Diane Abbott

Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation

Going on the last available data there are more than 23,000 girls in the UK who are currently at risk of FGM, and
more than 60,000 women who are now living with its consequences.

The only way that we are going to be able to prevent this violation of the bodies of young girls is to get serious about
prosecution. In 2003 it was made illegal for people to take girls abroad for them to be cut, but since that time there
have been no prosecutions on the basis of this law.

It is clear that to see successful enforcement of the law then we need to start changing our approach. Our strategy
should include routinemedical examinations, ensuring that if people flout the 1985 and 2003 acts against FGM they
know that they will actually face the risk of prosecution. iane Julie Abbott (born 27 September 1953) is a

British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) forHackney North and
Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of
Commons.[2]In 2010, Abbott became Shadow Public Health Minister after unsuccessfully standing for
election as leader of the Labour Party[3][4][5]but was removed in a reshuffle three years later.[6]
Abbott was born to Jamaican immigrants in London in 1953. Her father was a welder and her mother
a nurse.[7] She attended Harrow County Grammar School for Girls, and then Newnham
College, Cambridge, where she read history.[8] At Cambridge, she was tutored by historian Simon
Schama.[9] She has since said that Cambridge was the making of her.[10] After university she became
an administration trainee at the Home Office (1976 to 1978), and then a Race Relations Officer at
the National Council for Civil Liberties(1978 to 1980).[11] Abbott was a researcher and reporter
at Thames Television from 1980 to 1983 and then a researcher and reporter at the breakfast
television company TV-am from 1983 to 1985. Abbott was a press officer at the Greater London
Councilunder Ken Livingstone from 1985 to 1986 and Head of Press and Public Relations
at Lambeth Council from 1986 to 1987.[11]

Political career[edit]
Abbott's career in politics began in 1982 when she was elected to Westminster City Council serving
until 1986. In 1987 she was elected to the House of Commons, replacing the deselected serving
Labour MP Ernest Roberts as MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington. Along with Keith
Vaz, Bernie Grant and Paul Boateng she became part of the first black and Asian intake in
Parliament in decades, with Abbott being the first ever woman from an African Caribbean
background to be elected as an MP.[12]
Abbott has a record of differing from some party policies, describing herself as the 'only candidate
who listened and voted again theIraq war',[10] opposing ID cards and campaigning against
the renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear weapons.[13] She has been seen as a "maverick, a freethinker, willing to rebel against the party machine". [14]
Abbott's speech on civil liberties, in the debate on the Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008[15] won The
Spectator magazine's "Parliamentary Speech of the Year" award[16] and further recognition at the
2008 Human Rights awards.[17]
Abbott has served on a number of parliamentary committees on social and international issues. For
most of the 1990s she also served on the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons.
[18]

She went on to serve on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. [18]

Abbott chairs the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and
Thalassemia Group.[18]
Abbott is founder of the London Schools and the Black Child initiative, which aims to raise
educational achievement levels amongst black children. [19]
In May 2010, she was re-elected in her constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, with a
doubled majority on an increased turn-out.[20]
At Goldsmiths, University of London, 26 October 2012, A Jubilee celebrations at Goldsmiths to
honour Hackney MP Diane Abbotts 25 years in Parliament with series of concerts by Linton Kwesi
Johnson, Kadija Sesay, and others.[21][22]
She was given a score of 79% by Stonewall based on how she voted on all pro-gay rights legislation
before Parliament between 2005 and 2010.[23] On 5 February 2013 MP Diane Abbott voted in favour
in the House of Commons Second Reading vote on same-sex marriage in Britain. [24]
Abbot has stated she will consider standing in the London mayoral election, 2016.[25]
2010 Labour Party leadership election and frontbench role [edit]
Main article: Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010
On 20 May 2010 Abbott announced her intention to stand in the Labour leadership contest. She
secured the necessary 33 nominations by 9 June, assisted by the withdrawal of fellow left-wing
candidate John McDonnell and unexpected support from fellow candidate David Miliband.[26][27][28] On
Saturday 25 September 2010, Ed Miliband was announced as the new leader of the Labour Party
with Abbott eliminated in the first round of voting after securing 7.24% of votes. [3]
Abbott was later appointed Shadow Minister for Public Health by Ed Miliband, taking shadow
responsibility for a range of issues including children's health, maternity services, sexual health,
tobacco, nursing, obesity and alcohol abuse.[29]
On the issue of abortion, Abbott has become a vocal pro-choice supporter, opposing moves
towards changing abortion counselling policy, and reducing the abortion time limit. Abbott resigned
from a cross-party group on abortion counselling saying it was no more than a front to push forward
an anti-abortion agenda without debate in parliament. [30]
Diane Abbott speaking at the New Statesman hustings for the Labour Party leadership election, 2010.

