Lynne Franks: The most radical act someone can do is ask what women want – then listen to the answer

It is 30 years since the first What Women Want campaign was launched, but it is needed more than ever, says Lynne Franks, which is why she is doing it again for a new generation

This Wednesday, I will be at the House of Commons to mark the relaunch of the What Women Want campaign, 30 years after that exact question was first put to women all over the country. Backed by Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, the musician Sinead O’Connor, and activists such as Lesley Abdela, Bernadette Vallely, and Sue Tibballs, the answers from the original What Women Want surveys have stayed with me – vivid, poignant, powerful –and, on the surface, simple:

“Quality childcare should be an automatic right.”

“Peace missions that automatically include women.”

“A safer environment for women in the street, in the workplace, and in the home.”

“To help my children grow without gender constraints.”

“To escape the trap of a youth- and beauty-oriented society.”

“To walk without fear.”

“A world free of war, poverty, illness, and inequality.”

“Great sex with gorgeous lovers.”

“Equal rights, respect, freedom to be ourselves.”

“Freedom to become the people we have the potential to be.”

Now, in 2025, we’re asking the same question once more – not because nothing has changed, but because everything has.

Cast your mind back to 1995, a time when we were still dialling up the internet, and pagers and beepers were a thing. We were listening to grunge, the Rachel haircut was everywhere, and so was lad culture. It was also a time of hope, with a distinct girl power vibe shift. The campaign was groundbreaking and culminated in the What Women Want Festival, which I produced at London’s South Bank, where thousands of us gathered to raise our voices and demand more.

That unforgettable weekend brought together an extraordinary gathering of women from all walks of life – musicians like Sinead and Chrissie Hynde, feminists like Germaine Greer, comedian Jo Brand, entrepreneurs like Anita, and performers like Sarah Jane Morris. Women spoke of wanting to learn how to use the internet. They spoke of embracing their sexuality, claiming their voices, and becoming conscious consumers. They wanted equality, safety, creativity, freedom. They wanted to be heard.

For a while, it felt like progress was being made. We’ve seen movements rise, from #MeToo to Pregnant Then Screwed, drawing attention to everything from abuse in the workplace to the lack of childcare available for working women. We’ve watched women take the lead in politics, peacebuilding, and purpose-driven business. We’ve witnessed a new generation of girls demanding their rights to education, to choice, to joy.

And yet, here we are in 2025, drawn back into battles we thought we had long won and seeing the rights of women and girls under attack like never before. Key protections around access to abortion and contraception have been stripped away in America; DEI initiatives have been cancelled; and a UN report published last year shows that in 2024, nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash against women’s rights.

‘We’re asking the same question once more – not because nothing has changed, but because everything has’ (What Women Want)

Real-world sexism has been baked into AI systems, meaning women are being discriminated against, undermined, and attacked in the digital world too. And while the digital gender gap is limiting women’s opportunities, the real-world pay gap dial refuses to budge. Violence against women and girls is at “national emergency” levels, with nearly 3,000 crimes recorded every day, a leading police chief warned last year.

That’s why, 30 years on, myself and others are relaunching What Women Want – a living, breathing, evolving platform for women and girls to speak their truths in a fast-moving, uncertain world. A space for voices that too often go unheard. A launchpad for changemakers to rise and push against the tide.

Our relaunch event will be held in the Churchill Room at the House of Commons, where we will gather for breakfast on 18 June with a phenomenal lineup of speakers and supporters. Many of the original pioneers will be there, joined by MP Sarah Dyke; Jayanti and Maureen, sisters of the global women-led spiritual organisation, the Brahma Kumaris; founders like Jo Wood and Simone Roche; activists such as ADHD campaigner Hester Grainger; Syrian women’s campaigner Afraa Hashem; and Christina Line, COO of the Nelson Trust charity, who will be standing side by side with philanthropic supporters such as Sophia Swire and US philanthropist Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk.

Chrissie Hynde and Sinead O’Connor pictured at the original launch in 1995 (What Women Want)

The whole gamut of a woman’s life will be represented – from the charity Inspiring Girls, showing up for those at the younger end of the spectrum, to the magazine Good Housekeeping, reflecting the needs and desires of their mothers and cool aunts.

Together, we’ll all reflect on how far we’ve come and ask where we are heading next – as women, as a society, and as global citizens invested in the future of our planet.

There was power in the simplicity of asking that question 30 years ago – and in the honesty of the answers. As we approach a new era, we want to hear from women and girls across the UK and beyond. We want to know: what do women and girls want now for their lives, their communities, and their future?

This isn’t just about listening. It’s about taking action. We know that women hold the keys to real solutions – whether in grassroots action, community healing, social enterprise, or political reform. But too often, our ideas are overlooked. Our leadership is invisible. Our labour is unpaid.

What Women Want 2025 is a call to change that. We want women’s voices to be put at the heart of the solution, with our values of compassion, collaboration, and care leading the way.

Franks poses with her book ‘Absolutely Now’ (PA)

Sadly, three of the leading lights from the movement in 1995 – Sinead, Anita, and Glenys Kinnock – are no longer with us, but their spirit lives on. Each of these women embodied courage, creativity, and conscience. All of them stood up for what they believed in and gave others the strength to do the same, so we will be launching changemaker awards in their names. Awards that are not only a tribute to their legacy but an investment in the future – a way of recognising women who are actively shaping a better world, from their neighbourhoods to the global stage.

Because that is where we are in 2025 – not just asking what we want, but how we can work together to build it. Not waiting for change, but becoming it.

I hope every woman and girl who reads this will take a moment to answer that same powerful question we first asked in 1995: What do I really want? Then speak it. Share it. Write it. Live it.

When we unite across generations, backgrounds, and beliefs, we become unstoppable. After 30 years, I’ve learned that the most radical act is still to ask the question, what do women want – and then to really listen to the answer.

Visit What Women Want Now and sign up to join this great movement of change