Celebrating International Women's Day

The panel members at 'Feminist Futures' led a discussion that explored feminism in practice and institutional responsibility, including that of government and non-government organisations, for advancing gender equality. Women*s Officers, Annabelle Wortsman and Jasmine Shackman, began by introducing Lucy Lake and Tehila Sasson, who spoke about their career trajectories.

After graduating from Wadham, Lucy Lake taught in Zimbabwe, where she learned the importance of challenging assumptions regarding girls' education. Her experience ran contrary to the accepted wisdom that 'culture' prevented families from educating their daughters - the will to do so was there, but the financial resources were not. Lucy believed that girls' education was a catalyst for long-term change and saw the need to challenge the status quo and push for change. She joined CAMFED - Campaign for Female Education, an organisation that has supported over 7.8 million children to attend primary and secondary education in Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, in 1994 and went on to become CEO. In 2020, Lucy received the Yidan Prize for Education Development for her contribution to gender equality in education. In 2023, she stepped away from her role as CEO, and stressed, during the 'Feminist Futures' discussion, the importance of making space for others to take forward feminism in practice and in the ongoing fight for gender equality. She continues to be an Advisor to CAMFED, and to campaign for girls’ education and gender equality.

Our Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in Modern History, Dr Tehila Sasson, came to Wadham 18 months ago. Her area of expertise is the British Empire and international order from 1850 until the present day. She focuses on the intersectional nature of gender inequality, including the economic and political marginalisation of women. Tehila spoke of these challenges at 'Feminist Futures', in particular the 'care crisis' of undervalued and unpaid care work that mainly impacts on women; and the current and future challenge of the huge gender inequality in AI. Tehila's most recent book is The Solidarity Economy (Princeton University Press, 2024) and she is co-editor of Modern British History (OUP).

All panelists reflected on how their time at Wadham shaped, or is shaping, their understanding of gender and feminism. When Lucy was an undergraduate, Wadham was known for its radicalism. Despite the still-low numbers of women in the faculty, Tehila has been struck by her students' and colleagues' interest in and passion for gender history. The Women*s Officers discussed Wadham's present culture, the need for the College to stay true to its radical roots, the importance of community, and their hopes for the future

Both Tehila and Lucy felt that it is important for students to continue to take forward the debate about feminism in practice. This is more important than ever at a time when gender equality is facing serious challenges, including 'toxic narratives' of what masculinity is and should be, and institutional failures to address this.

In the following Q&A session, audience members joined the discussion, reflecting on their experiences, particularly at Wadham, and the collective responsibility that we all share for advancing gender equality in local and global contexts.

Thank you to the panelists for this insightful and thought-provoking discussion.