Well, it is that time of year- Women’s History Month! I know, I know- many of you will say Women’s History Month already happened this year. However, I’m Canadian and in Canada, we mark Women’s History Month in October. And I’m taking any opportunity I can to celebrate! As in March, this month we will be focusing on books (both fiction and non-fiction) written by female authors, exploring women’s history, and focusing on giving voice to so many who have been ignored in history. Onto Women’s History Month: October 2024!
Where are the Female Authors?
I have said it before and I will say it again- female authors are sorely underrepresented in many genres, including some of my favourites. In non-fiction history, the majority (and not a small one) of authors are men. And when it comes to historical biography, it once again skews to male authors. All of the books I’m sharing this month are by female authors, as I think it is up to each of us to be the change we want to see!
I will be sharing both fiction and non-fiction, across many genres- there should be something for (almost) everyone.
(I have to admit- I started this year focusing on reading about women when I realised that many books written about women and their stories were written about men, so my goal shifted!)
The Women Missing From History
In addition to sharing books by female authors, I will also be focusing on sharing the lives, careers, and legacies of women from history. With some notable exceptions (think Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette, Joan of Arc), women are largely “left out” of history. And by left out of history, I mean the books, documentaries, podcasts, etc that we now consume- they were certainly present at the time….
The same male historical figures have enduring attention and are borderline worshipped for their achievements and lives in general. However, I can guarantee you that there were also women there who contributed (both measurably and immeasurably) who also deserve our attention and focus. My Consort of the Month series does this for royal women, but I will be sharing the stories of several other women from history this month. There are so many incredible lives to explore, I am very excited for this!
Women in Culture
Any returning readers will know that one of my main areas of study is the history of ballet. One thing becomes very obvious very quickly when you dig into the history of ballet: although ballet (and many performing arts) is now considered quite “female”, it has long been dominated by men. Ballets are largely choreographed by men, the large majority of artistic directors are male, and even the composers who scored the ballets are almost always male. For October, I will be diving into some of the most accomplished women in the history of ballet who have broken into these very male roles. (And fun fact: World Ballet Day 2024 is 1 October!) It can sometimes feel like we have so, so far to go but that does not mean that we cannot celebrate these historical accomplishments!
Will you be celebrating Women’s History Month: October 2024?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Women are starting to make some noise, about our current times AND about the historical facts that have for so long been overlooked. This past spring my community band did a concert of women composers. We are not the first band to do this, I think I have seen it occur 2 other time, both in recent history. My husband asked why we were doing all women composers and I told him he had had 71 years to listen to concerts with all men composers, it was about time he listed to some women! He pretty much shut up then. Anyway, the concert was fun and I think our audience enjoyed it. I hope going forward we do concerts that include women, if not all women, in our works!
Dawn, this could not make me happier! As a ballet dancer, it can be difficult to find ballets created by women, let alone one with music composed by a women composer. I have found that even the most logical men who consider themselves to support equality will make comments like this without ever realising it. (Happy to hear that he took it on board, though! :)) I would LOVE to see more symphonies focusing on women composers for at least part of the year!