81% of content in KS3 history textbooks in the UK focuses on men in history rather than women, new research shows.
Family history website Ancestry, which commissioned the research, also announced a new framework for evaluating gender representation and bias in historical accounts.
Developed with historian Dr Amy Boyington, the new framework is called ‘The Parity Principle’ and is inspired by the ‘Bechdel Test’.
Taken from a 1985 comic strip by Alison Bechdel, the Bechdel Test is a measure of women’s representation in cinema and asks whether a film has at least two female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man.
Dr. Amy Boyington said: “For centuries, the stories of women have been largely absent from our historical records. History has been written by men, about men. This has created a distorted view of the past and has profound implications for how we see the world today. The Parity Principle Test is a practical tool to help us all be more conscious of the stories we tell and to actively seek out those that have been overlooked. It's a starting point for a much-needed conversation.”
To pass the Parity Principle test, an educational module or historical account must feature the same amount of named women as men:
a) within the main thrust of the historical narrative
b) discussed on their own terms, rather than in their relation to others (e.g. as a spouse or a victim),
c) providing insight into their own notable achievements and/or the general life experience of women at the time.
Ancestry also unveiled Missing Pages, an installation calling attention to the women missing from historical accounts, at Potters Field Park in London.
Anna Whitehouse, author and founder of parenting website Mother Pukka, who attended the launch, said: “It is astounding that the women who shaped our world are still being relegated to the footnotes of history.”
She said she’d experienced a “turning point” in her understanding of women’s history by seeing that her paternal grandmother’s occupation was only listed as “wife” on her death certificate.
A survey of the British public found that 57% said they were more confident naming male historical figures than female ones and 64% feared that AI, if trained only on traditional historical materials, will fail to address the historical experiences of women.
Ancestry also said that it was partnering with Historic England to highlight 25 trailblazing women featured in the blue plaque scheme.
These include Dr Annie Wainwright Hyatt (1879-1969), one of Britain’s first female doctors, who is commemorated on a blue plaque in Shepton Mallet, Somerset; and Dame Mary Cartwright (1900-1998), a mathematician who pioneered understanding of chaos theory and has a blue plaque in Aynho, Northamptonshire.