Following her move onto the front-bench, the Telegraph said on 27 September 2011 that Abbott had
"become one of Labours best front bench performers".[31]
On 8 October 2013 Abbott's front bench political career came to an abrupt end when she was
sacked as shadow public health minister by Labour leader Ed Miliband, [32] and replaced as Shadow
Public Health Minister by Luciana Berger.[33][34]

Racial comments[edit]

Abbott speaking in 2012

In 1988 Abbott claimed, at a black studies conference in Philadelphia, that "the British invented
racism."[50]
In 1996, Abbott attracted widespread criticism when she claimed that at her local hospital "blonde,
blue-eyed Finnish girls" were unsuitable as nurses because they had "never met a black person
before".[51] The secretary of the all-party Finland group of MPs, Conservative Ian Bruce, responded
by accusing her of using racial stereotypes, adding: "All Scandinavian countries have people from
African and Caribbean countries living there. It shows ignorance to make such remarks." [52] Abbott's
apology came as Marc Wandsworth, executive member of the Anti-Racist Alliance, who is himself
half Finnish, pointed out that the present Miss Finland, Lola Odusoga, is black,
ofNigerian and Finnish descent. "She's a black Finn like me" he said. Abbott's position was
supported by fellow Labour MP Bernie Grant"Bringing someone here from Finland who has never
seen a black person before and expecting them to have to have some empathy with black people is
nonsense. Scandinavian people don't know black people - they probably don't know how to take
their temperature".[53]
On 4 January 2012, Abbott tweeted that: "White people love playing 'divide and rule' We should not
play their game", which again led to widespread criticism including accusations of racism. [54] Only
after being told by the Labour Party leadership that the comment was unacceptable did she
apologise for "any offence caused", claiming that she had not intended to "make generalisations
about white people".[55][56] The Deputy Prime Minister called her comments a "stupid and crass
generalisation". Nadhim Zahawi, Conservative MP, said: "This is racism. If this was a white member
of Parliament saying that all black people want to do bad things to us he would have resigned within
the hour or been sacked."[57] Members of the public lodged complaints but the Metropolitan Police
stated that no investigation would be launched and no charges would be brought against her, saying
she "did not commit a criminal offence."[58]

In January 2012 Abbott suggested that taxi drivers discriminate on racial grounds tweeting that she
was "Dubious of black people claiming theyve never experienced racism. Ever tried hailing a taxi I
always wonder?" [59]

Politician
Born 1953
Well-known for late-night political punditry on BBC1's This Week, and for
wading into controversy, she nevertheless inspired thousands of black girls
when she became the first female black MP in 1987. Her opposition, as a
backbencher, to the Iraq war contributed to her being overlooked for
ministerial office.
Humayra Abedin
Campaigner
Born 1976
The NHS doctor abducted and forced into marriage in Bangladesh by her
family in 2008. She has campaigned for better awareness and openness
among professionals and Asian communities about forced marriage since
her release. Her case, first highlighted in the IoS, led to more victims
coming forward.
Valerie Amos
Politician
Born 1954
Former chief executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission, she was
made a life peer in 1997 and a year later became a minister under Tony
Blair. In May 2003, she succeeded Clare Short as International
Development Secretary, becoming the first female black Cabinet minister.
Remained in Cabinet for four years.
Julie Andrews

Entertainer
Born 1935
Star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, Andrews was the youngest
ever performer at The Royal Variety Performance when she appeared at the
London Palladium when aged 13. She won the first of two Oscars in 1964
for Mary Poppins and her crystal-clear voice is one of the most memorable
of the past century.
Nancy Astor
Politician, 1879-1964
Born in the United States, but deserves a place on our list because in 1919
she became the first woman to take up a seat in House of Commons.
Renowned for her acerbic wit and right-wing views, she was, however,
criticised for refusing to join the suffragette movement.
Joan Bakewell
Journalist
Born 1933
Dubbed the "thinking man's crumpet" when she was the only female
journalist and TV presenter on BBC2's Late Night Line Up a discussion
programme which ran until 1972. She has championed gay rights and, in
2008, was appointed by the Government to act as the voice for older
people.
Helen Bamber
Campaigner
Born 1925
Aged 20, at the end of the Second World War, she entered the BergenBelsen concentration camp to help victims. After the war, she worked with

child survivors of the Holocaust. Her life has been dedicated to human
rights and opposing torture. She was the first chairman of Amnesty
International in Britain.
Camila Batmanghelidjh
Charity worker
Born 1963
Since coming to the UK from Iran as an asylum-seeker when she was
seven, Batmanghelidjh has tried to improve the lives of British children
marginalised by society. She set up Kids Company, a London-based charity
that helps children through psychotherapy, and The Place To Be, which
offers children counselling.
Lilian Baylis
Theatrical pioneer, 1874-1937
Baylis produced a cycle of Shakespeare plays at the Old Vic between 1913
and 1924, a theatre she managed until her death, as well as campaigning to
reopen the derelict Sadler's Wells theatre. She also founded the forerunners
to English National Opera, National Theatre and National Ballet.
Angela Berners-Wilson
Priest
Born 1955
After devoting almost two decades to the Church of England as a deacon,
Berners-Wilson had already proved she was more than capable of full
ministry. In 1994, when the Synod finally allowed women to join the
priesthood, she was the first to be ordained, and paved the way for
hundreds of other women to do the same.
Betty Boothroyd

