Missing Pages: Honouring History’s Hidden Women

Did you know that the origins of the theory behind the mathematical concept of ‘chaos theory’ (also known as the ‘Butterfly Effect’) began with a female mathematician called Mary Cartwright, or that a woman named Lise Meitner was behind the discovery of the splitting of the atom?  

It is a common experience if these names do not sound familiar. According to an Ancestry survey on female historical achievements, the majority (57%) of respondents admitted to feeling more confident naming male historical figures than female ones. This is further reflected in a recent analysis** of UK KS3 history textbooks for students aged 11 to 14, which revealed that men receive four times as many mentions (81%) as women (19%). Together, these insights highlight a consistent trend; women are frequently relegated to the margins of historical records.

Ancestry is on a mission to change that, and the change begins at home. The stories of interesting women in our families are waiting to be uncovered and celebrated.  

Starting with the 1921 Census of England and Wales, Ancestry partnered with Historic England to identify 25 women who feature in this census and have contributed in some way to society, culture, science, and the arts.  These women’s stories can be uncovered here.  Could you be related to one of these incredible women and not know it?

Countless other records reveal stories of bravery, courage, and commitment; from the first women to join the police force in the early 1900’s to pioneering female engineers and esteemed scholars who reached dizzying heights when women had to fight for access to further education.  If you’ve never thought about the women who came before you to pave the way for women and girls today, then now is the time.  Talk to your relatives and delve into our records to discover the lives they lived and the accomplishments that could be forever forgotten if not shared and celebrated today. 

*The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 500 UK teachers (even split of primary and secondary school), with a minimum of 20 history teachers. The data was collected between 01.05.2026 - 06.05.2026.

**Censuswide analysed a representative sample of UK KS3 history textbooks and publicly accessible educational materials, including exam board specifications and BBC Bitesize content. Named historical figures and visual depictions were reviewed and categorised by gender to assess representation patterns in mainstream secondary history education.

The Parity Principle

In addition to our partnership with Historic England, Ancestry has worked with esteemed historian Dr. Amy Boyington to devise a practical way academics, educators, and culture-shapers can proactively address the gender imbalance in how women are recorded in history. 

For the first time, a formal framework has been created, inspired by the Bechdel Test for fiction. “The Parity Principle” provides a simple set of criteria for historians, educators, and the public to assess whether historical works offer a complete picture of the past by including the experiences of both men and women. The test arrives at a crucial time for educators, as an overwhelming four in five (79%) teachers agree that a simple, standardised framework would be helpful to ensure they cover diverse perspectives in their lessons*.

To pass the test, an account or portrayal of a historical period or event should feature the same amount of named women as men:

a) within the main thrust of the historical narrative

b) discussed on their own terms, rather than in their relation to others (e.g. as a spouse or a victim), 

c) providing insight into their own notable achievements and/or the general life experience of women at the time.

A full explanation of how to apply the test can be found here.

Dr Jennifer Doyle, Family History Expert at Ancestry, said, “At Ancestry, we believe that everyone’s story deserves to be told. History has largely documented the lives of men, leaving the accomplishments of women sidelined or forgotten entirely. With ‘The Parity Principle,’ we are actively challenging this imbalance, but we also want to empower the public to balance the history books within their own homes. By using Ancestry to uncover the missing pages of our family trees, we can ensure the vital stories of our female ancestors are finally found, shared, and preserved for the next generation.”

Anna Whitehouse, founder of Mother Pukka and champion of female rights, said, “It is astounding that the women who shaped our world are still being relegated to the footnotes of history. I experienced this erasure firsthand when researching my paternal grandmother. Seeing her life reduced to the occupation of ‘wife of’ on her death certificate was a turning point. But finding her census returns and marriage records on Ancestry gave me the tangible evidence I needed to make her story real and sparked entirely new conversations with the women in my family. It is time we unearth the incredible women from our shared history, starting with our own ancestors, to give them the recognition they so rightly deserve, and to show our children the true, equal picture of who shaped the world.”

*The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 500 UK teachers (even split of primary and secondary school), with a minimum of 20 history teachers. The data was collected between 01.05.2026 - 06.05.2026.