NEWomen’s Network’s purpose is to strengthen the women’s sector and to ensure it’s survival by encouraging and supporting collaboration between women’s VCOs and building partnerships and alliances across other sectors. NEWomen’s and its member organisations and groups are committed to reflecting the following principles in their day-to-day practice:

• Creating and protecting female only space and female only services
• Advocating for collaboration, collectivism  and solidarity between women’s organisations and groups 
• Individually and collectively resisting competitive processes and cultures
• Using power and authority responsibly with respect for all concerned
• Creating and sustaining women’s organisations to foster women’s self-empowerment and feminist leadership
• Ensuring that women’s organisations and networks are always led and managed by women.
• Being open to critically assessing our impact as women’s organisations and groups and being honest and proactive with regards to our role in creating a diverse and inclusive women’s movement
• Understanding and applying intersectionality (differences and inequalities between women) as central to the pursuit of social justice and equality

Why women only?

Safety, both physical and emotional, is a key benefit of women-only services. As a result, women feel supported and comfortable. They become empowered and develop confidence, greater independence and higher self-esteem. They are less marginalised and isolated and feel more able to express themselves.

Women only space is shown to be central to women’s self-development and empowerment because it allows women to transcend the unequal gender dynamics that define them. Sharing gender experiences provide the basis for ‘breaking silences’ about women’s oppression, and organising collectively to build personal skills, knowledge and confidence to challenge discrimination.

Many women’s organisations have been challenged about their women-only services even though the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) and the Gender Equality Duty (2007) clearly stated that single-sex services were lawful, and even preferable under many circumstances. The recent Equality Act (2010) does not change this. The Act  makes it clear that female only services are legal and appropriate in certain contexts; it is still legal and appropriate for public authorities to fund (and provide) women- services. The Equality Act should not be interpreted to mean that both sexes should be treated the same. Single-sex services are permitted where it can be shown to be the most effective way of providing those services or where the service is needed by one sex only (Equality Act 2010, Schedule 3, Part 7).