Work by women scholars to be shared with Welsh Government thanks to new annual research awards

Wednesday May 11th, 2016

The work of the winners of a new annual research award presented in memory of a Welsh woman who campaigned for women’s rights across the world are to be shared with the Welsh Government.

Welsh Government Finance Minister Jane Hutt, who presented the first Audrey Jones Memorial Awards for Feminist Scholarship at the Wales Assembly of Women conference, asked for copies of the research to be sent to her so as she could share them with Welsh Government.

Jane, a long-standing member of Wales Assembly of Women, said: “Audrey Jones fought tirelessly for women’s rights and would have been delighted with the purposeful scholarship demonstrated here today in her memory.”

Wales Assembly of Women chair Dr Jackie Jones said: “We are delighted that Jane Hutt wants to share the work of the recipients of our new awards with Welsh Government. It is our hope that these new awards will provide an opportunity for women to raise important issues that may eventually inform and underpin future policy in Wales.”

Audrey Jones represented Wales on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and contributed to UN consultations and debates on women’s rights across the world. She died in 2014 aged 84. Up until she retired in 1990 she was deputy head of St Cyres Comprehensive school in Penarth, where she had taught since 1960.

Wales Assembly of Women conference organiser Dr Jane Salisbury said: “Audrey was always interested to hear about the research of my students. She was incredibly frustrated that far too many research findings remain in dissertations and theses where only a privileged few have access to them. We are delighted to have provided a new platform for female scholars to share their work and ideas.”

The first three female scholars to receive the Audrey Jones Memorial Awards made presentations about their work at the annual Wales Assembly of Women conference in the School of Social Sciences, Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University. The morning session focused on Europe and heard from Derek Vaughan Labour MEP, Jill Evans Plaid Cyrmu MEP, Sarah Rees Women’s Equality Party and Liz Wilks UKIP.

The 2016 Audrey Jones Memorial Awards for Feminist Scholarship were presented by Jane Hutt to:

  • Breakfast and Brains: Implications for girls in Wales. Hannah Littlecott, Cardiff University.

  • Undertaking transformative research with victim-survivors of elder abuse: A story of feminist praxis in Wales. The Dewis/Choice Project. Sarah Wydall, Aberystwyth University.

  • Class, Motherhood and Mature Studentship – (Re) Constructing and (Re) Negotiating Subjectivity. Dr Melanie Morgan, Cardiff University.

For more information on the Audrey Jones Memorial Awards for Feminist Scholarship email: Dr Jane Salisbury: SalisburyJ@cardiff.ac.uk

  • Photos show: The three award winners with Jane Hutt; The three award winners with WAW Cttee members and Jane Hutt

Notes to editors

The Wales Assembly of Women is an independent organisation for women in Wales. It is an NGO accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Its representatives have attended every major U.N. world conference for women since Nairobi in 1985.

Membership is open to all women in Wales and to women living elsewhere who have connections with Wales. It is a campaigning organisation for women’s rights and receives no public money. It is funded by the membership and charity grants.