Politician
Born 1929
A Labour MP for 27 years, she became the first and, so far, only female
Speaker of the House of Commons in 1992. During her eight-year tenure,
the former Tiller girl was highly-regarded for her no-nonsense style and
wit. In her earlier career, she was an anti-apartheid campaigner.
Barbara Castle
Politician, 1910-2002
A Labour MP from 1945 until 1979, the "Red Queen" of British politics
held two Cabinet jobs in Harold Wilson's government. Her white paper on
union reform, In Place of Strife, foundered, yet she was admired across the
Labour movement, fighting, for example, Gordon Brown over pensions
until she died.
Shami Chakrabarti
Civil libertarian
Born 1969
The former Home Office barrister has been director of the civil liberties
and human rights organisation Liberty since 2003, and is a prominent
campaigner against terrorism laws and the detention of prisoners at
Guantanamo Bay. She Is now a household name, and is chancellor of
Oxford Brookes University.
Agatha Christie
Writer, 1890-1976
Best known for her 80 detective novels featuring French detective Hercule
Poirot and the very English Miss Jane Marple, which gave her recognition

as one of the most important writers in the development of the crime genre.
She is still the most translated and best-selling female author in the world.
Caryl Churchill
Playwright
Born 1938
Experimental dramatist who started writing while studying at Oxford
University, she has written more than 40 plays for theatre, TV and radio.
Her work has explored feminist and political themes throughout her career,
using a variety of techniques such as dance-theatre, satire and surrealism.
Jackie Collins
Writer
Born 1937
From B-movie actress to best-selling novelist, the founder of Hollywood
chick lit has sold more than 400 million of her racy books which have been
translated into more than in 40 languages. All of her 27 novels have
reached the New York Times best-sellers list. She resides in Beverly Hills,
California.
Shirley Conran
Writer
Born 1932
A successful novelist, Conran is best known for her polemical non-fiction
from which the 1975 Superwoman remains her most influential
work. Superwoman gave women advice on how to avoid unnecessary work
in the home, and included the famous line: "Life is too short to stuff a
mushroom."
Dany Cotton

Fire fighter
Born 1969
England's highest ranking operational fire fighter and the first (and only)
woman to get the Queen's Fire Service medal. Just five months after
finishing her training, she was integral to the team that responded to the
Clapham rail crash in 1988 and she also helped to put out the fire on
the Cutty Sark in 2007.
Elizabeth David
Cookery writer, 1913-1992
David is credited with bringing French and Italian cooking into our homes,
by celebrating simple Mediterranean dishes in a post-war Britain worn
down by rationing. Her book, and magazine articles, won respect among
chefs and brought such ingredients as the aubergine, olive oil and pasta
into British shops.
Margaret Damer Dawson
Police officer, 1875-1920
Founded the Women's Police Service with a group of volunteers in London
in 1915 after being shocked at witnessing British men recruit Belgian
refugees as prostitutes. Her network soon spread nationwide and
established the groundwork for integrating women into policing. She was
also an animal welfare activist.
Brenda Dean
Trade unionist
Born 1943
First female general secretary of a British trade union. Dean took on
Rupert Murdoch as head of the Sogat print union when the News

International owner moved the operation to Wapping, as detailed in her

autobiography Hot Mettle. Now a Labour peer she sits on the Lords'
appointments commission.
Judi Dench
Actress
Born 1934
Her accolades include 10 Baftas, seven Laurence Olivier awards and one
Oscar, won over more than 50 years, making her one of the greatest
actresses of the post-war period. Her first love is theatre but her film work
has burgeoned more recently since being cast as M in the James Bond
films since 1995.
Diana
Princess of Wales, 1961-1997
Along with Marilyn Monroe, the most iconic female face of the past
century. She campaigned on issues including Aids, homelessness and
civilian injuries from landmines. She forced a reluctant Royal Family to
modernise, especially as a result of her death in a Paris road crash an
event which sparked an outpouring of public grief which still startles.
Carol Ann Duffy
Poet
Born 1955
She is the first woman, first Scot and first openly bisexual person to be
poet laureate. A prolific writer of poetry and prose, her first poem as
Laureate tackled the MPs' expenses scandal; her second commemorated
the deaths of Harry Patch and Henry Allingham the last British survivors
of the First World War.

Elizabeth II
Queen
Born 1926
She has a husband with a dubious line in small talk and rather feckless
children, but has managed to rise above all this to bring stability to the
monarchy during her 57-year reign. She has also highlighted her concerns
about the environment and the recession, so at least she tries to show she's
in touch.
Millicent Garrett Fawcett
Suffragist, 1847-1929
A leader of the constitutional faction of the British women's suffrage
movement, Fawcett advocated a more peaceful means of winning the vote
than some of her contemporaries. She also fought for women's access to
higher education, co-establishing Newnham College, Cambridge.
Gracie Fields
Entertainer, 1898-1979
Born above a chip shop in Rochdale, she became one of the biggest stars of
film and music halls. Fields gave up her job in the cotton mills at 13 to tour
the music halls with her mother, performing up to four times a night. She
was already a huge star when the talkies arrived and easily made the switch
to cinema.
Margot Fonteyn
Ballerina, 1919-1991
One of the greatest classical ballerinas of all time, she was appointed Prima
Ballerina Assoluta the principal ballet dancer of the Royal Ballet, with
whom she spent her entire career. Her greatest partnership was with the

