On Anzac Day, we forget to tally the lives saved by women by their courage and their votes in opposition to war demands – to forcing boys and shaming men to be soldiers. And we forget that armed force has, since the 1914-18 war, been made the priority of Australia’s defence and security, and that that maintains a strong prejudice against the rationality of prioritising human rather than military security.
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Life At Home During The Great War
The Great War was not the end of everything. Cultural entertainment continued, although tinged with a patriotic influence. Literary works and poetry, theatre, music and motion pictures adopted a militant vision of society. Schools, the press and popular literature drew heavily on anti-foreign and patriotic sentiments, making it easy to demonise the German enemy. Military music and anthems were played on the radio and there were musical performances held for large audiences.
After the Vote – Post 1928 Women
Introduction It is commonly asserted that women retired into their homes after the vote was won. This is nonsense. Around the world, whenever the vote was won by women, women continued to agitate, demonstrate, demand and declare that women’s rights…
Living Memories – Ellen Malos’ Archive, Bristol
A key figure in the Bristol Women’s Liberation Movement, Ellen Malos and her work were recognised by Bristol University in 2006, with the award of an Honorary Doctorate. Then, on 12 June 2007 the Next Link Women’s Safe…
Jessie Kenney and women seafarers
Jessie battled on but to no avail. ‘These gentlemen … had dark and impenetrable notions on the subject.’ Instead she ‘decided to go to sea as a stewardess in the hopes that later I may be allowed to practice as a wireless operator.’
(Victoria Drummond had similarly been advised to give up and become a stewardess, but refused.)
By autumn 1926, Jessie was working on the Otranto – as a stewardess. She sailed for ten years with Furness and Orient line, and kept her dream fed by reading science and philosophy books when she could, as the lists in her diaries show.
But ‘How often I looked up at the wireless cabin … afterwards. How I had longed for the peace and solitude of the wireless cabin where after my labours I could study in peace.’ She wasn’t even accepted in WW2.
ISSUE 72 Women’s History Magazine, Summer 2013
Download the PDF edition of this journal here. ISSUE 72, Summer 2013 Johanna Ilmakunnas on Noblewomen in the service of Swedish & Russian royals, c.1750-1850, 4-11 Elizabeth Lovegrove on Charlotte Yonge, Christabel Coleridge & pseudonyms in the Monthly Packet, 12-18 Martine Stirling on Women’s parliaments…
The Centenary of the Women’s Suffrage Movement
On 24 June 1914, Eileen left her lodgings with a green dressing box and paper-wrapped parcel and walked to Nottingham Market place where the royal visit by King George V was taking place. Police officers in the area noticed Eileen’s suspicious behaviour around the royal stand and questioned her at the scene about her activities and connections to other militant suffragettes. Eileen admitted to being Irene Casey, the militant suffragette of the same name who was wanted for not returning to Leeds Prison in October 1913. Detectives arrested Eileen and took her to Guildhall for further questioning where they found on her person 20ft of fuse wire, a detonator and five quarter-pounds of cheddite, along with other items as shown in [an] incredible list [held at The National Archives] …
Socialist Women for Justice in Oz
In 2007, five women met in Taree at the cafe Raw Sugar for breakfast; a nurse, a teacher, a women’s refuge worker, a school assistant and I, an author and retiree. The original three are members of the Australian Labor (not Labour) Party. Therefore, although the meeting was not politically driven, the conversations had little to do with knitting tea cosies or cooking. It was not long before it was realised that talking was not enough; we were just going around in circles. Socialist Women for Justice was the answer.
Grand Matriarchs Worldwide
Let us meet, inspire, support, connect, network, mentor, learn, think and plan.
In our homes, families, schools, community neighbourhoods, villages, town, city, country.
Yes and worldwide via the internet so come blog on this website and tell us what is possible.
We do this now, wherever we are, in every way, every day, in all that we do.
In the small and big tasks we undertake daily in child and maternal health, girls education.
Resisting bias and taking steps to prevent and eliminate violence against women and children.
With our collective activism we can achieve in all the ways that we are already familiar with.