Women’s History Month 2025

Women's History Month and International Women's Day 2025

March is Women's History Month. It also includes International Women's Day on March 8, first celebrated in 1911. Both events honour women's achievements and contributions while promoting gender equality. This year's theme, Accelerate Action, calls for united efforts to advance equality.

Local Women Who Made a Difference

Emily Wilding Davison (1872 to 1913)

Emily Davison was a scholar at Royal Holloway University and a dedicated suffragette. She gave her life for the cause of equality. On June 8, 1913, she was fatally injured after stepping in front of the King's horse at the Epsom Derby in protest.

Dame Ethel Smyth (1858 to 1944)

Ethel Smyth was a composer, conductor, suffragette and writer who lived in Woking, and is memorialised there with a statue. She is one of our greatest British composers and fought for women's talent to be heard in the male dominated world of classical music. In 1922 she was the first woman to be made a dame for services to music.

Lady Harberton (Florence Wallace Pomeroy, 1843 to 1911)

In Victorian England, bicycles gave women newfound freedom, but long skirts made riding unsafe. Lady Harberton (Florence Wallace Pomeroy) caused outrage in Ockham in 1898 with her 'Rational Dress' campaign cycling knickerbockers, and paved the way for women cyclists.

Discover More Women's History

From pilots to musicians, gardeners to writers, Surrey has a rich history of inspiring women. Learn more on the Exploring Surrey's Past.

If you've researched a story about an amazing woman in Surrey, the Surrey History Centre would love to hear from you!

Women War Workers at Shackleford, 1917

During World War I, women took on vital roles as Red Cross nurses, munitions workers, and members of the Women's Land Army (WLA).

The WLA formed in 1917 to help farmers grow food during the war. By the end of that year, it had 260,000 members. Many doubted women's abilities, so a demonstration was held at Cross Farm, Shackleford, on April 18, 1917. Mrs. W.E. Horne, the Honorary Secretary of the Surrey Agricultural Committee, organized the event.

On the day, 127 women competed in tasks such as milking cows, harnessing horses, ploughing, and poultry preparation. The event was a success, with large crowds watching. Some judges' comments reflected the biases of the time, but they praised the women's ploughing skills, especially their ability to control large Suffolk Punch horses.

Miss Gabrielle Heath, who worked for the Duke of Northumberland, won the competition.

Afterward, Noeline Baker wrote in the Surrey Herald:

"It only remains now for the farmers to come forward and take women and train them for the work. There are about 3,000 women working on Surrey's farms—an achievement any county should be proud of."

A film of this event was made by W.G. Fudger of Godalming Picture Palace and is preserved by Surrey History Centre. You can watch it for free on the BFI Player website.

Read more about the Women War Workers' demonstration on the Surrey in the Great War website. Read a marvel of the month story on Mr Tarrant's 'Lady Carpenters' – women at work in the First World War.

Image:

Women War Workers ploughing at Cross Farm, Shackleford, April 1917 (Courtesy of Screen Archive South East, Surrey History Centre reference F/44).