Forty years ago, and no doubt it goes back far longer than that, these things happened, whereby some men thought they could touch or grope a woman as and when they felt like it, with no fear of reprisal. More often than not, these men were in a position of power and women felt it was something they had to endure, for fear of losing their job.
I have spoken to many, many of my contemporaries and, without exception, they had all experienced this in one way or another, and it occurred from workplace to workplace. That was THEN, when it was a completely different culture of behaviour, but it really saddens me that this sort of thing is still going on.
But, as with those brave suffragettes all those years ago, women are finally, COLLECTIVELY, saying “No! We are not prepared to put up with this any longer - enough is enough”, and those men who abused their position, are being made to realise that they were totally out of order. For far too long, this whole thing has been brushed under the carpet, but no more.
Whilst carrying out research relating to Votes for Women, I was surprised to learn that when the Act was finally passed in February 2018, the minimum age that women could register their vote was 30.
A further ten years would pass before women were given the vote on equal terms as men, at the age of 21.
It is a matter of some pride that the first woman MP to take her seat in the House of Commons in 1919, was Nancy Astor, who represented my home City of Plymouth, here in Devon. In fact, she represented the City for thirty years.
The Suffragettes attached importance to their dress and appearance. Anything masculine was to be avoided, and even when setting forth to smash windows, as part of their protest, they would always wear a hat.
