Last week I declined an invitation to go on Radio 4’s Today programme. I had good reasons for doing this, as I hope I’ll be able to convince you, but I still felt that I was letting the side down by not seizing the opportunity. Given the low proportion of women who are heard on the programme there was a part of me that thought, whatever the story, whatever my reasons for declining, I should have gritted my teeth and got on with it. I didn’t. And teeth are part of the reason. Gritting them was the last thing I wanted to do as I was living on painkillers due to toothache and had an early morning dentist’s appointment booked for the very morning they wanted me to participate. In principle, if timings had been as they said, it would have been viable if complicated for me to do both. I could have got the broadcast over on one side of Cambridge and nipped across (in the rush hour? Nipping anywhere in Cambridge is pretty optimistic) to the other to get my tooth sorted. In my experience, the BBC’s timings often don’t turn out as they say. No way was I going to miss my appointment and with it the beginning of the end of my toothache. So I declined.
However, there was another reason for saying no – and it’s hard to know which had greater weight with me: I wasn’t particularly keen on the story I was being asked to speak to. The news had broken that the Bank of England had Jane Austen ‘in reserve’ to put on one of the new banknotes; they wanted to run a story about the importance of recognizing women more generally. That’s fine in principle but I have to admit I cannot get particularly worked up about the ‘women on banknotes’ campaign. That’s not to say I wouldn’t be delighted to see Jane Austen or some other remarkable woman or women appearing on the notes. I am a great Austen fan and have to ration how often I read her novels so that custom does not stale her infinite variety or, at least (in my case) their ability to cheer. Her novels are definite comfort- reading for me.
The problem for me is that I feel there are many more important battles to win, more female role models to celebrate and promote in many different situations. I don’t believe a young girl will ever aspire to be the face that appears on a banknote, whereas we should want them to aspire to be actual professionals – engineers, physicists, FTSE100 Directors or surgeons, whatever takes their fancy (with the possible exception of aspiring to be a WAG which, realistically, I fear many do). These strike me as more important situations in which it is imperative the imagery reflects those, still disappointingly few, who have risen through the ranks. The campaign for a female Doctor Who strikes me as a better battle to fight too. A young girl who aspires to be a female Time Lord (I’m sorry, I baulk at the idea of a Time Lady; it doesn’t convey at all the same sense of mastery, sounding too like a tea lady) is aspiring to power and knowledge. Good things to aim at, much more so than passively sitting on a banknote.
For my generation of young viewers, the women who first appeared on Doctor Who seemed merely to be required to scream, get in the way and look helpless, usually (if memory serves me right) in a white plastic miniskirt. There was, as I recall, always a second side-kick who was male and somewhat more helpful to the Doctor, although ultimately their role was often to rescue that nuisance of a girl. In 50 years some progress has been made, but having a woman take over from Matt Smith would complete the progression. So that battle, albeit still a symbolic totem rather than an actual flesh and blood role model, has more support from me.
The second problem for me regarding the banknote issue is that it is clear that over the centuries there are far more famous and influential men for the Bank of England to choose from. I know that there are many women who did amazing things, often barely recognized let alone celebrated, over the centuries, but as household names they are few and far between. The reasons for the campaign are obvious but requiring there to be a woman on one of the banknotes is a form of quota, which I remain ambivalent about. Fighting the battle today for boardroom positions, or getting more women to senior positions in academia or in the High Court is a battle higher up my mental list of priorities. I feel it is more important to tackle changing behaviour at work and changing societal expectations right from birth, than worrying about a face on a banknote. After all, I couldn’t reliably name those who are currently on the notes I frequently handle (which means, not the £50 note!). I do know that Elizabeth Fry is on one of them but not which one without checking. I wonder how many people know who’s on which currently.
Now the BBC reporter who contacted me said they wanted to broaden the discussion out from the specifics to the more general, but it would still have necessarily started with a position with which I am not particularly in sympathy. That is not a good point from which to kick off an interview. So I declined. I don’t know if they did indeed cover a broader range of situations than simply the banknotes. Indeed I don’t know if they ran the story at all: after all, I was on my way to the dentist’s…..
