A Rossendale digital agency is celebrating International Women’s Day by speaking to local women in business and asking them for their experiences.

UK diversity in business statistics shows that back in 1984, there were 646,000 self-employed women in the UK.

In 2020, that number has more than doubled to 1.6 million, and this figure is growing year on year.

Female-founded businesses receive only two per cent of equity investment despite women having created 160,730 firms in the UK last year.

Rachel Weinhold, director of Rossendale's GrowTraffic, reflects on her experience of being a female director of a specialist SEO agency.

She said: “I work in a male dominated sector and I could give you countless examples of where my professional opinion has been ignored by male counterparts.

"Or worse, taken as their own idea. The sexism is often palpable. Just last week I attended a networking meeting, where I was used as an example of childcare issues. Despite not having childcare issues.

"Not only am I often in the minority in a room full of men, but I am often treated very differently. It’s not as blatant as the sexism of previous decades, it’s more subtle, and I think that makes it even harder to tackle.”

Erin Dempsey, a local singer and co-owner of HYDE, sheds light on her experience of being a solo female singer and why we should inspire inclusion in the music industry.

She said: “Since my [male] business partner has left to go travelling and I have started gigging solo, I have experienced a shift in the reception I receive.

"Singing in rooms where I am one of few women can be daunting, sometimes being completely ignored, or sometimes being catcalled.

"The music industry enriches so many communities, yet I still feel that the appreciation female artists receive is behind that of men.”