Women Students

• Women in Academia – Women make up 59% of graduates, however only 20% of university professors are women (European Commission, 2012). Women are especially underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
• Women in Politics – Despite making up 50% of the population, only 34% of MPs in Parliament are women (House of Commons, 2020) and a mere 0.02% of all MPs are Black Women (Aworo, 2020)
• Violence Against Women - 1 in 5 women in England and Wales have experienced sexual assault since the age of 16, equivalent to 3.4 million women. 68 % of women students had experienced verbal or physical sexual harassment in and around their university (NUS, 2010).
• Reporting Sexual Harassment – In a survey of 4500 students from 153 UK universities, only 2% of those experiencing sexual violence felt both able to report it to their university and were satisfied with the reporting process (Revolt Sexual Assault, 2018)
• Female staff accounted for 50% of full-time staff reported to HESA and 66% of part-time staff in 2022/23. In 2022/23, there were more male academic staff than female (123,290 and 116,540 respectively). The report also outlines that 44% of full-time academic staff were female. (HESA, 2024) Having a balanced mix of male and female staff can positively affect students’ experiences on campus by creating a more welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels included and encouraged.
• In 2018, a European Commission (EC) publication reported that while women constitute about half of PhD students, they make up less than a quarter of the most senior rank of university professors. Only 27% of academic board and committee members are women, and only 21.7% of heads of academic institutions are women (European Commission, 2018)
• Currently there are 263 women MPs in the House of Commons and 238 women members of the House of Lords. In the Commons women make up 40% of MPs and in the Lords 30%. Together, women make up 35% of members of the Commons and Lords. (UK Parliament, 2025).
• Recent statistics show that 76% of teachers in state-funded schools and 76% of NHS workers were women, as were 55% of civil servants, 49% of public appointments, 44% of workers in higher education, 43% of judges, 35% of police officers and 12% of the armed forces. (House of Commons Library, 2025).
• This variation in gender representation across professions reflects the diverse role models and leadership figures students encounter both on campus and in wider society. For students, especially those in higher education, seeing diverse representation in these sectors—and among university staff and officers—can strengthen their sense of belonging and inspire aspirations, highlighting why it’s important for student officer teams and university leadership to reflect the communities they serve.
• Violence Against Women - 1 in 5 women in England and Wales have experienced sexual assault since the age of 16, equivalent to 3.4 million women. 68 % of women students had experienced verbal or physical sexual harassment in and around their university (NUS, 2010).
• Estimates published by WHO indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.  (World Health Organisation, 2018)
  Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that almost a quarter of women aged 16-24 experienced sexual harassment last year, with younger women more likely to experience harassment (ONS, 2023)
• Only 1 in 10 reported their experiences to the university or police; only 6% of respondents reported their experience of sexual violence to the university.
  Only 2% of those experiencing sexual violence felt both able to report it to their university and were satisfied with the reporting process (Revolt Sexual Assault,  2018). This highlights the importance of student support and effective signposting.
   

Did you know we have a Feminist Society? It's just one of the many amazing groups you can get involved with! Explore all the societies we have to offer at the Liverpool Guild by visiting: https://www.liverpoolguild.org/groups.
You can even

Every year we celebrate Women’s History Month, as part of our wider More Than a Month campaign. Celebrating stories and achievements of fierce women throughout our history with the aim to go beyond the traditional themes and instead celebrating diversity and drawing inspiration from the women of the past to create real change in our present and future.

The Guild hosts a range of activities for students to get involved in. In previous years, this has included events such as a women student meetups and an International Women’s Day fair in the Guild Street. The Guild also offers craft sessions such as a reusable period pad making session as part of the sustainable Give it a Go programme.

If you have any ideas about how we can celebrate Women’s History Month this year, we’d love to hear from you — please get in touch!

Liberation inbox - liberation@liverpool.ac.uk

Women-led campaign wins include:

• Free Sanity Products Free period products are available in ALL Guild bathrooms, for everyone who menstruates. We have also lobbied the University to do the same, and you can now find free period products in university bathrooms across campus. The Guild Shop also sells tax-free sanitary products.
• Report & Support Previous Officers launched the Report & Support service at the University, that includes support for domestic violence, sexual harassment, abuse and rape
• Pro Choice Campus: Following a submission through the Guild’s Democratic Processes, the Guild now has a Pro-Choice Policy active from April 2025. This policy is to make the campus pro-choice, as well as lobbying the council and university on increasing safety through activity such as Reclaim the Night.

