Story: Gender inequalities

In the mid-19th century it was usual for respectable women to avoid most public activities, including anything that smacked of politics. Church groups and events, like the church bazaar shown here, were the sole public activity many women engaged in. When Learmonth Dalrymple campaigned for girls’ secondary education in the 1860s she found that many women were 'too timid to sign a public document' or go to a public meeting. Some simply refused, and many of those who attended were nervous.