Real women, real lives

A book about the lives of Oxford women from all social backgrounds has been published to mark the new Millennium.

The new book, called An Everyday Story of Women, compiled by Oxford Brookes University lecturer Katherine Bradley and Women's Festival co-ordinator Anne Mobbs, is not just a chronicle of the 'Great and the Good' of the city but also recognises the contribution made by many ordinary women.

Publication of the book, which was funded by Lottery cash and a grant from Oxford City Council, coincides with International Women's Day, taking place today across the globe.

The women's stories were highlighted in a major exhibition which went on show at the Templar's Square shopping centre last year.

One of the oldest women to appear in the book is Marjorie Bristow of east Oxford. She was born in Oxford in 1909 and started school at St Clement's Infants School, where she returned years later as headmistress, a post she held until it closed in 1956.

Marjorie, now 92, also taught at the Open Air School, in Manor Road (now Osler Road) as well as later taking on the post of headmistress at St Ebbe's School, in the city centre.

Florence Gardner, 93, of Jericho, has also been featured in the book. She tells the tale of life as a nanny in Oxford between the wars, when she looked after two children at the home of a doctor in Woodstock Road.

Later in her life she worked for late tycoon Robert Maxwell at his home Headington Hill Hall. She remembers: "He was a bit of a bully and half the staff were frightened of him."

Liz Bye, manager of The Nelson pub in Cowley, is one of many working mothers chosen by the authors.

After starting work as a barmaid at the pub 18 years ago, she worked her way up the career ladder and has been the manager for the past 16 years.

She says: "Being a woman in charge has proved a bonus as men seem to protect me from the more violent types I encounter in my job. My children, and the need to provide for them, has been one of the main influences in my life. The pub staff and customers also play a big part in my life."

Along with many of Oxford's unsung heroines are the women who have helped put the city on the international map.

Oxfrord University professor Susan Greenfield, who carried out pioneering work on the human brain, is one of two eminent women scientists mentioned in the book.

As a student she read philosophy and psychology at St Hilda's College and she says her main influences in life were her strong female mentors, both at school and university.

She says: "I chose this type of work because I am fascinated by the human brain. I hope that in the future people will respect individuality in others and celebrate it in themselves."

Director of Public Health for Oxfordshire Health Authority Dr Sian Griffiths, from north Oxford, also has an entry in the book.

She was the first woman to be appointed to the post and was awarded the OBE last year.

She says: "When I was younger, I found I had to work extremely hard in my chosen career so that I could ensure that my work was of a high standard, at the same time as balancing this with being a mum so that my children knew I was there for them."

One of the book's authors, Anne Mobbs, says: "We wanted to include women from all walks of life. There is a mixture of women, all with a story to tell."

A festival of events is taking place across Oxfordshire to mark International Women's Day.

The programme runs for the next few weeks. Events include Barton Women's Day next Friday, at Barton Neighbourhood Centre, in Underhill Circus, when women will have a chance to try out new skills.

Another is the Mapping Matters Women's Workshop, in St Mary and St John Church Hall, in Cowley Road, where women will have a chance to talk about life in east Oxford.

Several Oxford women were today joining women in 68 countries across the globe by showing their support for a global strike on household chores.

The strike has been called as part of the Wages for Housework Campaign, which is calling for women to be paid for the domestic work and caring they do in the home.

Critics have slammed the campaign, saying it will help accelerate the fragmentation of the traditional family, but campaigners claim women's work is undervalued and their good nature and sense of duty is being exploited.

**For information about the festival or to order An Everyday Story of Women: A Century of Women's Lives in Oxford call 01865 553755. The £5 book will go on sale in bookshops across the city, the Post Office, Walton Street, Jericho, and the Pegasus Theatre, east Oxford, later this month.