Russian Rudolf Nureyev. They danced together from 1961 until her
retirement at the age of 60.
Rosalind Franklin
Scientist, 1920-1958
The unsung hero of DNA, Franklin's X-ray images of the double helix
provided the data that Francis Crick and James Watson used to make their
hypothesis on its structure. She died of ovarian cancer at 37, just four years
before the Nobel prize was claimed by her contemporaries.
Clara Furse
Businesswoman
Born 1957
The first woman to be appointed chief executive of the London Stock
Exchange in 2001, a position she held for eight years. Dame Clara has had
a highly successful career in global financial markets and was voted one of
the world's 100 most powerful people by Timemagazine in 2007.
Jane Goodall
Primatologist
Born 1934
Best known for her pioneering work with Tanzania's chimpanzees, which
she started at the age of 20. This is the longest study of wild animals ever
and it has revolutionised how we think about chimpanzees. Her Institute's
work has expanded to other areas in Africa, focusing on education and
sustainability.
Joyce Grenfell
Entertainer, 1910-1979

She performed her signature song, "I'm Going to See you Today" as she
toured India, North Africa and the Middle East during the Second World
War entertaining the troops. A great satirical writer and comic actress
during the 1950s, Grenfell is now best remembered for her one-woman
shows and monologues.
Jane Haining
Missionary, 1897-1944
Church of Scotland missionary who in the 1930s worked at a girls' school
in Budapest. When war broke out she refused to leave the mostly Jewish
children in her care and died with many of them at Auschwitz. One of a
handful of Britons to be honoured in Israel as one of the Righteous Among
the Nations.
Alison Hargreaves
Mountaineer, 1963-1995
The first woman to climb Everest alone and without oxygen, Hargreaves
was killed attempting to climb K2, one of the world's most inhospitable
mountains. By facing down criticism from those who said a mother should
not put herself in danger, she made it easier for the next generation of
women explorers.
Brenda Hale
Judge
Born 1945
The Supreme Court judge became the first female Law Lord in 2004,
Baroness Hale of Richmond. In 1984, she was the first woman appointed
to the Law Commission and, in 1994, became the first High Court judge to
come from an academic and public service background rather than being a
practising barrister.

Caroline Harriet Haslett

Electrical engineer, 1895-1957
A pioneer of electricity in the home, Haslett helped to free women from
household drudgery. An electrical engineer and campaigner, she was the
first Secretary of the Women's Engineering Society as well as first Director
of the Electrical Association for Women. Her dying wish was that she be
cremated by electricity.
Lorraine Heggessey
Television executive
Born 1956
Talkback Thames's CEO became the first woman Controller of BBC1 in
2000 and was responsible for recommissioning Doctor Whoduring her
five-year reign. While head of Children's BBC in 1998, she went on Blue
Peter to explain the sacking of Richard Bacon after press stories that he
snorted cocaine.
Audrey Hepburn
Actress, 1929-1993
Women still love to replicate the Hollywood star's glamour, but the
Academy Award-winning actress and model was much more than a style
icon. She worked with Unicef from the 1950s on and became a goodwill
ambassador for the charity after her last role. She then devoted herself to
helping children in the world's poorest countries.
Barbara Hepworth
Sculptor, 1903-1975
The influential sculptor, who studied alongside Henry Moore at Leeds
School of Art, helped develop modern art. Her work is on display in more

than 100 collections across the globe, with her house in Cornwall
containing the largest group of her works.
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint
Cricketer
Born 1939
Captaining the England team when they won the inaugural Women's World
Cup in 1973 was just the first contribution Heyhoe-Flint made to cricket.
Since then she has dedicated her time to raising women's participation,
even ending 212 years of male exclusivity at Lord's stuffy Marylebone
Cricket Club.
Thora Hird
Actress, 1911-2003
The Bafta-winning actress who starred in the BBC sitcom Last of the
Summer Wine, appeared in more than 100 films and was, memorably, one
of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads. A committed Christian, who presented
religious programme Praise Be, she worked for charities including Help
the Aged.
Dorothy Hodgkin
Chemist, 1910-1994
A Nobel prize-winning chemist, Hodgkin's research into the molecular
structure of insulin has helped save millions of lives. As one of the first
people to use X-rays to determine the structure of molecules, she also
confirmed the structure of penicillin and vitamin B12 and helped pave the
way for DNA research.
Kelly Holmes
Athlete

