International Women's Day 2023

By Dr. Diane Hodgson, Director of Studies, MSc Gestalt Psychotherapy 

The 8th of March is International Women’s day which falls within Women’s history month. 

As I wrote this quiz I  reflected on my own history and interest in women’s rights. 

When I was 17 I went on my first “reclaim the night march”. I was inspired by what I perceived as a totally inappropriate and illogical response to Peter Sutcliffe ( the Yorkshire ripper) murdering women close to where I lived. There was an attempt to put a curfew on women, when everyone know that the perpetrator was a man. I couldn’t understand why the curfew was not on men. 

I am old enough to remember the strikes by women at the Ford car plant in Dagenham over the lack of equal pay - now made into a rather good film “Made in Dagenham” and well worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. Those women inspired the equal pay act. 

So here is where we are over 40 years later.  Some things have changed a lot, and for the better. Other things are painfully slow, or have gone backwards. We still don’t have equal pay almost 50 years after the legislation. No rush though eh! We know that women suffered more in the pandemic. Misogyny is rife. Women are still being murdered, and even by the police. Personally, I am no further forward in understanding why women are blamed for the actions of men. 

All that said, I was shocked by some of the appalling statistics when I researched for the quiz. I have been a marcher most of my life. I sometimes wonder why we are not out on the streets more. Maybe I was buoyed by the optimism of youth, and now clearly feel somewhat flattened by the triumph of hope over experience. There is still much to do.

I hope you will do the quiz, reflect on your responses to the answers, and be inspired to do something in honour of the Dagenham sewing machinists. 

Click here to complete the quiz