1. Feminism

2. The History of Feminism is the history of Feminist movements
Feminist scholars, often refer to three 'waves'. Each is described as dealing with different aspects of the same feminist issues.
The first refers to the feminism movement of the 19th through early 20th centuries, which dealt mainly with the Suffrage movement.

3. The second (1960s-1980s) dealt with the inequality of laws, as well as cultural inequalities
The Third (1990s-current), is seen as both a continuation and a response to the issues raised in the Second-wave.

4. During the Second World War women were able to contribute much more than in the previous war, especially in skills and professional expertise, as a result of the educational and employment opportunities that had opened to them. However at the end of the war they again found that many of the apparent gains were short term.

5. Women and men’s work
Women were asked to return to the ‘home’ and give back their jobs in industry to the men returning from the war.

6. Second Wave
The second (1960s-1980s) dealt with the inequality of laws, as well as cultural inequalities
Women began to question their role in society and rebel against the confines of
inequality and patriarchal oppression.
Gender politics became a rallying issue for many men and women on a social and personal level

8. Women's role 1950—70’s Women in the home – wife and mother
Needs consent of father or husband to take out any debt or get a mortgage
Single parents condemned –many forced to give up their children for adoption
Low pay – subservient jobs

9. Issues Right to vote Reproductive rights – birth control – abortion
Hidden from history – reclaiming history
Equal pay and equal rights at work
Recognition of women’s contribution to the economy as a whole
Sexuality –Freedom to express sexual desires and feelings
Body image and the male gaze
Pornography Rape, sexual and physical violence against women.
Patriarchal society and Man made Language

10. Made in degenham

11. Hidden from history
Many facts about women in history were excluded from the history books.
The so called objective status of historical facts was then put into question
The gendered image is a construct and it alerts us to the question of the non neutrality of knowledge. –

12. Hidden from history
Rediscovered women of the past and explored why women as defined by males were excluded from many history books.
Women were very energised by rediscovering the past and rejecting the long held interpretations of patriarchy which wanted to subjugate and oppress women into a lesser role in society.

13. Women discover there are women artists in the theatre throughout history
Roman times --Theadora
a mimes born in Constantinople – father a bear keeper
She was a dancer and Mimes performer –
eventually married to ruler Justinian AD521 becoming
empress
Mid 10th century
Hrotsvit Von Gandersheim
She worked in a convent wrote several plays
e.g Dulcitius –
Callimachus which centres on rape and consent to sexual relations
They were rediscovered by the suffragettes and
Papphinutus– performed in London in 1914 by the Pioneer players directed by Edith Craig –(suffragette actress/.director)

14. ) Aphra Behn
Wrote eighteen plays – made a living from her writing – several plays had major runs in the west end. She was widowed at a young age and forced to earn her living
Her first play The forced Marriage produced in 1670
‘The Busy Body’ had over 450 performances.
Best known play ‘The Rover was on stage form 1677 – 1760 – 
) – SUSANNA CENTLIVRE
she would dress as a man and go to the university and attend classes
Wrote the ‘The Perjur’d husband ‘ 1700
We have a theme of cross-dressing in many feminist texts
She has been an inspiration for women since
Virginia Wolf looked to her for inspiration
1773 Mrs Mercy Otis Warren –
American playwright – starts by writing plays in support of the American revolutionaries.
The Ladies of Castile 1790 – heroine is a female revolutionary leader called Maria

15. Start again!!
By 1970 much knowledge of Edwardian women in theatre and performance is lost and has to be rediscovered
Women’s plays are often not mentioned in the history books or in literature
This creates a false picture that women are not able to write plays of lasting worth.

16. Influential Books or Texts
Mary wolstencroft –
The Rights Of Women (1792)
Simone de Beauvoir
The Second Sex (1949).
Germane Greer
The Female Eunuch (1970)
Gloria Steinem -Ms. Magazine (1970)
Kate Millett's
Sexual Politics (1970)
This is a bleak survey of male writers and their attitudes and biases to demonstrates her thesis that sex is politics, and politics is power and there is an imbalance in relationships.

17. Influential Books or Texts
Sheila Rowbotham's
Women's Liberation and the New Politics (1969)
Hidden from History (1973)
Susan Brownmiller's
Against Our Will in 1975,
Marylyn French
The Women's room (1977)
Andrea Dworkin
Pornography Men Possessing Women (1981)
Susan Griffin
Pornography and Silence (1981).

