Introducing the Defence Women’s Network

Introducing the award-winning and 2023 Burberry British Diversity Awards nominee, the Defence Women’s Network – an inclusive, supportive, and voluntary establishment encouraging discussion and exploration of gender equality issues and challenges. And even better, we’re open to everyone!  

Our network was formed in 2020 to break down the barriers of gender inequality and discrimination, by challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Now as a community with over 6,000 members, we continue to celebrate women’s achievements and aid each other in becoming respected leaders of our organisations - whilst aiming to positively and proactively contribute to the creation of a diverse workforce. By building a more diverse culture, we will be able to connect with our members and industry partners in a meaningful way. 

The Defence Women’s Network empower individuals to challenge inappropriate behaviours whilst celebrating women’s success. We deliver regular events to support our vision and cover a wide range of topics such as Women in Leadership; Women and Men’s Health; Career Management; Mental Health and Mindfulness. Our intent is to realise the benefits of pan-defence inclusion, collaborating with our Defence Industry Partners and a wide range of Government agencies.  

Following demand, the Defence Women’s Network has also expanded into additional sub-groups – introducing the Pregnancy, Maternity and New Parent Network and DWN Sport. The Pregnancy, Maternity and New Parent sub-group was formed to empower Defence colleagues throughout the early stages of parenthood – including the complex transition phases and returning to the workplace. The aim is to encourage and motivate parents who may have lost self-esteem or confidence in their professional abilities. By creating a peer support community and developing awareness, we learn together. This sub-group is here to support new parents via blogs, podcasts and events in breastfeeding; multiple births; pre/post-partum exercise guidance and a buddy scheme. All of which are underlined with a compassionate and empathetic approach – and a good dose of humour with practical tips from an inclusive community.  

DWN Sport was introduced in 2021 to showcase the successes of women in sport, on all levels and particularly those in Defence. We aim to increase female participation and to break down the barriers that may be holding women back. Since its launch, the sub-group has shared inspirational stories across Defence, focusing on women in sport and their achievements - through articles, webinars, and podcasts. This year, we look forward to inspiring more women to try a new sport, continuing from the success stories of Defence Women, and learning how to get involved.  

The DWN is proud to share that we also have a strong male ally team made up of Military and Civil Servants, accompanied by a great support network of male and female Advocates and Ambassadors. With the vital support from our male colleagues across government and industry, the DWN male membership demographic has now grown to 17%. Following the success of International Men’s Day celebrated throughout November at the DWN, we continue to offer topics and themes that can benefit all genders.  

As we look ahead to what 2023 has in store for the Defence Women’s Network, we anticipate the countdown to our second annual conference. DWN23 will be taking place on Thursday 27th April in London, aligned to the theme of leadership and self-empowerment. Welcoming over 1000 of our network members, sponsors and allies in-person on the day, we will also be live streaming the event to remain inclusive to our virtual audience – please visit our website to register for what promises to be a phenomenal day.