The origins of International Women’s Day can be traced to the early 1900’s, when women across the world united, mobilised and demanded a day dedicated to building support for women’s rights and calling for change. In 1975 it was finally recognised by the UN and this year it’s especially important to mark International Women’s Day and lend our voices to the calls for change across the world.
This year we celebrate International Women’s Day one month after the 100th anniversary of the hard-won Representation of the People act 1918, which granted some women the vote. To celebrate this momentous year, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on how MOLA creates opportunities for women to thrive in the workplace and in the archaeology profession.
When I joined MOLA in early 2017, I knew I was joining an organisation that actively provided equal opportunities for its employees. I was already inspired by the world-class work being done here and was excited to work in an organisation that has been led by a female CEO for over 20 years. Fast forward 15 months and I’m extremely proud to say that 50% of our field team are women and that this even split is reflected in our Senior Management Team, and of our 11 Trustees, seven are women.
Archaeology is a multi-faceted discipline that provides unparalleled opportunities. Development-led archaeology sees women carrying out demanding physical work and managing projects on construction sites, in what can often be a very male dominated environment. Women at MOLA are making incredible headway and creating knowledge that opens up further opportunities, not just for archaeologists of the future, but for society more widely.
We’re marking International Women’s Day with blogs and social media posts introducing you to some of the fantastic women who work at MOLA and the different jobs they have, here’s a few of our highlights:
Be sure to follow along on Facebook and Twitter, and on the MOLA blog to read more.