1. I May Destroy You

2. The Chair

3. The Queen’s Gambit

4. Girls

5. Unbelievable

6. Fleabag

7. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

8. Orange is the New Black

9. Jessica Jones

10. GLOW

11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

12. Big Little Lies

13. The Handmaid’s Tale

14. Scandal

15. The Bold Type

16. Orphan Black

17. Shrill

18. Killing Eve

1. Roma

2. Radioactive

3. Legally Blonde

4. Pieces of a Woman

5. Lady Bird

6. Radium Girls

7. Queen of Katwe

8. Chicago

9. Erin Brockovich

10. Hidden Figures

11. The Devil Wears Prada

12. Made in Dagenham

13. Frida

14. Suffragette

15. Joy

16. Wild

17. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

18. Nine to Five

19. On the Basis of Sex

20.Late Night

21.Educating Rita

22.Farha

1. The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

2. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given

3. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakamie

4. Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

6. A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

7. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

9. Emma by Jane Austen

10. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

11. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

12. The Guilty Feminist by Deborah Frances-White

13. Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

14. The Handmaid’s Tale

15. Mahashweta

• YWCA is a digital charity which offers support in a virtual environment. Their goal is to impact our current and future young women leaders in their day to day lives. Empowering young women since 1855, YWCA invests in young women’s leadership through grant funding, policy and advocacy. You can find out more here https://www.ywca.uk/.
• The Women’s National Commission http://www.thewnc.org.uk The Women’s National Commission is the official and independent advisory body giving the views of women to the government of the United Kingdom. It is an umbrella organisation representing women and women’s organisations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure women’s views are taken into account by the government and are heard in public debate.
• • Archives can be found here - Records created or inherited by the Women's National Commission | The National Archives
• BEAT: Beat Eating Disorders http://www.b-eat.co.uk/ Beat is the leading UK charity for people with eating disorders and their families. beat provides helplines for adults and young people, online support and a UK-wide network of self-help groups to help people beat their eating disorder.
• WISETI http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/equality/wiseti A Cambridge University Initiative for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) was established in March 1999, a development of the Secretary General’s Women in Science Group set up in 1993, to consider strategies for increasing the representation of women in science in the University.
• The Women’s Library http://www.thewomenslibrary.ac.uk The Women’s Library is a cultural centre housing the most extensive collection of women’s history in the UK. Access is free and open to everyone.
• The F-Word http://www.thefword.org.uk The F-Word is an online magazine dedicated to talking about and sharing ideas on contemporary UK feminism.
• *Bitch Magazine http://bitchmagazine.org/ Bitch, a feminist response to pop-culture, features critiques of TV, movies, magazines, advertising, and other elements of pop culture. It also interviews feminist pop culture makers, review new books and music, and lots more.
• Women’s Aid http://www.womensaid.org.uk/ Women’s Aid is the key national charity working to end domestic violence against women and children. We support a network of over 500 domestic and sexual violence services across the UK.
• Enterprising Women http://www.enterprising-women.org Enterprising Women delivers measurable and highly cost-effective economic development through enabling women to start up in business, and achieve sustainability and growth, and increases reach and engagement of mainstream Business Link IDB.
• Manchester Feminist Network are a group of women who meet monthly to discuss issues affecting women and plan campaigns and actions. They aim to be a broad group accessible to women from all backgrounds. Manchester Feminist Network | For feminist women in Greater Manchester and the North West
• UN Women is the UN organization delivering programmes, policies and standards that uphold women’s human rights and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential.
• Merseyside Domestic Violence Service Home - Merseyside Domestic Violence Service [MDVS] 0151 709 8770 exists to support women, girls and families affected by domestic violence and abuse. They offer support, advice and educational programmes aimed at breaking the cycle of abuse and aiding recovery. 

• Guild Advice Free, independent, non-judgemental advice on a range of topics including academic issues, wellbeing, accommodation, and university life: 
• Guide to University of Liverpool Services This is a comprehensive overview of the services and support the university offers students, including International Advice and Guidance, Money, Advice and Guidance and Disability, Advice and Guidance. It also contains information on how to access Counselling and Mental Health Advisory services: 
• University’s Guide to Women in STEM List of resources, events and organisations to support women students in STEM
• University of Liverpool Money Advice and Guidance Part of the University’s Student Services offering money managing advice, on things like loans, financial support for carers, emergency short term loans and support schemes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic such as quarantine cost support.