Few could argue the impact the suffragette movement had on the voting rights of women in early twentieth century Britain. While one has to wonder why it was necessary for women to argue, fight and sacrifice for their true place in British society, especially when women at the age of 18 in New Zealand peacefully gained the vote in 1893, it is clear that Emmeline Pankhurst played a significant part in equality for British women’s suffrage. (more…)

Dorothea Hodge is a founding director of Aequitas Consulting. She is a former Special Adviser to the Leader of the House of Lords.  In a career spanning over 15 years in politics and corporate communications she has provided political counsel to most of the UK Cabinet including the former Prime Minister – The Rt Hon Tony Blair, (more…)

When the Colombian pop star Shakira last toured the United Kingdom, a number of commentators pointed out how many men had managed to engineer interviews with her. Serious music critics from the heavyweight broadsheet newspapers had deigned to focus their attention on this young woman, this purveyor of trifling pop confections, and had reported back breathlessly, full of admiration that would normally be reserved for angsty and sullen teenagers in skinny jeans with guitars. (more…)