Born 1970
The retired double Olympic gold-winning athlete is helping get children
active as the National School Sports champion. The ex-Army woman, who
has spoken of her self-harm in the past, is president of Commonwealth
Games England and founded the DKH Legacy Trust to help youngsters
fulfil their potential.
Agnes Hunt
Nurse, 1867-1948
Recognised as the first orthopaedic nurse, Hunt pioneered disability care
when she opened a convalescent home for children in Shropshire in 1900.
She received the Royal Red Cross for her nursing of soldiers during the
First World War. Her project developed into what is now The Robert Jones
and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.
Daphne Jackson
Physicist, 1936-1991
Britain's first female physics professor. Had a distinguished career in
nuclear, medical and radiation physics at the University of Surrey. Later
she worked to promote science careers to women and set up a scheme to
help women return to science after childbirth.
Gertrude Jekyll
Garden designer, 1843-1932
Vita Sackville-West may be the better known, but before her there was
Jekyll. She probably had the most significant impact on British gardening
of the past 100 years. The colourful mixed flower borders in a million
English gardens are derived from her style.
Amy Johnson

Aviator, 1903-1941
After becoming the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in
1930, the pioneering aviator went on to set a slew of long-distance flying
records. She died after going off-course in bad weather while transporting
RAF aircraft around the country for the Air Transport Auxiliary during the
Second World War.
Sheila Kitzinger
Childbirth activist
Born 1929
A promoter of natural childbirth, she campaigns for women to have the
information to make choices, and advocates the benefits of home birth to
women who are classed as low risk. She lectures to midwives, has
researched the social anthropology of birth and breastfeeding and works to
give a voice to expectant and new mothers in prison.
Janet Lane-Claypon
Epidemiologist, 1877-1967
One of the founders of the science of epidemiology, Lane-Claypon
pioneered the use of control studies to make public health decisions. She
completed the first study of up to 500 women with breast cancer, the
findings from which still inform treatments today. She also proved the
health benefits of breast milk.
Martha Lane Fox
Businesswoman
Born 1973
The internet entrepreneur revolutionised the travel and leisure market in
1997 when she co-founded Lastminute.com. The government's champion

for digital inclusion launched grant-giving foundation Antigone in 2007,

chairs Lucky Voice karaoke company and is on the board at M&S, Channel
4 and MyDeco.
Dorothy Lawrence
Reporter, 1896-1964
Few correspondents have gone to the lengths Lawrence did to report from
a frontline. In the First World War she shaved off her hair, bound her chest,
tanned her skin with furniture polish and borrowed a uniform to pose as a
soldier. Unfortunately she was arrested as a spy and sent back to Britain.
Jennie Lee
Politician, 1904-1988
MP for the socialist Independent Labour Party, and later the Labour Party,
she was a fearless parliamentarian who was praised by Winston Churchill
after she took him on in the Commons over his Budget. The wife of
Aneurin Bevan, her legacy as a minister in Harold Wilson's government
included the setting up of the Open University.
Doris Lessing
Writer
Born 1919
The author who grew up in Rhodesia and left school at 13 was described
by the award committee as "that epicist of the female experience" when
she became the oldest winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007 and
the 11th woman to collect the prize. The Golden Notebook helped make
her an icon for feminists around the world.
Joan Littlewood
Theatre director, 1914-2002

In 1945 the outspoken theatre director helped develop the left-wing

Theatre Workshop. Eight years later it set up at the Theatre Royal
Stratford, London, and took its pioneering productions into the West End.
She rejected establishment-backed acting to indulge a flair for
improvisation. Had great success in the 1950s and 1960s.
Marie Lloyd
Singer, 1870-1922
The first great working-class popular heroine, this music hall performer
was so loved that 100,000 attended her funeral in London in 1922. Many
mourners wept. The controversial singer's love of the double entendre,
along with winks and gestures, landed her in hot water with moralists. But
she was immensely popular all her life.
Caroline Lucas
Politician
Born 1960
As leader of the Green Party, who could become Britain's first Green MP
in this year's general election, Lucas has given the party a mainstream
image in the "Others" backwater of British politics. Formerly active in
CND and Oxfam, she is also the vice-president of the RSPCA and the Stop
the War Coalition.
Vera Lynn
Singer
Born 1917
The original "Forces Sweetheart" sent messages to British troops and
performed song requests on her radio programme Sincerely Yoursduring
the Second World War, as well as touring overseas to perform for soldiers.

Last year, the "We'll Meet Again" singer was the oldest living artist to top
the UK album chart.
Ellen MacArthur
Yachtswoman
Born 1976
When she broke the record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the
globe in 2005 she was not just the best woman but the best. Her
achievements helped quash prejudices about women's inferiority in sport.
She has helped young people with serious illnessnes experience sailing
with the Ellen MacArthur Trust.
Averil Mansfield
Vascular surgeon
Born 1937
A leader in her field, there is no doubt she has saved thousands of lives
pioneering stroke-preventing arterial surgery. But as the UK's first female
professor of surgery and president of the British Medical Association, she
is a role model to women trying to succeed in a career dominated at senior
levels by men.
Helen Mirren
Actor
Born 1945
Gunning for a second Oscar tonight for The Last Station, The Queenactor
and Bafta-winning star of Prime Suspect has achieved both cinematic and
TV success. Born Ilyena Vasilievna Mironov in London, in 2006 she
became only the third actress to win a Golden Globe, Emmy and Oscar in
the same year.

