Blog provided by Dishi Attwood
Dame Jenni brought our 2014 conference to a close with humour, wit and skill. Despite having a global reputation amongst men and women, (men now being 40% of listeners), her humility shone through and it felt as though we had a dear friend talking to us.
The address included gentle humour, ranging from comments from her sons who she wanted to raise as men who did not exploit women, comments from BBC controllers who in the early days sent a memo when a poetry slot was suggested that presenters should be aware of the ‘simple minds of the audience’ and celebrities such as Barbara Castle who, as a young woman, was introduced locally by the party agent as an unusual phenomenon, a ‘woman wot talks’!
The theme of the address was change over time. The genderquake that is taking place with young women making their mark through social media and being instrumental in changing the hearts and minds of the current male generation.
The programme has made a huge contribution by increasing our knowledge of those subjects that never used to be talked about. The topics in the 40’s ranged from equal pay, what to do with blackout curtains, how to de slime your flannel or knit your own stair carpet. More recently topics include bugs that lurk in your dishwasher, culture, politics and everything that others would prefer to avoid discussing.
Dame Jenni’s key message was for women to remain vigilant. Rights that are given can just as easily be taken away and she cited the example of the position of women in Afghanistan.
It is impossible to convey the enormity of Dame Jenni’s impact on her audience this afternoon without a copy of her complete talk. The standing ovation was instant and spontaneous. We would happily have listened for many more hours.