Skip to main content
Mile End Institute

The UK Joint Committee on Women Project

Professor Paul Copeland

Professor of Public Policy

In collaboration with

Progressive and ahead of its time: A feminist history of the UK’s four-nation representation in Europe.

This research, funded by the James Madison Charitable Trust, captures the historical origins and contours of the UK Joint Committee on Women – established to coordinate the UK’s representation to the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) – the principal women’s civil society organisation in the EU and founded in 1990. 

The UKJCW is underpinned by a quasi-federal partnership of equals between four organisations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This model of intra-UK working was remarkable for its innovation, established as it was against a backdrop of highly centralised interest representation. 

This publication charts the history of this ground-breaking feminist organisation, compiled by the experiences of the women who created and sustained the UKJCW. This project is jointly led by Professor Paul Copeland (QMUL) and Dr Rachel Minto (Cardiff).

Front cover of Paul Copeland's report on the UK Joint Committee on Women. White text against a blue background with the institutional logo and an illustration of a group of women beneath the EU flag..

Read the report

Read the report in full at the link below

Download the report (PDF)
Back to top