Having it All

In this episode, Kirsty Wark explores the 1980s and 90s, a time of contrasts and contradictions for Scotland's women. During these decades, legislative leaps enshrined new rights, many glass ceilings were smashed, and women were told that it was possible to have it all. However, at the same time, everyday sexism and domestic violence remained rife, and the burden of domestic labour continued to fall on women. For many who lived through these years there were new opportunities to be seized in business, in politics and on the stage, but more often than not a truly liberated life felt as far away as ever.
In the world of business, where in the 80s and 90s women were still vastly outnumbered by men, Kirsty meets pioneering entrepreneurs such as Shirley Spear, who established The Three Chimneys restaurant on the Isle of Skye and revolutionised Highland hospitality, and Karen Koren who gave women a platform in comedy when she set up her hugely successful production company, Gilded Balloon. Kirsty also hears from the women who made headway in local politics at this time, gaining seats on local councils and establishing the first Women's Committees.
As well as meeting the women who forged successful new career paths, Kirsty tells the stories of those who fought to change the systems and structures that were holding women back. She hears from the family of Jean Porcelli, who fought a landmark sexual harassment case in the 1980s and changed the law for women across Britain, and learns about the determined feminism of the Church of Scotland's Anne Hepburn, who fought for greater inclusivity in church life. In St Andrews, Kirsty delves into the University's archives to explore the work of feminist photographer Franki Raffles, who, with the Edinburgh District Council Women's Committee, produced the hugely successful Zero Tolerance campaign which called for an end to violence against women.
These were years when women sought to amplify their voices and make the reality of their lives visible – from activists in the Scottish Black Women's Group whose tireless efforts helped Scotland face up to racism, to the women who founded the Glasgow Women's Library – still the only organisation of its kind in the UK. Kirsty hears from all these women, and chats to Laura Norris, the Edinburgh University student who helped organise the first Pride Scotland march. She also catches up with Elaine C. Smith to discuss how The Steamie - a phenomenally successful stage play starring women, validated women's lives and experiences.
As the 90s drew to a close, the institutions that exerted the greatest power over our lives were still dominated by men, but the balance in many walks of life was finally shifting, thanks to the women who fought to make the promise of equality, a reality.