Deeds Not Words

Why is it taking so long? Despite huge progress since the original suffragette campaigns and wave after wave of new feminism, women are still not equal. Why, at the present rate, will we have to wait until 2069 for the gender pay gap to disappear? Why, in 2015, did 11% of women lose their jobs due to pregnancy discrimination? Why, globally, has 1 in 3 women experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime? On the centenary of one of the greatest steps forward for women - the Fourth Reform Act, which saw propertied women over 30 gain the vote for the first time - Suffragette descendent and campaigner Helen Pankhurst charts how women's lives have changed over the last 100 years. She celebrates both the landmark successes and the little-known victories in politics, work, family life, culture and conflict; weaves in the voices of both pioneers and followers; and ends by looking ahead, to the future, and showing what we must do to realise the dream of full equality. Combining historical insight with inspiring argument, Deeds not Words reveals how far women have come since the Suffragettes, how far we still have to go, and how we will get there. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to be part of the most important conversation of our time. von Pankhurst, Helen