Not for Want of Trying

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own is a foundation stone of 20th century literary feminism, but its relevance to feminist law reform is often overlooked. In this episode, we speak to Dr Madeleine Davies about the contemporary impact of Virginia Woolf’s work and the ongoing power of her succinct plea for a room of one’s own and five hundred a year.   Music credit: Goldfinch: Flight to the North, Axletree, Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

In this episode, we speak to Lady Hale – former President of the UK Supreme Court – about the Guardianship of Infants Act 1925. We discuss how the issue of equal guardianship over children was of substantial importance to feminist campaigners of the 1920s, and why we should still be talking about this today.   Music credit: Goldfinch: Flight to the North, Axletree, Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

In the interwar period and beyond, many women were fired from their jobs as teachers, civil servants, and clerical and post office workers, simply because they were married. In this episode, we speak to Dr Harriet Samuels about the marriage bar, and how the history of married women's unemployment is an often overlooked, yet vital part of the story of women's fight for equality.   Music credit: Goldfinch: Flight to the North, Axletree, Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

By 1928, equal franchise had been won. But for feminists of the day, this was only the beginning. In this episode, Professor Sharon Thompson discusses why the women's movement in the 1920s and 30s laid the foundations for later feminist fights, and why so much of this activity has been overlooked.   Music credit: Goldfinch: Flight to the North, Axletree, Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0