About ESAH

Creating a world where equality at home is a reality for all

Equality Starts At Home (ESAH) is a UK registered charity with a mission to change mindsets and make equality at home a reality for all. This is all the more urgent now in our post COVID-19 world where gender roles risk regressing. Women are being propelled backwards as they took an increasingly disproportionate amount of household responsibilities and childcare during lockdown and have been disproportionately affected by furloughing and job loss.

Equality Starts at Home was set up by four women from the UK and the US following a speech at the Aspire Re-imagination Conference in June 2020, and was registered as a UK charity in early 2022.

We aim to build a movement for change. At ESAH, we believe that equality at home will enable women to fulfil their potential and will ultimately create a better society for all. We also believe in diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination in all its forms.

In September 2021 we launched our 2021 – 2023 Strategic Plan, including our strategic goals and strap-line “Share the Care”. We would like to thank Yuan Yuan Liang for help with our logo design.

Want to join ESAH's Movement For Change?

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a world in which equality at home is a reality for all.

We believe a better balance at home would result in the following:

It would free women up to achieve their potential:
- Career progression, increase earning & leadership potential
- Creative, reflection or leisure time
- Better quality of time with children
Relationships between women and men would improve
Men would spend more quality time with their children, cultivating strong and lasting relationships with their children
Mental health of women would improve
Open options for men to work more flexibly, not having to be the primary breadwinner
Break down stereotypes – and influence equality outside the home

Ready to take the first step towards a more equal world?

Find out how work is shared in your home – take the quiz

Our Mission

Our mission is to shift mindsets and change behaviours to enable a greater sharing of emotional and domestic labour. We want to shift attitudes at home, in the workplace and in public provision for equality, and to do this there are many steps we can take.

What needs to happen?

Women need to speak up and have difficult conversations at home (if safe to do so) and trust men to take on their fair share
Women need to support other women; men need to support women; we all need to support each other
Men need to build an understanding of women’s reality – and men need to step up to the plate – men need to talk about chores and childcare!
Men need to see other men taking on fair share of responsibilities – that being the norm– and see the positive impact on the relationship and their lives
Workplaces need to consider shared parental leave and flexible working as the norm; senior leaders need to demonstrate that flexible working works and we need more senior leaders as role models showing this can work
Institutions need to tackle bias around women and care and chores
Government needs more female, diverse and inclusive representation from all

Find out more about ESAH

Learn more about our work, meet the team or find out how you can join our movement for change

Our Core Values

Our values are what unite us and represent the “How” of Equality Starts at Home and they are represented by the word CARE:

Collaboration
Collaboration with a wide range of people and organisations to achieve common goals
Action
We seek practical solutions to tackle inequalities in the home
Respect
We appreciate differences and seek to build common ground. We strive for greater diversity and inclusion and recognise all households.
Empowerment
We build confidence, belief and provide resources to enable people to find transformative solutions