Nancy Mitford
Novelist, 1904-1973
A "Bright Young Thing", Mitford penned novels about upper-class life in
England and France, including Love in a Cold Climate, and popular
biographies such as the life of Madame de Pompadour. One of six
controversial, stylish Mitford sisters, she spied on her siblings for MI5
because of their Nazi sympathies.
Iris Murdoch
Novelist & philosopher, 1919-1999
Particularly admired in the Sixties and Seventies, the philosopher and
novelist is considered one of the greatest post-war writers. She won the
Booker Prize in 1978 for The Sea, with several of her other works adapted
for the screen. She originally attributed her decline from Alzheimer's to
writer's block.
Thea Musgrave
composer
Born 1928
The Scottish creator of more than a dozen operas and also classical
orchestral works, she sometimes conducts her own pieces. Her best known
works include The Seasons, Mary Queen of Scots andHarriet: The Woman
Called 'Moses'. She won respect at a time when there were few female
classical composers/ conductors.
E (Edith) Nesbitt
Children's author, 1858-1924
The writer penned about 40 books for children, including perennial
favourites The Railway Children and Five Children and It, and is credited

by some as inventing the children's adventure story. In 1884, the political

activist was among co-founders of the Fabian Society, the precursor to the
Labour Party.
Susie Orbach
Psychotherapist
Born 1946
Princess Diana's therapist has written widely on women's psychology and
the construction of gender. She published the revolutionary tomeFat is a
Feminist Issue nearly 30 years ago. More recently, she was involved in the
Dove Campaign for Real Women: advertising that featured "normal"
women of all shapes and sizes.
Emmeline Pankhurst
Suffragette, 1858-1928
The pioneer of women's rights founded the Women's Social and Political
Union in 1898 and led the British suffragette movement, which in 1918
won the vote for women over the age of 30. Although the political activist
came under fire for her militant tactics, she supported the government
during the First World War.
Marguerite Patten
Chef
Born 1915
The original queen of "waste not, want not", her tips for helping a
generation to survive Second World War rationing still resonate in today's
kitchens. She is renowned, rightly, as the original celebrity chef and
anyone in search of some culinary inspiration could do worse than dust off
one of her 170 recipe books.

Gareth Peirce
Lawyer
Born 1940
It was helping the Guildford Four to go free in 1989 that defined Peirce as
one of Britain's premier civil rights lawyers. Ever since, her name has been
synonymous with some of the biggest human rights cases, from the
Birmingham Six to representing the family of Jean Charles de Menezes.
Mary Peters
Athlete
Born 1939
Few athletes achieve the ultimate in their field, but Mary Peters did just
that at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich for her performance in the
pentathlon. The accompanying world record was a bonus. Her contribution
to the community life in Northern Ireland has been incalculable.
Penney Poyzer
Environmentalist
DOB unknown
What the self-styled eco-dominatrix doesn't know about saving the planet
arguably isn't worth knowing. Her "recycled home", in West Bridgford,
Nottingham, is Britain's greenest and when she gave birth she even
composted her placenta. Triumphs include a hit BBC showNo Waste Like
Home and advising the Government on all matters green.
Jacqueline du Pr
Cellist, 1945-1987

She had a tragically brief career and short life, and died after contracting
multiple sclerosis. Her rendition of Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor is
immortal and she is acknowledged as one of the greatest players of the
instrument. The disease forced her retirement at the age of 28, 16 years
after she made her debut.
Debbie Purdy
Campaigner
Born 1963
The assisted suicide campaigner with MS forced the DPP to draw up new
guidelines on when people who help terminally ill friends or relatives to
kill themselves should escape prosecution. Those motivated purely by
compassion should now avoid being charged. She said the rules have
"given me back my life".
Mary Quant
Designer
Born 1934
The Sixties designer is among those to claim credit for the miniskirt, the
revolutionary Sixties garment that liberated women from the constraints of
restrictive fashions that hampered even their attempts to run for a bus. Her
other credits include hotpants in the Seventies and, she maintains, the
duvet cover.
Mary Rand
Athlete
Born 1940
A remarkable athlete, Rand was the first British woman to win an Olympic
gold in a track and field event. She won the gold for a record-breaking long

jump of 6.76m in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, but was such an all-rounder
that she also took home a silver and a bronze for the pentathlon and 100m
relay.
Bridget Riley
Artist
Born 1931
An artist who has developed into one of the leaders of the Op-art
movement which makes use of optical illusions, she was the first woman
to be awarded the International Prize in painting at the Venice Biennale.
She said: "Nature is not landscape, but the dynamism of visual forces."
Stella Rimington
Head of MI5
Born 1935
As well as being a "first woman", serving as director-general of the
Security Service (MI5) between 1992 and 1996, she was also the first head
whose name was made public. As deputy director-general in 1991, after the
collapse of communism in Russia, she made the first friendly contact
between British intelligence and the KGB.
Anita Roddick
Entrepreneur, 1942-2007
Her Body Shop cosmetics chain pioneered ethical consumerism long
before it was remotely fashionable and was among the first to ban the use
of ingredients tested on animals and to promote fair trade with Third World
countries. She died of liver cirrhosis caused by long-standing hepatitis C.
Miriam Rothschild
Scientist, 1908-2005

