Kat Banyard

Another field that was dominated by men was publishing, and again thanks to their investment and enabling, women would rise to prominence as authors of fiction. The famous Brontë sisters may have had short lives, but their works are still read with enthusiasm today. Emily Brontë died aged just  thirty, possibly because she ignored medical advice. Charlotte had been married for less than a year when she died just short of her thirty-ninth birthday and heavily pregnant. Had they been born a century later, all three sisters might well have lived to old age.

In the ancient world, sons were preferred to daughters because they were expected to support their parents in old age. In the Arab world, if a woman gave birth to a daughter who was considered “superfluous” to requirements, she would be taken into the desert and buried alive. The Prophet himself is said to have put an end to this barbaric practice, and indeed while the religion is today often attacked as violating women’s rights, Islam goes out of its way to protect both sexes.

An exhibition called Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights was due to open at the British Library April 24. With the current situation there are of course serious doubts about its opening at all, but it is scheduled to run until August, so presumably the entire event won’t be cancelled.

Interview with Karen Ingala Smith about the Femicide Census
by Ian Sinclair
Morning Star
8 March 2017