FAN Trustee Lynette Willoughby recently spoke at the unveiling of a plaque at the birthplace of Laura Annie Willson in Halifax. Willson was a remarkable and innovative woman. Born in 1877, as a young woman she was a trade unionist and a suffragette and was imprisoned several times. Later, with her husband she ran an engineering company which employed many women during the First … [Read more...]
Bridget Robson Collection
The 1975 Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) didn't immediately bring full equality for women. A new donation of materials to FAN collected by Bridget Robson contains press cuttings relating to the case of Marianne Schmidt, who was sacked by a Leeds bookshop in 1976 for wearing trousers. Marianne took a case of sex discrimination to an Employment Tribunal, but it ruled that since men … [Read more...]
In Our Own Words: the founding of National Women’s Aid
“I think that was the beginning...some of the more feminist groups thinking we need to create ... a democratic organisation that is feminist and that doesn't allow one person to head it up.” (Liz Kelly, Women’s Aid founder member) Join Feminist Archive North as we celebrate the launch of our new oral history project, which documents the founding of National Women’s Aid through … [Read more...]
A Century of Electrifying Women
Perspectives from Feminist Archive North and Beyond The UK’s Electrical Association for Women (EAW) was launched 100 years ago, on 12 November 1924. For more than six decades the EAW promoted women’s professional expertise in electrifying the home, and launched qualification schemes that enabled thousands of women to hold technical careers. Yorkshire was a major locus of … [Read more...]
Textiles and Banners collection
Our Textiles and Banners collection is one of our most used by researchers. We have recently reorganised it to make items easier to find and to see, and improved the cataloguing. The collection mainly consists of t-shirts and banners, but also includes other items such as tea towels, scarves, tote bags and placards. More items are being added regularly. You can see the … [Read more...]