Women and Housing Rights
We are taking a look at the past, present and future of Glasgow housing policy, and how it has specifically affected women. With regards to the past we will be looking into the last century, discussing the Glasgow rent strikes in 1915 and the role of Mary Barbour. We will also highlight the 1950s Merrylee Campaign, a movement that protested against the privatisation of council housing win Scotland and which was largely supported by housewives. Additionally our project will unpack Scotland’s New Towns, which arose between 1947 and 1966, and what they meant for the Scottish family. As we move to the modern era, we will turn to look at current housing policy and how it impacts women. In collaboration with the Simon Community Scotland, we hope to detail the stories of women who have experienced homelessness and what is being done at present and in the future to help them. Our project will be a visual display, emulating a gallery wall in a house by displaying photo frames, posters and our information. We want to create a homely feel and take the viewer through time with our display. The overall purpose of the project is to engage students with the issue of housing rights and homelessness in Glasgow, and how women are impacted by policy decisions.
About the Students
Carys Brown is a student on the MSc Gender History programme. Her research interests include the gendered elements of nationalism and sex work policies in the 20th century. Carys is taking part in this project as she is passionate about working in the heritage industry and finding ways to connect the University to its local history.
Amelia Cowie is a final year undergraduate student, completing her MA in Politics and Spanish. She is currently completing her dissertation on the rise of misogynist groups on the internet, and their depiction in the media. Outside of her degree, Amelia is the Communications Intern for the University of Glasgow Road to Home initiative, which works to raise awareness of homelessness in Glasgow. This largely inspired her to take part in this project, as she wanted to further highlight the stories of the many women who have been affected by homelessness and to share what policies are in place to protect them.