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Original poster

To think they could find at least ONE inspirational woman to put on our bank notes?

179 replies

MiniPenguinMaker · 27/04/2013 17:37

I have to admit that I felt a bit miffed when I saw that Elizabeth Fry was being phased out and replaced by Winston Churchill from 2016.

There will be NO women left on British currency. Surely they could find a few? Emmeline Pankhurst perhaps?!

It gives the impression that the achievements of British women are not considered worthy of recognition. I have been getting really grumpy about this. I wonder who makes these decisions and whether this has even occurred to them. Am I being unreasonable to feel peeved that us women make up a significant proportion of the population and yet when we pay for things with our hard-earned cash it is a bunch of dead white men on there?

OP posts:
OutragedFromLeeds · 27/04/2013 18:58

signed

JeanPaget · 27/04/2013 19:02

Mary Slessor is on Scottish £10 notes Grin

Original poster
MiniPenguinMaker · 27/04/2013 19:12

Tiggy, Elizabeth Fry is the one who is being replaced by Winston.

OP posts:
GibberTheMonkey · 27/04/2013 19:22

What about someone like Agatha Christie or Agnes Hunt or Amy Johnson or Beatrix Potter...
I could go on and on

What is their excuse then

LaLaGabby · 27/04/2013 19:35

Kathleen Lonsdale! (awesome scientist)

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 27/04/2013 19:54

They should put Mo Mowlam on there. She was a great role model.

Fargo86 · 27/04/2013 20:13

I don't see why there has to be a woman on a note at all times. It'd be embarassing to have undeserving women on there as some kind of quota.

SomethingOnce · 27/04/2013 20:28

Four BoE banknotes, 50 per cent of the population.

I think it's reasonable to suggest at least one woman, even an undeserving one Hmm on our banknotes without somebody getting all twisty knickers about quotas.

Bowlersarm · 27/04/2013 20:35

That's the problem OP I think. You mentioned Emmeline Pankhurst? But blimey if that's the only feminist icon you can think of then it's quite sad, that was a loooong time ago. There haven't been many since. I don't think their should be an undeserving one just because she's female.

bubblesinthesky · 27/04/2013 20:58

Amy Johnson (aviator)
Odette Sansom Hallows World war 2 spy French born but married anEnglish man)
Julie Andrews (actress of Sound of music fame)
Betty Boothroyd (ony female speaker)
Agatha Christie (writer of Poirot and miss marple stories among others)
Ellen Macauther (sailed roudn teh world)

sorry for typing baby on lap wriggling

bubblesinthesky · 27/04/2013 21:00

Or of course Justine Roberts herself (founder of Mumsnet)

GibberTheMonkey · 27/04/2013 21:01

I could understand the complaint that it's silly to put an undeserving person on just to make up politically correct quotas but there's no need, there are plenty of deserving people

OutragedFromLeeds · 27/04/2013 21:17

Fargo I don't think anyone is suggesting putting an undeserving person on are they? (the Cheryl Cole suggestion was a joke btw).

Can you honestly not think of any woman who has made an equal or greater contribution than Winston Chruchill?

GoblinGranny · 27/04/2013 21:20

It is a bit depressing to see this list of individuals recommended to be used on banknotes, and see how few women there are even suggested.
www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Documents/about/banknote_names.pdf

HoveringKestrel · 27/04/2013 21:36

Harriet Quimby -- the first female to pilot an aircraft accross the English Channel

Mo Mowlam -- She was an inspiration, level headed, and her fight against a brain tumour

Joanna Lumley -- I don't need to say much, but mayve living people on money is ridiculous

chocolatespiders · 27/04/2013 21:41

Doreen Lawrence

blondefriend · 27/04/2013 21:47

I think they deliberately choose people who have been dead a long time so that there is no controversy.

My vote would be Rosalind Franklin

HoveringKestrel · 27/04/2013 22:00

BEATRIX POTTER - Yes, why did I not think of that?

Original poster
MiniPenguinMaker · 27/04/2013 22:05

Picking token women is unnecessary, surely? There are plenty of non-token ones. I'm assuming that they need to be dead to fit in here, so I'd be ignoring more current examples, but what about:

Jane Austen
Emmeline Pankhurst
Ada Lovelace
Edith Cavell
George Eliot
Mary Wollstonecraft
Rosalind Franklin
Barbara Hepworth
Virginia Woolf
Marie Stopes

OP posts:
Original poster
MiniPenguinMaker · 27/04/2013 22:07

Bowlersarm, I was specifically trying to think of people who are dead already as that seems to be a criteria for getting on a banknote unless one is the queen Grin

OP posts:
QueenMatilda · 27/04/2013 22:07

Wow! That's disgusting.

Original poster
MiniPenguinMaker · 27/04/2013 22:09

GoblinGranny, thanks for the link - fascinating. Perhaps we should start making suggestions in their direction. I had no idea that this is how it worked.

OP posts:
longfingernails · 27/04/2013 22:10

Maggie.

longfingernails · 27/04/2013 22:13

But not because Maggie was female. Because she made Britain great again.

Original poster
MiniPenguinMaker · 27/04/2013 22:14

Nux, thank you for the link to that petition. I've signed it.

It can be found here for others who would also like to add their voice.

OP posts: