They made women feel they had more control over their lives, and showed that women and girls can make a difference. Suffragettes changed the law but, importantly, they also changed social attitudes about what women could do. What can today’s girls learn from the suffragette movement?

My surname gave me a voice, and it also gave me power to carry on working for women’s rights. It made me realise that the cause my relatives fought for was still relevant. I moved to England when I was 14 and, in some ways, I saw similar sorts of issues affecting women here. I was able to link it to my own experiences, as I grew up in Ethiopia and saw many inequalities in the way that women were treated. The more I looked into the history, the more fascinating I found it. People would notice my surname and, from a young age, I learnt to explain the connection. Did your family legacy inspire you to get involved in social action? We spoke to her about her heritage, what still needs to change and how we can help girls to find their voices – and have them heard. She believes that there’s only one way to tackle the issues still affecting women and girls: by getting more women into positions of power. Helen (Emmeline's great-granddaughter and Syvia's granddaughter) has followed in their gigantic footsteps, and feels just as strongly about women’s rights as her ancestors did.

Suffragettes Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst are synonymous with the Women’s Movement.Īfter all, it’s thanks to their inspiring actions that we enjoy many of the rights we do today. International experiences without going abroad

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