20. Creative politics The political is personal and the personal is political
Women's theatre groups mushroomed during the 1970s and 1980s, reflecting the socialist and feminist spirits of the age. Issues they tackled ranged from the gender-based ,reproductive rights, domestic violence to the cultural and political -mental health, the nuclear threat, equal pay.
The watchword was collaboration, the emphasis on devised work.
These groups were determined to demolish the restricting stereotypes of what women should be and how they should behave.

21. Bag and Baggage
Cunning Stunts
Female Trouble
The Hairy Marys
Hormone Imbalance
ReSisters
Monstrous Regiment
Scarlet Harlots
Spare tyre
Women's Theatre Group
Clean Break

22. Theatre groups from 1970’s- Their names said it all:
Bag and Baggage
Cunning Stunts
Female Trouble
The Hairy Marys
Hormone Imbalance
ReSisters
Monstrous Regiment
Scarlet Harlots,
Spare tyre
Women's Theatre Group
Clean Break
During the feminist days women turned to theatre and the arts to express their politics, communal bonds and artistic visions. They used space that was other than designed theatres- they performed in many different places and took theatre and performance into the community.

23. 1975 The Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company
Was established by a series of female and male performers from a wide background from theatre to television.
discovering and encouraging new women writers
exploring the theory of feminist culture
reasserting the 'hidden history' of women
creating non-stereotyped images of women
acting as a consciousness-raising group,

24. Monstrous Regiment The aims of the new group included
creating non-stereotyped images of women,
acting as a consciousness-raising group,
attempting the theorising and practice of collectively and finding a new audience.
They also intended to address the issue of women's economic status in the theatre, where average income was around 50% of male performers by offering them new working opportunities both on and off the stage.
From 1976 they obtained funding from the Arts Council of Great Britain for their work and set about producing a number of productions

25. Oval Theatre
Oval House Theatre's reputation as "one of the most important centres for pioneer fringe theatre groups" dates from the 1960s, supporting the experimental theatre companies of the '60s and '70s
Helping the emergence of gay, lesbian and women's theatre.
Also the development of new Black and Asian writing in the '90s and into the next millennium.
Oval House still today programmes work by some of the most innovative, cutting edge theatre practitioners in Britain and beyond.

26. Playwrights Out of the movement as with the suffragettes have developed many established and successful women writers
Shelagh Delaney
Caryl Churchill – Top girls – Vinegar Tom
Sarah Daniels- Masterpieces- Gut girls –
Byrony Lavery
Michelene Wandor;
Adrienne Scullion;
Timberlake Wertenbaker
Pam Gems:– Dusa Fish Stas and Vi
Sarah Kane, ---Blasted
Charlotte Keatley, My Mother said I never should.
April De Angelis
Winsome Pinnock,
Claire MacDonald

27. Production of Vinegar Tom by
Caryl Churchill

28. Today
Now, with a few notable exceptions – women's theatre as a genre is not so popular. Still around are;
The Women's Theatre Group now called Sphinx
Clean Break --which still works with women ex- offenders
1990’s gender is not the main issue women no longer want to be ghettoised as ‘ women’s theatre groups’ .

29. Was the Battle Won? So what happened between then and now?
The movement was held back by Margaret Thatcher, whose ideas that er are all individuals was destructive to reconstructing communal bonds between women.
Divisions within feminism may also have played a part. Different companies had distinct philosophies, particularly on the question of whether the artistic aspects of theatre or its political message should come first.

30. Was the Battle Won? In some ways the battles had been won?
Women had achieved greater economic social and sexual freedom ?
Had the establishment managed to discredit feminism with images of raging bra burning harridans?
The next generation wanted a new focus?
Women are equal?

31. Third Wave Postmodernism – recognises contradictory experience
Younger feminists do not want to think in categories which divide people into ‘Us’ and ‘Them’
They embrace ambiguity rather than certainty and engage in multiple views but at the same time are aware of exploitation and inequality.

32. Women in Theatre and the Arts Today
Women are now much more involved in all aspects of the theatre – film – music dance- TV
Managers
Administrators
Artistic Directors
Experienced artists

34. Sheffield group 2011
Hello From Sheffield Fems
Posted in Sheffield Fems on April 08, 2010 by Sheffield Fems
Sheffield Fems was started a few years ago by the wonderful Laura Woodhouse (of the F word blog) and a group of women from Sheffield University with the aim of campaigning on issues and bringing like mind women together.

35. Web sites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bug6EyIb_AE&nohtml5=False
(slide show )

36. Web sites Below is web site re women and film directors