Jane Robinson (1) (1959–)

What a difference one hundred years makes. The idea of not being able to travel as a woman by oneself is unfathomable to me. This made Robinson's Unsuitable for Ladies even more of a joy to read. Her comments after some of the entries were appreciated and sometimes very much needed, even though I didn't always agree with her.
All in all, I loved the writings of smart, courageous, and independent women. While most traveled with a purpose, (serving in the war was a popular excuse to go abroad), it was the women who traveled out of curiosity and leisure that fascinated me the most. Wealth was the great commodity and motivator in the days of opium pills and ether treatments.
Notable women included one woman who dreamed of riding an ostrich; another who felt that plain boiled locusts were the most palatable. Another woman was funny about bugs like fleas while another desired to be immune to scorpion venom. One woman worried about being seen as a woman while she traveled dressed as man. Another woman had a more pressing concern as she watched her horse fall over a cliff. Still another survived a bear attack. Yet another willingly joined her husband on a funeral pyre.
These were very different times. Imagine a time when it was acceptable for ladies to view battlefields of Waterloo and Crimea, with all of their bloodshed and death. Imagine wearing the elaborate and heavy diving equipment of 1910. Imagine watching a native receive a tattoo by rat or shark tooth.
In truth I think Robinson missed an opportunity to publish a really robust book. It would have been great to see maps of the time period these ladies traveled, illustrations of the fashions, and maybe some photographs or illustrated portraits of the more notable lady travelers.
Favorite women: Florence Nightingale saying her mind was out of breath; Myrtle Simpson trying to figure out how to travel with a newborn; the alias Honourable Impulsia Gushington; Barbara Toy naming her Landrover "Polyanna"; Robyn Davidson bringing her camels to the beach for the first time.… (plus d'informations)

From a recommendation on Instagram, I found this potted history of the first 'professional' career women to be interesting, inspiring, infuriating - bloody men! - and sorry but also slightly boring. I was expecting each 'pioneer' to be given their own chapter, like mini biographies, so that I could get to know them but the focus is on the historical prospects of women doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, and the layout is therefore rather choppy. The same women appear in each chapter, yet with the focus on wartime opportunities and post-war prejudices, balancing work and home life, how the public viewed working women, the marriage bar and even leisure time. Although I appreciate all of the well-researched stats and sources, I'm just more of a people person!

My main gripe with the subject is that the crux of the uphill battle faced by the first women professionals can be summed up in one word: men. They made the rules to benefit themselves and then actually quoted such stupid arguments like lack of precedence and protecting the livelihood of the 'breadwinner' (like women can't work to support a family) back at the intelligent and determined women who dared to challenge the status quo. 'Power was a man's birthright. Who were women - untutored, temperamentally unfit, inexperienced and over-emotional - to trespass now?' Of course women are only good for marriage and motherhood, and naturally they can't have families AND careers. ARGH!

That annoyance aside, I have nothing but admiration for the women throughout history who, for whatever reason, thought, 'Why can't I?' and promptly did. Men tried to keep them in their place - the home - by enforcing or misinterpreting archaic laws, pricing women out of education and generally belittling their female counterparts, but the Sexual Discrimination (Removal) Act in 1919 and the eventual removal of the marriage bar were on the side of the professional working woman. Not that we've quite reached a level of 'natural justice' even now.

A fitting tribute told in a personal, approachable narrative, but the author's scattergun approach is a bit repetitive at times.… (plus d'informations)