The Sex and Power Report in 2014 stated that at the current rate of progress that “a child born today will be drawing her pension before she has any chance of being equally represented in the UK Parliament”. It is not just parliamentary representation but other positions of power where we are falling short, only 5% of national newspapers are edited by women. A recent report on Higher Education by the Equality Challenge Unit showed that only 20.1% of Vice Chancellors and Principals at Universities are women, with women also under-represented in other senior roles across the sector.
Part of the reason for this is the stories we are told, and the stories we tell ourselves, help shape who we are and what we choose to do. So much of the history around us such as the statues we see, the pictures on the walls of our educational institutions, and the authors and protagonists we are given to study, are male, and tell a story of male dominance. Merely having a consciousness of the change from when these were created, to the times of legal equality now, is inadequate to change the impact this historical replication of patriarchal construction has on women today.
Free University Brighton is a community-led initiative that organises and promotes practical and academic education. Following on from their events for LGBT History month, Free University Brighton are putting on the city’s first ever festival dedicated to women in history. The one-day event on 14 March 2015 will mark International Women’s Day celebrations and it will launch a year-long women’s history project to promote positive female role models within schools and the wider community, giving an awareness of the historical significance of women that will help us write a fairer future.
The event will feature the hidden histories of extraordinary and pioneering women such as Brighton and Hove suffragettes, the African Princess in Brighton and women who inspired the trade union movement. There will also be guided walks, workshops, activities for children and an interactive exhibition.
They are still looking for support to put on this inspirational event, it will allow them not only to cover the costs of the event but to have a fund for childcare and travel for those who may not otherwise be able to attend. Please click here for their crowdfunding page to support this project and help shape how we live as women today and tomorrow.