Women’s history charted in new documentary

The revolutionary history of women from militancy to sexual liberation and beyond was brought to life in a new BBC Four documentary thanks to the contribution of a Lincoln academic.

Women, Sex and Society: A Timewatch Guide draws on 30 years of TimeWatch footage and 70 years of BBC archive films to plot the revolutionary changes that took place, comparing how films from different periods presented the issues of their time.

Historian and broadcaster Helen Castor was joined by Professor Krista Cowman, Professor of History at the University of Lincoln, UK, and an expert in women’s history and politics.

The programme examined the fundamental shifts that have taken place in the UK, from the suffragette struggle for the female vote in the early part of 20th century, through the social and sexual rebellion of the 1960s and beyond.

Professor Cowman described the ongoing transformation in the rights and roles of women, as the show explored the changes driven by successive waves of feminism and how these redefined the wants and needs of women.

Women, Sex and Society: A Timewatch Guide first aired on BBC Four on Tuesday 15th November 2016 and is available on the BBC iPlayer.