[i]My life-long fascination with the role of gender in shaping women’s working lives began when, at the age of six, a doctor asked me if I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up. When I answered that I…
Category: Blog and News
News items of interest to WHN Members
Women writing: EM Delafield, Russia and Writing Retreats by Dr Geraldine Perriam
As someone whose research often centres on women writers, I am interested in the authorial space and the conflicts of domestic life for women who write. During Covid-19 restrictions, those conflicts have been highlighted by the closure of schools, universities…
Bringing Ourselves Along with Us: The Realities of Historical Writing
I am a minoritized scholar – something that is usually clear by looking at me – working with disenfranchised communities: Black women in nineteenth century France. But I state it clearly when I speak to classes or do more formalized…
Female Petitioning to Monarchs and the Criminal Process in England, 1660-1702 by Emily Rhodes
In browsing the English State Papers in the National Archives at Kew or the State Papers Online database, one of the most common types of documents you will encounter are petitions to the crown. Within this subset of records, there…
Herstories Student Conference – 8 March 2021
On 8th March 2021 the Women’s History Network held a student conference called Studying Herstories. Due to the Covid pandemic, this took place online enabling a wide range of speakers and attendees from different backgrounds, institutions, and career stages to…
The Miracle Workers Research Project at The Devil’s Porridge Museum by Laura Noakes
The Devil’s Porridge Museum in Eastriggs commemorates the story of H.M. Factory Gretna, a munitions factory which produced cordite in World War One. 30,000 people came from all over the UK and beyond to work at the factory, and a…
The bizarre 1858 ‘Princes Park Crinoline Case’: 13-year-old girl is key witness in Liverpool’s highest-attendance trial by Tony Whittaker
Pleasant autumn weather on Monday 1 November 1858 prompted governess Jane Marsh (20) to give her two charges, Mary Hayes (13½) and sister Alice (12), a break from studies. After an early lunch, they bid farewell to two younger sisters…
The Decriminalisation of Abortion in The Maritime Provinces of Canada and Scotland by Amy Joyce
The Maritime Provinces of Canada and Scotland have strong historical ties that link the areas closely. In both places, the decriminalisation of abortion in the late 1960s was a milestone in women’s history but sparked fierce pro-choice and pro-life debates…
Fellowships for Independent Researchers
The Women’s History Network is offering a small grant of up to £750 to support the direct costs of those researching women’s history, for those who are not employed in higher education. The research should be intended to lead to…