cabinet)		 9 April 2014 15 July 2014 Jo Swinson Helen Grant Coalition
(Con–LD)		 Cameron-Clegg
Equalities:
Sajid Javid
MP for Bromsgrove
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Minister for Women and Equalities

Cabinet minister Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Nicky Morgan
MP for Loughborough
Secretary of State for Education		 15 July 2014 8 May 2015 Jo Swinson Helen Grant Coalition
(Con–LD)		 Cameron-Clegg
8 May 2015 14 July 2016 Caroline Dinenage Conservative Cameron
(II)
Justine Greening
MP for Putney
Secretary of State for Education		 14 July 2016 14 June 2017 May
(I)
14 June 2017 8 January 2018 Women:
Anne Milton		 Equalities:
Nick Gibb		 May
(II)
Amber Rudd
MP for Hastings and Rye
Home Secretary		 9 January 2018 30 April 2018 Women:
Victoria Atkins
(until February 2020)		 Equalities:
Baroness Williams of Trafford
(until February 2020)
Penny Mordaunt
MP for Portsmouth North
Secretary of State for International Development
until May 2019, then
Secretary of State for Defence		 30 April 2018 24 July 2019
Amber Rudd
MP for Hastings and Rye
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions		 24 July 2019 7 September 2019 Johnson
(I)
Liz Truss
MP for South West Norfolk
Secretary of State for International Trade
until September 2021, then
Foreign Secretary		 10 September 2019 16 December 2019
16 December 2019 6 September 2022 Johnson
(II)
Women:
Baroness Berridge
(February 2020 – September 2021)
Baroness Stedman-Scott
(from September 2021)		 Equalities:
Kemi Badenoch
(February 2020 – July 2022)
Mike Freer
(September 2021 – July 2022)
Amanda Solloway
(from July 2022)

Minister for Equalities

Cabinet minister Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Nadhim Zahawi
MP for Stratford-on-Avon
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations		 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 Women:
Katherine Fletcher		 Equalities:
Baroness Stedman-Scott		 Conservative Truss

Minister for Women and Equalities

Cabinet minister Term of office Junior ministers Political party Ministry
Kemi Badenoch
MP for Saffron Walden
Secretary of State for International Trade
until February 2023, then
Secretary of State for Business and Trade		 25 October 2022 5 July 2024 Women:
Maria Caulfield		 Equalities:
Stuart Andrew		 Conservative Sunak
Bridget Phillipson
MP for Houghton and Sunderland South
Secretary of State for Education
until July 2026		 8 July 2024 Incumbent Gender policy:
Anneliese Dodds
(until February 2025)
Baroness Smith of Malvern
(from March 2025)		 Disability policy:
Sir Stephen Timms		 Labour Starmer
Race and ethnicity policy:
Seema Malhotra
(from October 2024)
LGBT+ policy:
Dame Nia Griffith
(October 2024 – September 2025)
Olivia Bailey
(from September 2025)
Burnham

References

  1. ↑ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Minister for Women and Equalities". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 October 2025.