A FAMOUS suffragette’s great granddaughter discussed the progression of women through time at the Swindon literature festival.

Dr Helen Pankhurst, the great granddaughter of suffragette leader, Emmeline Pankhurst and a women’s rights campaigner discussed her book, Deeds not Words.

In her book she charts how women have progressed through time to where they are today in terms of equality.

“It’s interesting that the suffragettes are still renowned 100 years on,” she said. “The world has changed in the direction they wanted us to move in.”

She added: “One of the reasons we look up to the suffragettes is that they give us a role model.”

Although largely thought to have been white, middle class London-based women, all women came together irrelevant of class or religion.

A key theme was dinosaurs - opposition towards the movement such as politicians.

Helen said: “There’s something powerful about a generation of women finding a different way forward as leaders.

“We need to get to a place where women can be at the centre of influence," she said. “For me what needs to change is social norms and culture – changing attitudes and allowing individuals to be what they want to.”

She cited one woman who, when she started working as a lawyer, felt like an imposter.

Helen quoted her as saying: “I wanted to die inside. I am supposed to be there and people are looking at me like I have entered the room by mistake.”

Another theme in her book was male entitlement to women’s bodies, where she used an example of a 45-year-old woman being asked to remove her pubic hair, which she declined.