It’s baaaaaaack- Women’s History Month! At least in the UK and the US, and as a Canadian, I observe in both March and October (when we mark it). While I normally think that it is incredibly important to celebrate women’s history, it is more crucial than ever seeing the challenges that women are facing in many places. (Sadly the clock is quickly turning back…) Half of the world’s population is female, and our history is at best put in the back seat and at worst ignored. So, I am doing my part to help change that. Here is what you can expect for Women’s History Month 2025!
International Women’s Day: 8 March 2025
International Women’s Day is on 8 March this year and like this month is needed more than ever. IWD highlights several important issues, like gender equality, violence against women, and reproductive rights- issues that still loom large in 2025 in much of the world. The theme this year is “Accelerate Action” to encourage everyone (not just women) to take swift action to achieve gender equality.
On Saturday, 8 March I will be sharing posts and more about some of the most impressive women from history! You can follow my social media pages (in my signature) to keep up.
Women in Literary History
As a dedicated reader, I am incredibly interested in literary history. And as such, throughout the month I will be sharing the lives and legacies of different women in literary history. Authors like Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë are recognised for their contributions to literature and reading. However, there are many female authors whose work is not given the same attention- this month, you can find some of their stories on An Historian About Town.
Reading & Sharing Books By Female Authors
If you have read my 2025 Reading Goals, you will know that I set myself the goal of having at least 80% of my books read written by women. However, for Women’s History Month, my goal is for 100% of the books I read to be written by women. Female authors are still underrepresented in many genres, including non-fiction history and biography, and that will not change without significant support.
I also set myself a goal of reading at least 2 non-fiction books a month that were written by women. For WHM, I will be aiming for 4! (Looking at the books on my TBR, that might not be quite attainable given the length of them, but I will try my best to read whenever possible!)
I know a lot of people say “I don’t pay attention to gender/race/politics/etc, I just choose books that interest me”, but that approach reinforces existing biases in publishing and reading.
Forgotten Royal Women
As someone who studies the history of monarchy, much of my research is focused on various courts. And as such, I come across the shadows of women who have been largely forgotten and ignored by both the records and historians. Although I do my Consort of the Month series monthly to bring another royal spouse into the spotlight, I will be branching out this month to look at different women in the royal sphere. These women often held considerable power and witnessed some incredible moments in history; their stories are important, too.
Note: If there are lesser known royal women that you are interested in, please leave a comment!
The An Historian About Town Newsletter- Free for Women’s History Month
If you do not know, I have a substack newsletter that I run to help support the costs associated with running the site and carrying out research! It goes live on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. The newsletter features exclusive history posts, recommendations, period drama reviews, book previews, and more. And for March 2025, it will be free for everyone to enjoy for Women’s History Month.
If you would like to help support the blog (which is more than appreciated), you can subscribe at https://substack.com/@anhistorianabouttown. Also, if you know of anyone who would be interested, please feel free to send the link along!
I would love to know, how are you celebrating Women’s History Month 2025?
Cheers,
The Historian
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