{"id":9950,"date":"2023-03-06T10:29:59","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T10:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=9950"},"modified":"2023-03-06T10:34:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T10:34:53","slug":"international-womens-day-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/03\/06\/international-womens-day-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"International Women’s Day 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In honour of International Women\u2019s Day 2023 and Women\u2019s History Month, CONNECTED is delighted to share the stories of some of the inspirational women amongst our alumni who are making a difference in their communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

International Women\u2019s Day (IWD)<\/a> \u2013 marked annually on 8 March<\/strong> \u2013 was first observed in 1911 and to this day remains a global day celebrating the historical, cultural, and political achievements of women. IWD is also an important day to show support for taking action against gender inequality and promoting women\u2019s rights. March is also Women\u2019s History Month which honours the contributions of women to history, culture, and society.<\/p>\n

The University of Reading is proud to have a long list of influential and inspiring women in our community, from staff to students to alumni. From Professor Edith Morley, who is believed to have been the first female university professor in England appointed in 1908, to current Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Parveen Yaqoob, who has just received an OBE for her services to higher education, we are immensely proud to share and celebrate the achievements of women at Reading.<\/p>\n

Today we are sharing a few examples from our global alumni community of women who are making an impact on society and changing the narrative in many different ways.<\/p>\n

Register on CONNECTED<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0update your details with the alumni team<\/a>\u00a0to hear more from your alumni community.<\/p>\n

\"MaitreyeeMaitreyee Wairagkar<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Maitreyee was runner-up in the Scientific Achievement category in the Nature \u2018Inspiring Women in Science\u2019 Awards 2022 and winner of the 2023 India \u2018UK Achievers Honours\u2019 in the category of Science and Innovation.<\/p>\n

Maitreyee said of her achievements: \u201cThis recognition is especially important to me because neurotechnology is a highly male-dominated field.<\/p>\n

\n

“This platform will help me reach women and girls around the world who are interested in careers in technology and sciences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Maitreyee\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hilary Withey<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"HilaryHilary\u2019s dedication to helping others is evident. Alongside her career as a social worker, Hilary commits much of her spare time to volunteering.<\/p>\n

She champions human rights through the Reading Amnesty International Group and is volunteering in Nepal working with women and girls who have been victims of human trafficking, rape and domestic violence.\u00a0Hilary said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always believed that if you don\u2019t do anything, then nothing\u2019s going to change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Hilary\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"MathildaMathilda discovered a love for rowing as a teenager, and in 2021 became an Olympic rower when she represented Team GB at the Tokyo Olympic Games, as part of the women\u2019s quad.<\/p>\n

Mathilda said: \u201cTo compete at the Olympics makes me feel incredibly proud.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

“It just shows if you really put your mind to it and work hard, you can achieve your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Mathilda\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"NancyDr Nancy Mudenyo Hunt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Born in Kenya, Nancy could see that \u201cwithout the right kind of support, children in western Kenyan communities have no hope for a future.\u201d Determined to provide this support, Nancy and her husband, Jonathan, set up The Nasio Trust.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI do what I do because I care about the community into which I was born.<\/p>\n

\n

“I hate seeing people suffer, especially children, when I know I can do something to help and change their destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Nancy\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Professor Celia Kitzinger<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"CeliaIn 2006, Celia campaigned for her lawful Canadian marriage, to wife Sue Wilkinson, to be legally recognised in England. Celia and Sue took their case to the High Court where the judge decided that they were being discriminated against, but that the discrimination was justified, in the judge\u2019s view, in order to protect the heterosexual nuclear family.<\/p>\n

Celia and Sue never gave up their campaign for equality and the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act came into effect in 2014.\u00a0Celia said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOur history helps us to understand our present and can guide us towards the future. I have lived through a period of tremendous change, and I hope I have contributed to that change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Celia\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Amy Wood<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"AmyAmy works at the Royal Berkshire Hospital as an NHS Specialist Fetal Medicine Midwife. She supports families who are coping with difficult diagnoses and pregnancy\/baby loss. Previously to this she worked as a Bereavement Midwife, supporting families who sadly suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAlthough the work can be emotionally and physically challenging, I know that at the end of the day I have made a difference.<\/p>\n

\n

“I believe in the NHS as a positive institution in the UK, and I am motivated by making a tangible difference to the families who we provide care for.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Amy\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Charlotte Arrowsmith<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"CharlotteCharlotte is the only Deaf member of her family, and from a young age developed speech, BSL, and lip-reading skills to communicate with the Deaf community and the rest of the hearing world.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI\u2019ve always been passionate about performing arts, but when I was younger opportunities for young Deaf People in that arena were few and far between.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2018, Charlotte made history by becoming the first Deaf BSL actor to take on the role of Cassandra in Troilus and Cressida<\/em>. She then became the first Deaf associate artist for the RSC \u2013 a title that Charlotte was fiercely proud to receive.\u00a0She said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s all about trying to change the narrative in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more about Charlotte\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Register on CONNECTED<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0update your details with the alumni team<\/a>\u00a0to hear more from your alumni community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In honour of International Women\u2019s Day 2023 and Women\u2019s History Month, CONNECTED is delighted to share the stories of some of the inspirational women amongst our alumni who are making a difference in their communities. International Women\u2019s Day (IWD) \u2013 marked annually on 8 March \u2013 was first observed in 1911 and to this day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":9975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[165,54,156,144,17,123,18,119,145,164,81,146,34,73,120,91,132,41,125,88,59,47],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInternational Women's Day 2023 - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CONNECTED is delighted to share the stories of some of the inspirational women amongst our alumni for International Women's Day 2023.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2023\/03\/06\/international-womens-day-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"International Women's Day 2023 - 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