International Women’s Day 2016 took place on Tuesday 8th March – it’s a day (or week) to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political impact women have made in everyday life.

International Women’s Day at Stirling

We hosted a range of dedicated International Women’s Day events on campus – including drumming classes (above) and dedicated #IWD2016 events – as well as profiling some of our inspiring women. Their stories were just too good not to share, so we’ve reposted them below.

Dr Laura Hall

“I’m working to better understand the welfare of dogs used in pharmaceutical research, and developing ways of improving their welfare. My life-long interests have been science and dogs, so it was probably inevitable that I’d combine the two.

“I’m lucky to have been surrounded by inspirational women and to have had the opportunity to work with women at the top of their fields. If you’re motivated to change something, make it happen, whether you’re male or female. Go out and do it.”

Dr Laura Hall researches the welfare and treatment of laboratory dogs in pharmaceutical research to improve their welfare.

Professor Karen Boyle

“I teach and research Gender Studies and Film Studies. Working with students is the best part of my job – I’m always learning from them. They inspire me and take my research in new and challenging directions.

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect: on how far we’ve come; and on how far we’ve still got to go. And it’s my daughter’s birthday so it’s a time for hope in the future. I want to work towards a time when there is no gender inequality, no gender-based violence, no sexism. When children’s imaginations, possibilities, hopes and daily lives are not constricted by their genders.”

Professor Karen Boyle is the only Professor of Feminist Media Studies in the UK.

Danielle Joyce

“You don’t know what you can achieve until you try. Competitive swimming gives you so many emotions but the friends you make along the way make even the worst days worth it.

As for the good times, they are just amazing.”

Student and competitive swimmer Danielle Joyce holds multiple deaf swimming world records, and was named Scottish Sportswoman of the Year last year – all before the age of 20.

Professor June Andrews

“I’m trying to improve life for people with dementia and their carers. Our most recent research shows that dementia is a feminist issue. More women get dementia, more women are family carers, and more women work in the sometimes low esteem low paid jobs in the dementia industry. By contrast more men work in the policy areas that control what happens about it.

For ten years now as a Professor at Stirling I’ve been working worldwide to make difference by getting evidence based advice and information into the hands of people who need it. This runs counter to the media stories of false optimism, political promises of a cure and celebrities expressing angst about the topic. Instead of degenerating into being part of the entertainment industry, our work here is hopeful, but serious and above all, practical and based on research.”

Professor June Andrews works worldwide to improve the lives of people living with dementia – and their carers.

Shelley Kerr

“I had a passion for football early, but I grew up in an era where girls didn’t play football – there was no formal infrastructure. It was a challenge right away.

I was the first girl to play for my primary team, but I wasn’t allowed to play for my secondary school – I was about 12 or 13, so I had to play in a women’s league. At the age of 13!

I ended up not playing very much, so it challenged me as a person. But I stuck at it, and went on to represent my country and play at the highest level, before developing a passion for coaching.