Caroline Phillips: balancing life as a journalist and a suffragette in a Scottish city.

© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Aberdeen Art Gallery holds a unique collection in the history of the Scottish women’s suffrage movement: the correspondence of Caroline Phillips, journalist and honorary secretary of the Aberdeen branch of the WSPU, 1907-09. Through her correspondence, Phillips wrestled with the demands of London headquarters for more militant action, was tempted to join the Women’s Freedom League, and finally saw herself and her friend Helen Fraser replaced by the Pankhursts. Because of her involvement in the suffrage movement, Phillips found it difficult to gain entrance to some political events in the city, making it impossible to complete her work as a reporter, and was threatened with dismissal by her employer. She was also torn between the demands for militant action of the WSPU leadership and her own instinct for a more conciliatory approach. Her correspondence reveals the emotional and personal costs of working for ‘the cause’ in a city far away from the heart of the suffrage movement, but also the fulfilling friendships that sustained and supported her

Believers in biology: a coordinated effort to disrupt the 2022 census.

This article investigates the attempt by some gender-critical Scots, led by organisations such as For Women Scotland, to disrupt the administration of the 2022 census in Scotland. They used their census returns to register a protest around guidance relating to the Sex question and around the wider issue of the Scottish Government's plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act. Protestors used social media to share images of their protest on the census forms over the whole census period, meaning that potential protesters were more likely to choose to protest because they saw a growing number of others sharing what they had done. It is suggested that this protest has contributed, and will continue to contribute, to costs relating to the administration of the census and the processing of census data, including the production and administration of paper census forms; the extension of the deadline for completion of the census; and the ability to use machines to read and process the data. Their action was linked by many protesters to the actions of the suffragettes in relation to the 1911 census, with the expectation that their protests would be visible in 100 years' time. However, data-protection policies mean many of their actions will not be recorded

Women users' motivations for establishing and interacting with blogs (web logs).

An investigation into the motivations of women who write blogs (web logs) and the audience for whom they consider themselves to be writing. From the outset of blogging, journal blogs have been associated with women. They offer them a safe place to explore their lives and communicate with like-minded people. Blogs exist in the public space of the Internet, yet are also safe spaces within which the blogger has total editorial control. Women bloggers can safely invite readers into their homes and family lives and at the same time receive virtual “ but safe “ support from their small group of readers. Above all, blogs offer a place where women can experience the validation of their opinions that only comes from being read by others and receiving feedback

Is it Friday yet? Mothers talking about sex online.

Inspired by the media furore over 'penis beaker gate' (October 2013), this article investigates the discussion of sex on the UK parenting website Mumsnet. It asks why there was such shock at finding mothers discussing sexual matters online, what types of discussion related to sex can actually be found on Mumsnet and why women use Mumsnet to discuss these matters. It suggests that the Internet in general offers a new place for women to discuss and discover their sexuality and that Mumsnet in particular offers an interactive and anonymous forum for women whose needs in this area are not met by the mainstream media. On Mumsnet women seek advice and support from others in similar situations, attempt to establish 'norms' relating to sexual behaviour, and supplement information given by health professionals

Where, when, why: academic authorship in the UK.

This article offers a snapshot of the status of and pressures on the academic author in the UK at the end of the twentieth century. The Research Assessment Exercise of 1996 and the Report of the Inquiry into Higher Education, published in July 1997, has made available new data on both these issues, and it thus seemed an appropriate time to begin to investigate the topics and to attempt to evaluate whether the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) has academic authorship in the UK. The two subjects are closely intertwined since, as will be seen, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) has intensified the pressure on academic staff in UK higher education institutions to publish - at all costs - but in certain areas and at certain times. It may be that the RAE is also a factor in the slow takeup of electronic journals and online scholarly publishing in the UK

Women bloggers seeking validation and financial recompense in the blogosphere.

Previous researchers investigating motivations for blogging have suggested mainly intangible benefits: for instance, documenting the authors life, providing commentary and opinions, expressing deeply felt emotions, working out ideas through writing, and forming and maintaining communities and forums. The research detailed in this chapter focuses on the materialistic motivations of women bloggers in the U.K. and U.S. The author suggests that a need for validation and a strong financial stimulus should be added to this list of incentives

Now read this: male and female bloggers' recommendations for further reading.

This paper investigates and contrasts male and female bloggers use of one specific part of a blog “ its blogroll. Most blogs carry a blogroll. It is a list of the bloggers favourite blogs or recommended reads. This research, part of a larger project, investigated the blogrolls of 120 US and UK bloggers, analysing both the sex and the geographical location of each recommended blog. Findings suggest that North American bloggers are far more likely to link to other North American bloggers while British bloggers are more willing to recommend overseas blogs to their readers, including a high number of US blogs. In addition, male bloggers are more likely to recommend other male bloggers to their readers. Such practices support the continued dominance of US bloggers, and in particular US men, at the more popular end of the blogosphere

They've got an absolute army of women behind them: the formation of a women's cooperative constellation in contemporary Scotland.

This study argues that a new women's cooperative constellation has been established in Scotland around the issue of the Scottish Government's proposed reforms of the Gender Recognition Act. This constellation includes women politicians, researchers, journalists, writers, and activists from all sides of mainstream political opinion in Scotland. The constellation works together to support its politician members, share information and form a supportive community. The constellation acts together to show support for those in the public eye, such as politicians or members being publicly attacked, to make them aware they have 'an army of women behind them'. The role social media plays has been an important one for the formation and continuance of the constellation, particularly during the pandemic. It has been game-changing in allowing women to identify each other, communicate, arrange to work together and show public support for others. It has also been important in raising awareness of the issues, both with politicians and the general public because, unlike previously identified constellations, this network has needed to generate broad public awareness and support because they have not been working as Government insiders. However, all interviewees were aware that it was not enough to engage in online activism and that they needed to be 'in the room' with politicians in order to make any impact

Reference publishing.

Reference publishing is the term used to describe the publishing of a diverse range of products, including dictionaries, atlases, encyclopaedias, bibliographies, directories, guides and the many reference works aimed at the academic, educational and professional sectors. Such products – reference works are not necessarily produced in book form – are distinguished by the fact that they are not made to be read from the beginning to the end. The user – rather than reader – either turns directly to the entry that is useful at that moment or might browse through looking for an interesting entry. Neither are these reference works intended to be stand-alone products. Rather, they are intended to supplement other books or activities

Piety and charity in the painted glass of late medieval York.

What messages can the images in medieval churches give us about the motivations of their donors? When a wealthy medieval man or woman donated a statue or painted glass window or altar hanging to their parish church, such a gift would have been prompted by a mixture of motives, including a desire to remind passers-by to pray for their souls and probably a fair amount of self-advertisement. However, it is the contention of this paper that, frequently, the choice of a particular image used in the donation would be selected with careful thought and have its roots in the donors particular personal piety. The messages they were thus sending about their personal beliefs may have been instantly readable to their fellow parishioners, but these days require some translation before they can be fully grasped. This paper investigates the spiritual and secular motivations of a family of donors of some unique painted glass windows at All Saints, North Street parish church in York. The windows of the church offer a wealth of unusual later medieval glass, including a depiction of six of the Corporal Acts of Mercy; St Anne teaching the Virgin to read and the northern poem The Prick of Conscience. This paper will concentrate on exploring one familys donations to the church. It argues that their choice of iconographic material and the act of donating the windows were part of the donors larger concern for maintaining the social fabric. The same concerns were expressed both in charitable acts during their lives and in their last will and testaments. It is suggested that such donations form part of a new and internalised piety and thoughtful charity inspired by more than the customs of the day