Women in Parks Horticulture Landscape

March 8 each year has been declared as International Women’s Day across the world and it is within Women’s History Month too. I was asked, like many women in my position, to sit on panel discussions or give talks or celebrated women in some way. I spoke to many women who are frustrated and conflicted about celebrating International Women’s Day – for good reason. We still have gender inequalities, gender pay gap, gender justice, legal rights and more that effect us all – and I mean everyone.

Far to much to unpack in a swift blog – I gave a talk at RICS (a very grand building opposite the Palace of Westminster) for the Landscape Institute – partly about Brenda Colvin, the first women to be voted in as president of the Landscape Institute (which was named the Institute of Landscape Architects at the time) and partly what I have been doing at work around gender informed design and stewardship. I was helped to do research by Briony Marston and found some great online resources about other amazing women within the Landscape, Parks and Horticulture profession. It shows we have come a long way with rights for women in this country but there is still more to do.

This is why I love our group of women and network of professionals – early, mid and senior in our careers – who do so much to bring others up in our chosen industry. We know what we do is good for people, planet and nature.

Here are a few links to the amazing work by Museum of English Rural Life Women of the Welfare Landscape | The Museum of English Rural Life and the book Women of the Welfare Landscape by Camilla Allen, Luca Csepely-Knorr | Waterstones who also have ‘A Fair Share for All’ (PDF) ‘A fair share for all’: care, welfare and landscape through a case study of a Scottish New Town

Please check these out!