Zoologist, entomologist and heiress, she spent half her life on a six-volume
catalogue of fleas and was the first to understand their jumping
mechanism. A world expert on chemicals odours released by insects, she
helped decode Enigma during the Second World War. She was made
Fellow of the Royal Society in 1985.
J K Rowling
Author
Born 1965
Getting a generation of young boys to read books is impressive enough,
but her Harry Potter books also provide social, moral and political
inspiration to their fans, which number in the hundreds of millions.
Rowling or Jo Murray, as she is known outside the Potter pages is also
a notable philanthropist.
Sue Ryder
Charity worker, 1923-2000
The Sue Ryder Foundation (now Sue Ryder Care) which she set up in 1953
with a nursing home for the elderly and disabled now has more than 80
homes worldwide for the elderly and terminally ill. During the Second
World War, she worked with SOE's Polish section and later set up a home
in Germany for displaced Poles.
Jo Salter
Pilot
Born 1968
The world of jet fighter pilots is a particularly testosterone fuelled affair,
which is why Britain's first female top gun is so highly revered. As a Flight
Lieutenant, she was the first women to fly the Tornado strike jet

operationally. She had to give it all up because the RAF failed to help her
combine flying and motherhood.
Mary Selway
Casting director, 1936-2004
Arguably Britain's most influential casting director of all time, Selway cast
more than 100 films including Indiana Jones, Star Warsand Harry Potter.
Working with directors as diverse as Spielberg, Polanski and Clint
Eastwood, she was much sought after for her keen eye for talent and
reputation for fairness.
Helen Sharman
Engineer and chemist
Born 1963
Sharman was chosen as the first Briton to go into space after beating
13,000 rivals who responded to a radio advert looking for astronauts. She
had previously worked as a chemist experimenting with chocolate for Mars
confectionery, her work on the Mir space station included medical and
agricultural tests.
Delia Smith
Chef
Born 1941
The prolific TV chef is not known as Saint Delia for nothing. Her
foolproof recipes, which have helped her become Britain's bestselling food
writer, have liberated millions of men and women from a lifetime of
takeaways and supermarket ready meals. She famously taught the nation to
boil an egg.
Janet Smith

Lawyer
Born 1940
A lawyer specialising in medical negligence, she rose to be a High Court
judge and became only the fourth woman promoted to the Court of Appeal.
She chaired the inquiry into Harold Shipman, which identified failings by
the medical profession, and concluded that he had killed more than 200
patients.
Dusty Springfield
Singer, 1939-1999
The owner one of the most plaintive voices in recent decades, her
sometimes tortured life did not prevent her from becoming one of the
classiest female solo acts Britain has produced. From 1963 to 1969 she had
10 UK top-10 hits, and is a member of the US Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. Much-missed legend.
Marie Stopes
Family planner, 1880-1958
Started as a paleobotanist but best known as a sex education campaigner
who, in 1921, opened the first family planning clinic. Her 1918
book, Married Love, advocated equality in marriage and gave detailed
information on sex. Her work led to Marie Stopes International, which
helps millions every year.
Edith Summerskill
Politician, 1901-1980
Labour politician and women's rights campaigner who trained as a doctor,
and under Clement Atlee became Minister for Social and National
Insurance. For 12 years she was on Labour's National Executive

Committee and was chair of the party in 1954-1955. Was among Labour's
first life peers when she was made a baroness in 1961.
Violette Szabo
Spy, 1921-1945
Code named "Louise", Szabo was a secret agent in the Second World War,
leading a French resistance network to sabotage bridges and
communication lines ahead of the D-Day landings. She was caught, sent to
Ravensbruck concentration camp, and executed. Posthumously awarded
the George Cross.
Margaret Thatcher
Politician
Born 1925
A controversial entry on a list of women who made our lives better. But
she was the first woman to lead the country and took the UK economy
from basketcase to world leader. Yes, there was the poll tax and lack of
investment in public services, but she defined British politics long after she
left office.
Dianne Thompson
Company chief
Born 1950
Businesswoman with a background in marketing who for a decade has
been chief executive of Camelot, the UK lottery operator, leading it in
2009 to annual sales of more than 5bn. In 2006, she was awarded a CBE
for services to business and is described as "the iron fist in a kid glove".
She has also raised 1m for the ChildLine charity.
Sybil Thorndike

