Did you know that until April 1975 women in the UK were banned from marathons and all races longer than four miles? Back in the 1960s, women started to break the rules and ‘crash’ men’s road races, challenging discrimination and…
Category: Blog and News
News items of interest to WHN Members
The Manchester and Salford College for Women (1877-1883): From the Darkness Comes the Light – Tom Trafford
In April 1877, Owens College’s Court, the governing body of the only higher education establishment in Manchester, and the only incorporated college of Victoria University (Manchester), announced its decision not to accept women students. Its members believed that doing so…
Kitchens, Cleanliness, and the Making of Modern Food Safety: Sarah Tyson Rorer and Domestic Expertise in the Early Twentieth Century – Eric Schubert
In 1902, readers opening Sarah Tyson Rorer’s New Cook Book were instructed to wash vegetables carefully, keep utensils clean, and avoid serving spoiled milk. [i] To a modern audience, these directions feel routine, even obvious. At the turn of the…
Sign up to our next special panel event, ‘Western Epistemologies of Women’s Sport and Fitness’ on Tuesday 14th July, 4pm BST
We’re very excited to announce our next seminar, which will be a panel event titled ‘Western Epistemologies of Women’s Sport and Fitness’. We have two speakers, Renhui Feng (Chengdu Sport University) and Professor Jacqueline Brady (Kingsborough Community College), speaking on…
WHN Annual Conference: Registrations now open!
The Women’s History Network 34th Annual Conference Celebrating the Centenary of the Women’s Library and 100 Years of Women’s History (1926-2026) 3-4 September 2026, LSE Library & Friends House (Euston Road) See more information and register here Our 34th annual…
Join us for our next seminar, ‘Unleashing the Tides of Muteness: A Women’s Oral History of West Africa’ with Sylvia Arthur
We are very excited to welcome Sylvia Arthur to the Women’s History Network, who will be giving a paper titled, ‘Unleashing the Tides of Muteness: A Women’s Oral History of West Africa’. The seminar will take place on Zoom on…
Rediscovering Helen Taylor (1831-1907) – Dr Janet Smith
My first encounter with Helen Taylor Whilst researching my M.A. dissertation on the feminist Irish nationalist, Anna Parnell, a brief reference to Helen Taylor in a newspaper piqued my interest. It was written in 1909 by the Irish nationalist Jennie…
Sign up to our special panel event, ‘Women’s Reproductive and Maternal Health’
We are delighted to welcome Dr Krista Milne, Esther Freeman and Ruoyu Jia to the Women’s History Network Seminar Series for our panel on women’s reproductive and maternal health. The seminar will take place at 10am-11.30am BST on Tuesday 23rd…
Call for Papers: Women’s History Scotland Annual Conference
Women’s History in Scotland: Then and Now Friday 18th September 2026; Online via Zoom Women’s History Scotland are delighted to announce a call for papers for a one-day conference taking place on Friday 18th September 2026. This conference will be…