FAUSTINE DIGITAL PROGRAMME
@ The Quarry Theatre, Bedford,
22nd & 23rd July 2023
@ The Cockpit, London,
2nd - 5th August
GREAT FEMINISTS OF THE PAST
MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT
English Writer, Philosopher & Advocate of Women's Rights 1759 - 1797
Known as one of the founding mothers of Feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft's life was a crucible for romance and tragedy, after a posthumously published memoir revealed scandalous and turbulent relationships with Henry Fuseli and Gilbert Imlay (with whom she had her first child, Fanny Imlay). After two suicide attempts, she found love in fellow writer William Godwin, and married him to legitimise their child. However, eleven days after their daughter was born, Mary died of postpartum infection at the age of 38, leaving behind several unfinished manuscripts. Frustrated by the limited career options open to respectable yet poor women—an impediment which Wollstonecraft eloquently describes in the chapter of 'Thoughts on the Education of Daughters' entitled 'Unfortunate Situation of Females, Fashionably Educated, and Left Without a Fortune'—she decided, after only a year as a governess, to embark upon a career as an author. This was a radical choice, since, at the time, few women could support themselves by writing. As she wrote to her sister Everina in 1787, she was trying to become 'the first of a new genus'. Her daughter then grew up to be the pioneer of science fiction and Frankenstein author, Mary Shelley. It wasn’t until the turn of the twentieth century when the Feminist movement rose, did Mary Wollstonecraft become revered for her feminist writings, namely A Vindication For Women’s Rights (1792).
"I do not wish [women] to have power over men; but over themselves."
SUPPORT & INFORMATION
Below we have provided some links to facts and research connected to the topics discussed in FAUSTINE and some support links for those affected.
You are never alone there are people out there who will support you!
DOING HARM BY MAYA DUSENBERY
Maya Dusenbery has summarised in her 2018 book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed and Sick. She notes that, in the early 60s: “Observing that women tended to have lower rates of heart disease until their oestrogen levels dropped after menopause, researchers conducted the first trial to look at whether supplementation with the hormone was an effective preventive treatment. The study enrolled 8,341 men and no women ... And a National Institutes of Health-supported pilot study from Rockefeller University that looked at how obesity affected breast and uterine cancer didn’t enrol a single woman.”
WOMEN & CORONARY HEART DISEASE
Women are less likely to experience the “classic” symptoms of a heart attack — symptoms that were discovered in research led by men, in which most of the participants were men.
But because the diagnosis method still favours male biology, many women experience a delayed diagnosis or a misdiagnosis
On average, women are diagnosed with heart disease seven to ten years later than men. This often results in other chronic diseases being prevalent by the time of the diagnosis.
ENDOMETRIOSIS UK
Endometriosis can devastate the lives of not only those with the disease but also their families. We help them take back control.
One in ten women and those assigned female at birth are living with endometriosis. That’s over 1.5 million who desperately need support and information to help them understand this chronic condition.
We're here to provide vital support services, reliable information and a community for those affected by endometriosis.
STATISTICS
Women's Health needs to be a priority.
2.5%
According to earlier analysis from the UK, less than 2.5% of publicly-funded research was dedicated to reproductive health. Yet one in three women will suffer from a reproductive or gynaecological health issue.This means roughly 16% of the population will experience an issue that receives only 2.5% of the annual research budget.
43%
A recent study in the Lancet showed the risk of miscarriage for Black women is 43% higher than for White women. The most recent report on maternal death showed that rates were almost four times higher for women from Black ethnic backgrounds and almost two times higher for women from Asian ethnic backgrounds, compared to White women.