Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Womankind aims to create a caring, inclusive, and safe space where all women and girls are valued and treated equally.

We recognise that women experience different, intersecting forms of inequality. We are committed to making our organisation and services accessible and welcoming to all women, particularly those who experience the greatest disadvantage.

We acknowledge there is ongoing work for us to do to ensure we are fully inclusive, and we are not complacent. The organisation is supported by the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Subgroup, a group of volunteers, staff and trustees representing a broad range of intersectional protected characteristics. The subgroup’s goal is to promote diversity of thought and to raise awareness of the different perspectives and experiences of women who face additional barriers, to enhance policies, best practice, and ways of working.

Womankind provides ED&I training for trustees, staff and volunteers and women’s health inequalities training to mental health practitioners.

We are flexible about how women can access therapeutic support. We can offer sessions in person, by telephone or online.

Women Who Struggle Financially

Women are often treated differently based on their social class, with classism sometimes being described as an ‘unseen prejudice’, and poverty and a lack of resources being stark examples of class issues in our society. At Womankind we offer free counselling, group psychotherapy and support services to women who would otherwise be unable to access it.

Women with Disabilities Including Mental Health Conditions

At Womankind, we subscribe to the social model of disability which emphasises that people are disabled by physical and attitudinal barriers in society and not by their difference. Impairment means any physical, sensory, or mental health condition which can lead to disadvantage and discrimination.

We recognise different disabilities require individualised adjustments and we will do everything we can to ensure we meet everyone’s needs.

We will always check your accessibility requirements and communication needs when arranging appointments.

Our premises are fully accessible, and we have a specialist counselling service for women who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, deafened and with hearing loss. Our webchat service is also tailored to support D/deaf and hard of hearing women.

We are a Disability Confident Committed Employer.

Women of Faith And Belief

We work with women who have both religious and non-religious beliefs. We are happy to adjust our services wherever possible to take account of religious holidays and cultural practice.

Women Who Are Pregnant, or With Young Babies

Womankind recognises the importance of women accessing the support they need when entering into motherhood. We also recognise that women often face discrimination when going through pregnancy and breast and bottle feeding. We aim to be as flexible as possible in arranging appointments and will ensure that pregnant women access timely support.

Women of All Ages 16+

Womankind’s services are run by women for women and girls from 16 years+.

We provide specialist services for 16-18 year old girls and young women who have experienced sexual violence and/or domestic abuse.

We have no age limit on the women we support and we embrace a multigenerational staff and volunteer team.

Trans Women, Intersex Women And Non-Binary People

Womankind is for women and for those who identify as such in a significant way, including those who experience discrimination as women for instance trans women, intersex women, and non-binary people. We aim to provide safe spaces for all women, irrespective of their gender identity and we will avoid making assumptions about your pronouns. Trans women are welcome at Womankind. Individuals who are gender non-binary may be perceived as women, choose to live as women, and experience prejudice and discrimination associated with being a woman. We welcome gender non-binary people to access our services if they feel comfortable doing so and feel this will benefit them. However, we understand that their decision could be influenced by whether woman-centred language feels safe for them.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Asexual and Heterosexual Women

We work with women and those who experience life as women, with various sexual and romantic orientations.

We will not make assumptions about your sexual orientation or personal relationships, and our team will take care to make sure that LGBTQIA+ non-binary people, women and girls feel welcome and safe.’

We also host a stall at Bristol Pride in July every year. If you’d like to meet us, please do come and say hello!

Gender Inequality Is An Equality Issue

We recognise that violence against women and girls is a gender equality issue.

‘Gender-based violence’ describes all forms of harm perpetrated against individuals because of their gender. It includes actual or the threat of physical, sexual, emotional, or economic harm inflicted within the context of gender-based unequal power relations.

Women are disproportionately represented as survivors of gender-based violence. For example, In the UK ‘1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse, and 1 in 5 sexual assault, during her lifetime’ (Home Office, 2019).

However, not every woman has the same experience of gender-based violence. When women from minoritised communities experience gender-based violence they do not stop experiencing other social prejudices, such as racism, homophobia, or ableism. This can affect their experiences with the police, criminal justice system, support services, healthcare providers, and other professionals they come into contact with when seeking support for gender-based violence.

Want to know more about Violence Against Women and Girls and what work is being done to eliminate it? Read the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence here.

At Womankind we are grateful for all the valuable input from those who have shared their lived experiences, identities and backgrounds with us. We are committed to continuing to learn from women in our community, which importantly includes the women who use our services and the women who work and volunteer at Womankind.

If you would like to provide feedback on our equality, diversity and inclusion work, please email info@womankindbristol.org.uk.