The Open University

OU research reveals shocking level of online violence experienced by women and girls across the UK

7 September 2023

Over one in 10 women in England have experienced online violence, while three in 10 women (30%) have witnessed online violence Seven in 10 (68%) believe that current legislation is ineffective at tackling online violence against women and girls in England One in eight (13%) of women in England who experienced online violence say this […]

Imperfect and absurd, the modern literary heroine is a woman of our times

15 March 2019

Sally O’Reilly, Lecturer in Creative Writing at The Open University discusses how the female characters in the books that we read are changing. The way women are portrayed is changing. In film, The Favourite has won numerous awards and features three women, variously wild and untameable, as joint protagonists. Other movies such as The Wife and Can You Ever Forgive Me? show older […]

International Women’s Day – women of the OU

8 March 2019

To celebrate International Women’s Day (8 March), we’re shining a spotlight on the women that have made a significant impact to The Open University over the past 50 years. Jennie Lee Jennie Lee was a Scottish politician and Minister for the Arts in Harold Wilson’s government of 1964–1970. She played a leading role in creating the […]

Why Africa’s women entrepreneurs struggle to grow — and how to help

8 January 2019

Africa has seen the highest growth among businesses run by women in recent years. This would appear to be good news: entrepreneurship is arguably crucial for job creation and economic growth. But the flip side of this data is that businesses run by women are less likely than those run by men to grow because […]

Why are less than 10% of maths professors women?

23 May 2018

Mathematics has long been dominated by male academics and scientists, but why? In her inaugural lecture, Professor of History of Mathematics June Barrow-Green explores the history of women in mathematics and the centuries-long struggle for women mathematicians to gain equality. Against the odds Professor June Barrow-Green, whose working life began in an art gallery, started […]

Research recommends united action to attract more women into IT leadership

20 March 2018

An OU research project finds there are continuing barriers to overcome to get women better represented in highly-skilled positions in UK Information Technology (IT), with lessons to be learned from their counterparts in India. The global IT sector is characterised by low participation of women, with the UK being no exception. Many attempts have been […]

Pension age rise for women sparks inequality fears

1 February 2018

Amid recent battles for equal pay by BBC women and ahead of next month’s centenary celebrations of women being given the vote in the UK, it might be a surprise to learn that equality is not always welcome between the sexes. The law has changed to create equality of state pension age for men and […]

Open University takes lead role in new Institute of Coding

25 January 2018

More than 500,000 computer scientists are needed by 2022 The £40M Institute of Coding aims to give the UK an edge in the global digital economy It will deliver industry-focused, innovative Higher Education across the UK The Open University (OU) has been announced as a major partner in the UK’s new £40 million Institute of […]

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International Women’s Day: yes, we still need to protest this sh*t

8 March 2017

“I can’t believe we still have to protest this shit,” proclaimed a multitude of signs at a protest in London on January 21 2017. These signs, and others, were photographed, filtered, edited and uploaded to social media, linking protesters around the globe. The protests, which spread from the initial Women’s March on Washington, spurred by […]

Austerity isn’t working for everyone – especially women

7 March 2017

Women have borne the brunt of government austerity policies since 2010. Cuts to spending on services and social security have a disproportionate gender impact because women rely more on these services, benefits and tax credits than men do. It is therefore ironic that the UK is set to announce another budget that will do little […]

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