Actress, 1882-1976
Best loved for her stage performances. In 1930 she was made a dame.
George Bernard Shaw wrote St Joan with her in mind and she played the
title role. Her interests were also political. She supported the 1926 General
Strike, opposed racial segregation and was pro-Republican in the Spanish
Civil War.
Twiggy
Model
Born 1949
Still going strong at 60. She was born Lesley Hornby but, as Twiggy, she
was a byword for the Swinging Sixties. No other model has left such a
lasting image: huge mascara-framed eyes, coltish limbs and short hair.
Currently in a career renaissance as a face of Marks & Spencer, helping to
improve its fortunes.
Natasha Walter
Writer
Born 1967
The former Independent columnist is a feminist thinker, broadcaster and
writer whose book, The New Feminism, published in 1998, repositioned
feminism by optimistically looking at its future against the backdrop of its
achievements. Her latest book, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism, argues
that sexism is making a comeback.
Beatrice Webb
Social Reformer, 1858-1943
Sowing the seeds for what would become the welfare state, Webb's
minority report an economic and social study of the nation's poor

struck a powerful blow against the idea that people in poverty were to
blame for their fate. Her research was the template 30 years later for the
creation of the Welfare State.
Vivienne Westwood
Fashion designer
Born 1941
The fairy godmother of the British fashion industry, three times awarded
British Designer of the Year, her designs were at the heart of the punk
movement with historical references. Also known for her political activism
with CND and environmental campaigns. She was made a Dame in 2006.
Joyce Wethered
Golfer, 1901-1997
Unassuming woman golfer and winner of nine major championships.
Legendary grand slam winner Bobby Jones said of her: "I've not played
golf with anyone, man or woman, amateur or pro, who made me feel so
utterly outclassed." Her style and demeanour are still commended to
golfers of both sexes to this day.
Anna Wintour
Journalist
Born 1949
One of the most influential people in fashion for the past three decades, the
editor-in-chief of American Vogue is as much of a fashion icon as the
designers she supports. Her ability to spot trends and promote new
designers still makes her appearance in the front row of any catwalk show
as coveted as ever.
Victoria Wood

Performer
Born 1953
Wood paved the way for a new generation of female comedians and writers
to appear on television during the 1980s breaking into a male-domain. She
was one of the country's most popular stand-ups, performing her
observational sketches at her piano, before she moved on to sitcom and
drama.
Virginia Woolf
Writer, 1882-1941
One of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, Woolf's modernist style in
books such as Mrs Dalloway, To The Lighthouse and The Waves continues
to influence fiction today. She was a member of the so-called Bloomsbury
Group of literary London and her feminist essays were also highly
influential.
The fight for the right to vote
The suffragette movement came of age as the 20th century dawned. The
Women's Social and Political Union founded by Emmeline Pankhurst
held its inaugural meeting in 1903 and began a campaign of civil
disobedience to force government to grant women the right to vote.
What began with women chaining themselves to railings escalated to
smashing windows, arson and hunger strikes. Like many suffragettes,
Pankhurst was arrested many times and went on hunger strike herself
during which she was subjected to violent force-feeding.
Women fought, and died, for the cause. In 1913, suffragette Emily Davison
was killed when she threw herself under the King's horse at the Derby in
protest at the government's refusal to enfranchise women.
The First World War proved to be a turning point. The campaign of civil
disobedience was put on hold while women worked on farms and in

armaments factories. Lloyd George's government finally gave in in 1918

and allowed women aged over 30 to vote. But it took another decade to put
male and female voters on an equal footing.
Men who helped the drive for equality
George Lansbury, one of the leading figures in the Labour Party in 1910,
along with James Keir Hardie, led the campaign in Parliament for votes for
women. Lansbury later decided to draw attention to the plight of the
Women's Social and Political Union prisoners by resigning from his seat in
the Commons and fighting a by-election in favour of votes for women.
Alfred Frankland, an office worker of the Dick, Kerr factory in Preston,
was inspired by the young female workers who played football during their
dinner breaks while their husbands were fighting in the trenches during the
First World War. It was Mr Frankland who suggested to the women that
they form a team and he later went on to manage them, inspiring legions of
women to take up the game.
Also during the Great War, the British Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was
formed thanks to the recommendation of Lieutenant-General H Lawson,
who said it should be used in France in 1917.
Playwright and ardent socialist George Bernard Shaw furthered many
causes including gaining equal rights for men and women.
Now a standard feature on hospital wards, the ultrasound scan, pioneered
by Professor Ian Donald, has for years made pregnancy and labour safer
and allowed for the detection and treatment of foetal abnormality.
David Steel's Private Member's Bill, which was backed by government, led
to the creation of the 1967 Abortion Act. Lord Steel wanted the act because
of the many women who died during illegal back-street abortions.
Willie Hamilton sponsored the Equal Pay for Equal Work Bill in the early
1970s, which stated that women must receive the same pay and conditions
of work as their male counterparts.

The legislation introduced in 1988 that led to the ordination of women to

the Church of England was moved by Professor David McClean, who was
chair of the House of Laity at the time.
When Tony Blair first came to power in 1997, there were 101 women
Labour MPs in Parliament. At that point in time there had never been so
many women in the House, let alone from one party, and there hasn't been
since.
Have your say
Which British woman do you think has contributed most to make the
world a better place, and why? Let us know your views below, by email
at sundayletters@independent.co.uk or write to: The Editor, The
Independent on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF.
We will publish the best replies in next week
Judging panel Lisa Markwell, Jane Merrick, Sophie Batterbury, Claudia
Pritchard, Emily Dugan.
Reporting team Emily Dugan, Andrew Johnson, Nina Lakhani, Jane
Merrick, Susie Mesure, David Randall, Lewis Smith, Kate Youde, Paul
Bignell, Jonathan Owen.