Sorry what/who is a WAG ?
I guess this is British usage: refers to footballers’ wives and girlfriends (hence WAGs).
Getting women economists onto the Bank’s key Monetary Policy Committee, for example, is more important than onto their bank notes.
And yes, non-economist readers, there are a good few female economists easily as qualified and capable as the men who comprise the MPC (sets interest rates) today.
Bitingly good piece, thanks. You really got your teeth into the argument.
I find myself in rare agreement with you. The women-on-banknotes issue trivializes a much more important issue.
Just to make a terribly geeky point: there can’t be a female Doctor Who as it doesn’t make any sense. Granted, it is a rather flexible fantasy universe, but it is one in which “Time Ladies” do exist, and our particular Gallifreyan is male.
I agree that there should be stronger female roles in the telly show, as it is the perfect tool to reach young girls. But feel I must also point out that, from the very beginning of the relaunch – despite some controversy, especially regarding episodes written by Steven Moffat – there has been. It seems a particular priority of the programme, as does the inclusion of individuals from across the sexual spectrum, and all sorts of other right-thinking ideas. It is already a very different beast from the original show.
The work done there does need to be continued and developed – in other telly shows, in representation on the radio and in politics, in day-to-day behaviour, and in the proliferation of successful and strong women throughout society in whatever media that may be, from boardrooms to banknotes. This would not only provide the broadest scope for individual inspiration – which, after all, cannot be decided by an outsider – but it works towards the same goals that you define as being actually important.
I don’t see any of these campaigns as existing in opposition to one another (except, of course, the Doctor Who one, on grounds of fantasy pedantry!). Nor do I see much point in dividing them into a hierarchy of importance. Regardless of result – though I do assign this more importance than you – I find the response to the banknote campaign encouraging and educational. At the very least, it has been and is a great entry point for young campaigners into issues they will then take throughout life and pass on, thereby helping to change societal expectations from birth.
There is a female Time Lord, of a sort – Melody Pond. Played by the excellent, feisty, role-modellish and (if I might say so) sensationally sexy Alex Kingston. And, moreover, not only is she a female Time Lord, she’s a Female Time Lord of a Certain Age. Which is good.
More seriously, Dr Who (and its spinoffs, Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures) has done a great deal recently to wear down stereotypes. Characters are very far from always white or male. Who can forget the extravagantly gay Captain Jack, the middle-aged heroine Sarah Jane Smith, the mouthy ex-policewoman Gwen Wossername from Torchwood?
SF and Fantasy franchises are often well ahead of the game – it was Star Trek that had the first multiracial crew (and the first interracial kiss on TV). The literati, who turn their noses up at such things, often do not realise this.
Interesting position. But I think you can, and must, fight the war for equality on many fronts, simultaneously. In boards, in labs, on notes, etc. All such battles, despite some appearing insignificant, contribute to the war effort.
The importance of women on bank notes should not be underestimated. This is, after all, the item our society values most. Hence, female representation on (at least one) denomination emits important signals, consciously and sub-consciously. But as stated, this must be seen and fought as just one part of a bigger war effort (OK, enough of war metaphors, almost going Churchillian here).
As for role-models for young women, isn’t Jane Austen be a good one? Female author in 18th-19th century, self-confident, smart, master of satire. Certainly no WAG. As for more modern ones, yes, I think Rosalind Franklin would be a good choice.
As for gender quota on notes, perhaps Sweden (my native country) leads the way. A facial currency reform draws near there too; a reform which will see the sexes take equal turns. Six notes. Three men, three women. All of them cultural personalities. I’ve written a column on this topic, comparing Sweden’s and Britain’s currency reforms, on my recently started blog.
http://andreiliberec.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/chicks-on-quids-kings-and-crowns.html
Hope you dental appointment went well.