1. Women’s History Some key questions and concepts to consider

2. There are fewer women than men mentioned in history books. Look at the following four slides for clues to the reasons why.

3. Before Elizabeth I, there had been 50 kings and only 2 queens. Why?

4. Copyright National Maritime Museum National Portrait Gallery, London: NPG 514 Nelson was a great admiral, Cromwell was a significant political leader and Jenner was an important scientist. Why were there no female admirals, politicians or scientists for large periods of history? What roles did women have instead?

5. In the past, historians have mainly been men. Why? Would women historians have written about different things?

6. Jewish Chronicle Archive/Heritage-Images Rosalind Franklin helped discover the molecular structure of DNA in the 1950s but her work was not recognised in many science books until the 1990s. Why did this happen? Have other women been overlooked?

7. Can teaching women’s history help people today?

8. ‘There is nothing so fascinating as spending a night out in an African forest, but I do not advise anyone to follow the practice’. Mary Kingsley There have been lots of extraordinary women in history. What do you think Mary’s and Elizabeth’s professions were? Can you name more famous women in history? ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach’ (Sonnet 43) Elizabeth Barrett-Browning

9. Can looking at extraordinary women in history (like Mary and Elizabeth) help people to see women in a different light? Toady’s media often shows images of women and girls as fashion models or girlfriends of famous men.

10. Women in this country and overseas do not always have the same opportunities as men. Can looking at women’s history enhance the lives of women today?

11. Some of the ideas and examples in this document are taken from Rosalind Miles’s book ‘The Women’s History of the World’. Copyright 2011-12 © WomensHistoryMonth. All rights reserved March is Women’s History Month 8 th of March is International Women’s Day