March does not only mark the start of spring – with its longer days, rays of sunshine, and blossoming flowers – but also one of our favourite celebrations at KCLSU: Women History Month!
This is an important month to think about the importance of women’s rights in our society: while many think gender equality has already been achieved, research on the gender pay gap and the glass ceiling tells us there is still a long way to go!
This year’s Women's History Month theme is Accelerate Action. It asks us to think about how we can make sure women’s lives can be better valued every day. Each and every one of us, every day, through smaller or bigger actions, can support women’s rights.
At KCLSU, you’ll be happy to find a full calendar of events this month! Make sure to keep an eye on our Events page for many WHM activities, including:
We are committed to creating a safe space for the celebration of women’s achievements, especially as King’s has been an educational home to so many pioneering women. Do you know about these 4 King’s alumnae who accelerated action for women’s rights?
1. Virginia Woolf
Possibly the most notable alumni of King’s College London, Virginia Woolf is a renowned author and pioneer in the English literary canon. Her works have been incredibly influential in feminist thought, especially her essay A Room of One’s Own, where she argued for women’s independence and access to education and economic freedom. She also advocated for gender equality through her complex female characters in Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, two of her most famous novels, which are featured in thousands of school curricula every year.
2. Cicely Saunders
A perhaps lesser known, but no less impressive, King’s alumna is Cicely Saunders, who trained as a doctor in what is now called the King’s College London GKT School of Medical Education. She was a revolutionary figure in redefining practices of care. As the founder of the modern hospice movement, she emphasized the need for compassionate care that addresses not only physical pain but also emotional, social, and spiritual needs. As a woman in a predominantly male-led field, it is so impressive how she managed to make such a lasting impact on healthcare, including values such as empathy and compassion in the medical practice.
3. Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall, the pen name of Marguerite Antonia Radclyffe-Hall, is the author of one of the most ground-breaking lesbian novels of English literature, The Well of Loneliness. At the time of publishing, in 1928, it was one of the first novels to openly address lesbian identity and love. Hall portrayed same-sex love with complexity and dignity at a time when homosexuality was considered taboo and criminalized. Radclyffe Hall represents an icon of liberation for women: she dressed as she pleased, often breaking the mould of the typical feminine appearance, and was unapologetically true to herself in every aspect of her life. What an honour that she attended King’s College London!
4. Sarojini Naidu
Last but not least, it’s important to remember the work of Sarojini Naidu for women's political engagement in India. Known as the Nightingale of India, Naidu was a prominent poet, freedom fighter, and political leader. She was one of the first women to lead a political movement in India and played a significant role in the Indian National Congress, advocating for women's empowerment, education, and social reforms. She studied at King’s from 1895 to 1898, just before becoming such an important figure in both women's rights and Indian independence.
Let us know how many of these women you already knew, and we hope you learned something new today! Given the long list of women activists that make up King’s legacy, it’s important for us to honour it by participating in Women History Month.
Make sure to keep checking our Events Page, as well as our Instagram stories, to find out more about how we celebrate WHM at KCLSU!