International Women’s Day

My Lords, I shall try to keep to that. In considering this debate, I thought that I would take a look at the early years of the last century to see how women were regarded in those days. It was a delight for me, as an ex-professional, to learn that in 1900 women were allowed to compete in the Olympics and that a British woman, Charlotte Cooper, won gold for the women's tennis singles. This is nicely balanced by Amy Williams’s gold a couple of weeks ago at the Winter Olympics, though I suspect that even Charlotte Cooper might be a little overawed at the method of winning it! In December 1903, Madame Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel prize. She repeated the feat in December 1911 after she isolated pure radium. In contrast, in January 1904, the Pope ordered Catholic ladies not to wear low-cut ball gowns, and in 1905 the Women’s Suffrage Bill was talked out in another place. One MP stated during the debate that men and women differed in "mental equipment", with women having "little sense of proportion". A mere eight years later, in March 1915, the UK Government appealed to women to sign up for war work and devised a register of those willing to do so. Newspapers of the time reported the comments of foremen praising their new workforce for their energy, punctuality and willingness. Twenty-four years on and they were called upon again, serving in the Armed Forces, taking part in special operations and playing a vital role in the underground resistance to the German takeover. Others took to the land, making a large contribution to the survival of this country as the renowned Land Girls. Since then, women have continued to work in agriculture but their role has expanded. They are employed as scientists, researchers, engineers, agronomists and advisers. Some are senior managers in the food industry. Women have become partners in farming, formed their own businesses, initiated diversification on farms, created new businesses and dealt with the proliferation of paperwork. They are fully exposed to the stresses and strains caused by the outbreak of disease among livestock and crops. This country has some outstanding women in the vanguard of agricultural progress, such as Christine Tacon, general manager for the Co-op farm group. Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Caroline Drummond, chief executive of LEAF, and Caroline Cranbrook, a very well known campaigner for local foods, to name but a few. Of course, I can never forget my noble friends Lady Trumpington and Lady Shephard, both highly respected former Agriculture Ministers. Thousands of women in Britain continue to make an important contribution and today we applaud their enthusiasm, commitment and skill. In Africa, too, where the average farm is less than two hectares, women play a vital role in feeding the people, making up 80 per cent of the workforce in sub-Saharan Africa. The Christian charity, Send a Cow, recognises this by helping them to grow enough food to eat, sell the surplus and develop a small business in the longer term. It provides training, livestock, seeds and ongoing support. Its excellent pass-on scheme ensures that the first female offspring of each donated cow is passed on to another needy family and thus, with the minimum of paperwork and maximum female influence, livestock and knowledge are shared. Another woman who has made a huge difference is Kenyan, Wangari Muta Maathai—I hope that I have pronounced her name correctly—who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organisation focused on planting trees. She was elected as an MP and served as an assistant Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources. In 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. I must also mention the Sierra Leone project supported by Soroptimist International. The money it has raised has helped to support healthcare, education, secure housing, and access to income generation for women in Sierra Leone. None of this work would be possible without the generosity of thousands of people giving to this and other overseas charities. British families have a tradition of generously supporting other countries. Water Aid and Christian Aid are internationally known, but small schemes make a huge difference. It is right that, at this time, we remember ways in which we can help each other. I thank my noble friend Lady Miller of Hendon for giving us this opportunity today.