Busy times for FemBookSoc

by Clemmie P, Mia C and Charlotte S

We've been incredibly busy in FemBookSoc recently, hosting a series of thought-provoking presentations on a wide range of topics. These presentations explored many subjects, ranging from Virginia Woolf and women in the classics, to the Equal Rights Amendment, women on the American Frontier, and the rise of femcels.

Among our favourites were Ms Jeffery's talk on the women's peace camp at Greenham Common, which explored the intersection of feminism and the anti-nuclear peace movement. We also thoroughly enjoyed Sienna, Myrtle and Francesca's presentation,'Was Jane Austen a Feminist?', which looked into Pride and Prejudice and compared the roles of women in novels like Emma, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park.

We were fortunate enough to have the exciting opportunity to present to the school surrounding this year's theme of International Women's Day, 'Accelerate Action'. This theme calls for repositioning our attention from just celebrating feminist history and its progression to imagining what an equal society looks like, and the steps we can take to achieve this. Within our assembly we tracked the history of International Women's Day from the first official recognition of the day in Austria in 1911 to the UN's final acknowledgment of it in 1975, before taking a look at how inequality manifests within our society still today. We focused on dismantling societal attitudes from physical forms of misogyny and then we looked at how each of us can make a difference. From calling out sexist behaviour to pushing for legal change, tackling inequality is about small acts, as well as the major ones. 

After last term's presentation on Laura Bates and her book Fix The System, Not The Women, FemBookSoc has been taking a multitude of her ideas forward into our sessions. We are also hoping that we will be able to have Laura Bates in to school for a talk next academic year, so be sure to watch this space!

In true FemBookSoc spirit, we thought we would also include some book suggestions for those who want to do some feminist reading over Easter. Laura Bates has written another book called Misogynation: The True Scale of Sexism, which details accounts of misogyny in all areas of life, but we would urge you to consider reading any of her books. Books such as The Guilty Feminist and Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and Other Lies) are a lighthearted exploration of what feminism means in our life today. For those of you who want to consider how the law intersects with feminism, How Many More Women? by Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida explores the systemic failures of our justice system in providing equitable access to justice for women. Continuing in the legislative strand of thought, Misjustice: How British Law is Failing Women by Helena Kennedy is another brilliant exposition of the British Justice system's failure to keep women safe, especially in the criminal sector.

Any aspiring classicists or public speakers may also enjoy Mary Beard's Women and Power: A Manifesto, and The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart is an interesting exploration of the intangible and immeasurable unconscious bias that many members of society hold. Jo Swinson's Equal Power is also a brilliant exploration of how sexism permeates every day of our lives, but also, crucially, how we can fix it. Finally, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists is an empowering book (and can also be watched as a TedTalk) which is a staunch demand for equality. 

Most of these books can be found in the Library, but be sure to ask the Librarians and they will help direct you to where you can best find them. 

If you want any more suggestions, do not hesitate to contact c.peerless@put.gdst.net, m.costello@put.gdst.net or c.sadler@put.gdst.net – we would be more than happy to help you.