Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere

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There is a brief look at the suffrage movement and an assessment of how things have progressed (or not). There is also an outline of the current state of women’s issues with a look at the #MeToo movement, education and medicine. Winterson also looks at the future and argues that more women need to be in technology and IT. The statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London, honours the British suffragist leader and social campaigner Dame Millicent Fawcett. It was made in 2018 by Gillian Wearing. Following a campaign and petition by the activist Caroline Criado Perez, the statue's creation was endorsed by both the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The statue, Parliament Square's first monument to a woman and also its first sculpture by a woman, was funded through the government's Centenary Fund, which marks 100 years since some women won the right to vote. The memorial was unveiled on 24 April 2018. [1] Description [ edit ]

In her conception of the Fawcett statue, Wearing drew on her previous body of work, Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say (1992-3). Arguably some of her most iconic images, Wearing approached strangers on the street and asked them to write down an inner thought on a large piece of white card. Those who agreed were then photographed by Wearing holding up their personal statement, making their private feelings into a public work of art. The most famous, included here, depicts a clean-cut man in a suit holding a card with the words “I’m desperate”. To mark the occasion, we've collaborated with Gillian and designer Bella Freud to launch a range of merchandise inspired by Millicent’s message and the ongoing fight for equality. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Fawcett Society, who have continued the work of their founder for more than 150 years in fighting for women’s rights and representation. The statue was part of the 14-18 NOW series of artistic commissions that marked the centenary commemorations of World War I. [18] Rival campaigns [ edit ] The Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens in 2015 Some have expressed surprise that it is Fawcett, a law-abiding suffragist, who is being honoured instead of one of her better known fellow campaigners. But Millicent Fawcett was indeed a leader of the movement and dedicated 62 years of her life to campaigning for the vote for women. Jane Robinson, Senior Associate, Somerville College, Oxford; author of Ladies Can't Climb Ladders: The Pioneering Adventures of the First Professional Women

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I am one of those people who feels very strongly about my identity as a feminist but am ashamed to admit that I know very little about the suffragette movement. When I discovered this I knew it would be a great way to expand my knowledge, even a little bit. What Winterson brought was an insightful examination of how historical feminism, and oppression, is still effecting our day to day lives. Gillian Wearing’s statue commemorating the life of Suffragist Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square Gareth Harris It was in 1968 that the Church Service Advisory Board published a report on the supply of ministry and the real concern at the reduced number of those entering training. Consideration was given to finally opening the door to ordination of women: suddenly the practical difficulties being experienced in the Church upended the view that women ministers could be a mere hindrance and there was a recognition that there had been a neglect for at least half of our ministry particularly in, as was noted, what was the 'vigorous' half.

But while there are signs of progress it is the pace and consistency of change that is disappointing. (1)The Royal Society of Edinburgh’s report, Tapping All Our Talents 2018, highlight that the proportion of female STEM graduates in the UK working in the sector has increased by only 3% from 27% in 2012 to 30% in 2017. In industry, UK-level figures indicate that the proportion of women in core STEM professions rose from 13% to 23% in the same period. In most STEM subjects across colleges and universities, the proportion of female students has seen, at best, incremental improvement (e.g., from 11% in 2012 to 13% in 2016 in undergraduate engineering) and, at worst, further decline (e.g., from 54% in 2012 to 43% in 2017 in college-level IT frameworks). Criado Perez, Caroline (24 April 2018). "Despite a barrage of hate, I put a statue of a woman where only men stand". CNN . Retrieved 24 April 2018. This is a vital collection of the vital speeches of a vital person. You need to read this to understand the history of Millicent Fawcett and if you don’t understand the history of Millicent Fawcett you don’t understand one of the most important developments in modern civilisation.'Millicent Fawcett was more than a suffrage campaigner. When she began her lifetime of campaigning, women had no access to higher education or the professions. Everything they owned belonged to a man, including themselves. So Fawcett also campaigned for women's access to education, co-founding Newnham College, Cambridge and supporting Emily Davies' campaign to open up Cambridge degrees to women. Criado Perez called the unveiling of the statue "one hell of a start" in increasing the representation of women across Britain in both cultural and political spheres. Similar views were supported by Khan, the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and the former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, who suggested that the square's male statues be temporarily moved elsewhere in London to allow there to be only female statues in this prominent location. [2] Reaction and commentary [ edit ]