LEADING THE That changed. Today there is a growing enthusiasm for equality campaigns. Social media has democratised feminist activism, opening up participation to anyone with a Twitter account MOVEMENT a desire to fight the patriarchy. It has led to campaigns like #BringBackOurGirls, when the girls of Chibok were kidnapped, and the hundreds of thousands of responses to #EverydaySexism and #MeToo of rape threats, body-shaming slurs, FIONA sexual assault and more crimes against women. The centenary year of the first women getting the right to vote celebrated women’s leadership, from MACTAGGART the campaign for a woman’s statue in Westminster square to the Women’s March London. This year, at Plenary Speech the rather smaller Women’s March, I talked to two young women who have just relaunched the South London Fawcett Society. Following a speech to their 28th January 2019, LONDON meeting from a representative of BPAS1, they had drafted a letter calling for a buffer zone to protect women seeking abortion from praising protesters showing photographs of mangled foetuses. I encouraged them to send it to the council, and hen Shaks There are positive they were thrilled when, within days, the local “ gave the developments. When I first Cabinet Member invited them to meet to discuss challenge stood for election 21 years their plans. New to campaigning, they had assumed of sharing ago, there were more MPs it would be much harder to get anywhere. I know the lessons called John than women in that they won’t stop now. for women Parliament. Now, women are leaders only outnumbered 2:1. We As an MP in 2015 I helped to bring into being the today of have a declared feminist in Women and Equalities select committee, a national women who have helped the Royal family, we are on echo of committees in local government which Wto change the world in the second British woman had been mocked in the national media 40 years the past, I was up for Prime Minister and while earlier. By 2015 I even felt a bit like an echo of Jo the challenge. Too many only 37% of people describe when I encountered gatherings of young feminists models of leadership are themselves as feminist campaigning on these issues. male. I wanted to reflect when they are reminded on whether women do it what feminism means: So the enthusiasm for organisation of and by differently, and how can someone who advocates women can change in a relatively short time we use the lessons of the and supports equal and to be honest I can identify no single lesson past to make an impact opportunities for women. about women’s leadership from past movements, on the world today where Most women and 49% of every movement of women has been diverse in women are still unequal. men are happy to describe its approach. Even in the struggle for votes there themselves that way. was great difference between the quasi military We may have the vote, but approach of Emmeline Pankhurst who led her fewer than 1 in 3 MPs are I was an active young suffragettes into violent actions against the women. We may have the feminist during the state and the steady research and polodding on right to work, but despite second wave of the of Millicent Fawcett, who first collected signature equal pay legislation being women’s liberation for the right of women to vote at the age of 19 introduced more than movement. I vividly and continued to build organisations for women’s 50 years ago, women at remember Jo Richardson, suffrage and lead campaigns until she finally the median are paid less the MP for Barking, who saw equal voting rights in 1928 when she was 82. 18.4% less than men. Every used to come along to It’s fantastic example of persistence which is an political party is committed almost all events. But when important quality in a leader. to see equality, yet in some I was elected to Parliament respects, the condition of 20 years ago, most of the Lots of people know about the differences between women is going backwards. young women I met tended the suffragists and the suffragettes, in fact most of For example, despite the to think that the struggle the time they worked together, jointly organising fact that more women have against discrimination was the first big public demonstration, which became the confidence to report old hat and irrelevant to known as the mud march because of the terrible rape, with a 15% increase their lives; they weren’t weather. Any organisation of women needs to make in police reports, the going to be victims of the most of its allies, forging strong relationships number of prosecutions discrimination. and working together. The default response of for rape last year actually the patriarchy is to depict women’s organisations fell by 21% to a 10-year low. as eccentric or extreme and it is by joining together we can demonstrate that our demands are actually mainstream. 1 British Pregnancy Advisory Service. The campaigners for votes for women This was a face of the new feminist whose services are less sensitive to and women’s liberation shared belief the personal is political. the needs of women. It’s led to the most important characteristic And now in the days of new media: housing associations running regues required by an effective leader, it’s easier to campaign using real which can only be accessed from 9 which is to have faith in your beliefs. experience: Laura Bates set up the to 5, and recently a justice minister Strong commitment to the cause everyday sexism website with no wrote to the members of parliament motivates others to commit. All these backing or big publicity machine, for Brighton expecting to be praised movements, suffragism, suffragettes, when she realised that she didn’t for his investment in a women’s women’s liberation were certain that call out the petty harassments she centre there. They were furious the cause they were working for was faced as she went about her daily because the existing women’s centre right and true and their commitment life/ Within a very short space of had not received the money, but a was a big part of what attracted time thousands of women had used generic support organisation had. others to the cause. That commitment the platform to describe their own accompanied a clear vision of what experiences, which did a lot to The message I take from this is that they aim to achieve. Successful reveal how common these actions women-led organisations need to leaders need the skill to communicate are in women’s lives. merge so that they can work at scale their vision simply. The slogan was to compete with bigger voluntary votes for women, not fair votes, or Laura faced a relentless backlash organisations which are at the equal franchise. The logo of the 2nd from men threatening her with rape, front of the queue for government wave women’s liberation movement but she remains optimistic, another resources. There is a fear that merger was the symbol for woman with a fist important characteristic of leader. may dilute the authenticity and local in it: a powerful but simple way to connection, but well organised and communicate that the ambition of the “In five years, I have respectfully led mergers would not movement was to assert, then express make this inevitably and would put and use the power of women. learned that the problem us in a better position to compete for resources. It’s a challenge for women The women’s liberation movement is immense, but the will leaders in the voluntary sector. started with 4 demands: equal pay, equal education and job to fight it is greater still” The statue of Millicent Fawcett opportunities, free contraception she says. Ironically, the women’s in Westminster Square shows and abortion on demand and free 24 liberation movement deliberately her holding a banner hour nurseries, Its conference added eschewed the concept of leadership. financial and legal independence Their mission was to raise the and a woman’s right to define her consciousness of women to liberate “COURAGE sexuality. It wasn’t until 1978 that themselves, working collaboratively freedom from male violence was in local groups. With no obvious leader added as a specific demand. I suspect there was no official representative. that is because in the 70s the extent As a result, mavericks like Germaine CALLS TO of male violence towards women Greer became spokespeople because wasn’t talked about, it was the era the media need to identify a voice. of police treating violence in the The lesson from that is plan your COURAGE home as ‘just a domestic’ and not communication, don’t assume that prosecuting this criminal behaviour. just because you are doing good, all But a large part of the power of that will come across. If you are not EVERYWHERE”. women’s movement has been based available and ready, someone else on naming the things that are not who is probably younger, prettier And courage is an important publicly named and talked about. and more media savvy will occupy quality of a leader. Women’s the space you have made. movements have always had to Janet Hadly in Micheline be brave because they consistently Wandors book about second But the message of women’s liberation challenge the status quo. The women wave feminism wrote – that by working together we can who picketed the miss world pageant become more powerful – did have in the 60s, the South Asian women, “they put into some very positive effects.