Invisible Roots Seminar The women in our family history stories often take a back seat, and were described by Margaret Ward in The Female Line: Researching Your Female Ancestors as the ‘strong but invisible roots of the family tree’. But for Guild members who adopt a strict approach to surnames, they either disappear or appear on the occasion of their marriage. This seminar will discuss techniques and sources for tracking women, and options for recording them in a one name study. It will explore the impact of legal changes, look at examples of ‘invisible women’, investigate women’s work inside and outside the home and identify some of those who flouted convention. There will be a chance to hear other members’ stories of significant women in their family history. The seminar was held at the Swindon Village Community Hall, Church Road, Swindon Village, CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire GL51 9QP Twitter #GuildWomen Programme 09:30 – 10:00 Arrival: Registration and Coffee 10:00 – 10:10 Welcome to the Seminar – Alison Boulton 10:10 – 11:10 Searching For Hidden Women – Mia Bennett (6479 Garfoot), followed by discussion – recording women in your ONS 11:10 – 11:15 Comfort break 11:15 – 12:15 Even Invisible Women Have to Work – Adele Emm (3935 Emm) 12:15 – 13:15 Lunch Break 13:15 – 14:15 Researching Women and the Law – Prof Rosemary Auchmuty (University of Reading) 14:15 – 14:20 Comfort Break 14:20 – 15:20 Forgotten Women – Dr Janet Few (1136 Sweetingham, President of the Family History Federation) 15:20 – 15:40 Tea Break 15:40- 16.40 Interesting, Inspirational and Indomitable Women – a selection of stories from Guild members Adele Emm (3935 Emm), Denise Bright (4104 Brailey) and Alison Boulton (7289 Bissmire) 16:40 – 16:45 Seminar Closed Researching Women and the Law – Prof Rosemary Auchmuty (University of Reading) « Prev1 / 1Next »Researching Women and the Law – Prof Rosemary Auchmuty (University of Reading)« Prev1 / 1Next » Rosemary explains the role of women in the legal profession. She makes the point that the law may prevent future overt discrimination but equality remains elusive. She highlights how long until a female was permitted to obtain a law degree and how long before a female became a judge and suggests that this is because of the pwoer reserved to men in institutions of all kinds. She asserts that many profession’s historical accounts overlook the role of women as men still made things difficult for women to succeed. Often women high-achievers are promoted as role models for aspiring femal law students. However, Rosemary points out that these women are very uncommon role-models as they are middle-class white women and not typical of today’s working-class and black law students. Rosemary explains that questions of social mobility are more exemplary of a typical journey into the wolrd of the woman and the law.