I'm leading Manchester's women's march because we've had enough of misogyny and want gender equality
Adele Dolan, 31, from Tameside is the leader of UK Women’s March Manchester (UKWM), the group that are fighting for gender equality and who will be protesting in Manchester this Saturday.
The group announced that they will be holding a march this Saturday, the planned route is available here.
We sat down with Adele to understand more about the group and the motivations behind the creation of it.
Adele said that the group first began in November 2024 after a viral TikTok video, which led to them doing their first marches in January 2025 across 21 cities which saw over 20,000 attendees.
When asked why there is still a need for Women’s marches in Manchester in 2025, Adele said: “I think there is a call for this globally, not just in Manchester. Most countries are seeing similar issues with women’s rights and the rise of men and boys buying into more misogynistic influences & agendas. We are marching with 12 other cities in unison this time around the UK. However, in Manchester there has been some shocking statistics that outweigh the rest of the UK.”
Adding: “For example, on average there were 3.1 sexual offences per 1000 people in the UK in 23/24. Out of all the regions, the highest was Cleveland which was 4.4 per 1000. In 2nd place was Greater Manchester with 3.8 per 1000. This is a shocking rate that we are 2nd in the whole of the UK.”
Adele also pointed to the rising sexual assault statistics against women and those facing adversity, she said: “I hope we can raise awareness for our cause & to highlight the importance of getting social equality. Legally, women have the same rights as men, but we know socially this isn’t the same, we are still facing discrimination, we are still living in fear and we are still facing oppression. This is our bi-annual march in solidarity with women who face oppression around the world.”
On the topic of male loneliness and activism, Adele said: “I agree that there is a genuine loneliness and pain amongst men & boys currently, it’s been well established and the awareness is being raised through impactful programmes such as Adolescence.”
Adding: “Misogyny and hatred will not solve the problem and we as women are not responsible for the loneliness epidemic.”