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Deeds Not Words: The Story of Women's Rights - Then and Now
On the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote, Helen Pankhurst - great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst and a leading women's rights campaigner - charts how women's lives have changed over the last century, and offers a powerful and positive argument for a new way forward.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2018
29 people are currently reading
804 people want to read
About the author
Helen Pankhurst
8 books14 followersDr. Helen Pankhurst is an international development and women's rights activist and writer. Pankhurst is currently CARE International's senior advisor working in the UK and Ethiopia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 8, 2020
I think this book had potential, but unfortunately read more like a long list of facts and names, with limited flow. I think it would have been better to focus on key defining events for each theme, and then have a footnote or appendix to list the additional names, rather than try and squeeze them all into the main text. I think the Identity, Violence, and Power chapters were the best and had a better flow compared with the others. Unfortunately i don't really feel that this book is accessible for many people which reduces it's potential impact.
August 14, 2025
I really wanted to like this book as the subject is dear to my heart, but unfortunately it just seems like a long boring list of "and that happened then and this happens now "
February 11, 2018
Written by the granddaughter of one of the Pankhurst sisters, there’s very few more qualified to write a book like this and Helen Pankhurst does it incredbly well in Deeds Not Words, released a hundred years after the first time women were allowed to vote.
Chaptered into different topics, this book gives a concise and interesting layout of what has changed and what still needs to change for women in the UK and done in a way that makes it easy to read. Chapters on subjects I don’t think about so often such as Money, Identity and Culture are covered incredibly well in this book and go into different parts of society that inform the reader.
I really enjoyed and grew frustrated at this book, knowing how much there was still needing to be changed, however the chapters on 2028 and Beyond give me hope there are new ideas that will allow for a more equal and better society for any woman who lives in it.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a review).
Chaptered into different topics, this book gives a concise and interesting layout of what has changed and what still needs to change for women in the UK and done in a way that makes it easy to read. Chapters on subjects I don’t think about so often such as Money, Identity and Culture are covered incredibly well in this book and go into different parts of society that inform the reader.
I really enjoyed and grew frustrated at this book, knowing how much there was still needing to be changed, however the chapters on 2028 and Beyond give me hope there are new ideas that will allow for a more equal and better society for any woman who lives in it.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a review).
November 3, 2020
A good book but a hard going read. I liked the invitation to reflect at the end of each section, and the inclusion of other women's voices, but much of it read as a list of facts or statistics rather than insight. That said, the author does acknowledge that much had to be left out as it would be impossible to include everything from 100 years in one book.
January 16, 2019
"Women live in a hand-me-down world. The medicine we are prescribed; the infrastructure governments build; the tools we use; all are designed around male bodies and male needs, leaving women at a huge but hidden disadvantage in almost every area of life. There is a chronic global data gap when it comes to women: partly because we forget women, and partly because we think women can make do and mend. The evidence of the cost and consequence of this one-size-fits-men approach is mounting. My vision for the world is that by 2028, we will have stopped forgetting women and started making them count."(Caroline Criado-Perez, feminist activist, journalist and writer)
Published in 2018 to celebrate the centenary of the 1918 act that gave some women the vote, Deeds Not Words looks at how women's rights have progressed in the last 100 years. This is a fantastic book for anyone who wants a more comprehensive picture of the status of UK women past and present - for example it goes beyond the classic statistics about women's representation in parliament and looks at women in the police, the legal system etc., to offer a much fuller picture. Pankhurst wraps up each section well with a good summary and her rating out of 5 on how much things have improved. I also really liked the epilogue which was a collection of quotes from women she had interviewed, talking about their hope for the next ten years (until the centenary of the act that gave all women the vote).
The natural downside to a book like this is that where it gives an excellent breadth of information, it lacks depth. Pankhurst acknowledges that and it would never have been possible to go into each section in more depth without the book being at least three times as long! I also felt that some of the links between the big pillars (e.g. identity, power) and their sub-sections was tenuous in places. The power pillar particularly talked more about social norms and culture wasn't explicit enough about their link to power.
Overall, this is an excellent book to celebrate the centenary!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
November 3, 2020
This book is essentially a whistle-stop tour of the achievements of feminism in the UK over the past 150 years or so (roughly!) and I think it suffers as a result of its intended scope, as from time to time it lapses into a list of discrete facts. The chapter on Culture was particularly disappointing, as it read like a superficial Who's Who of a random handful of successful women, with no real thread running through or attempt at an in-depth analysis. And to include a section on popular music without acknowledging the legacy of punk (a cultural upheaval which gave women the platform to attend gigs and start their own bands completely on their own terms and, crucially, to be accepted thus), nor to mention the fact that the only recording artist to win the Mercury Music award twice is a woman (PJ Harvey) just seemed pointless.
That said, I enjoyed the chapters on Money, Politics and Power which were insightful, informative - and a salutary lesson in never taking things for granted.
That said, I enjoyed the chapters on Money, Politics and Power which were insightful, informative - and a salutary lesson in never taking things for granted.
October 13, 2024
This is largely a good read with lots of great history made more meaningful for the personal connection.
I found the ratings at the end of each chapter a little odd; scoring the feminist movement out of 5 like it's an assignment that's been handed in ... I didn't really know what to make of that.
And I also found it confusing - particularly in the context of looking back to a time when women were denied the vote for being female - to find the book sometimes assuming a definition of woman unconnected to the female. Like in the final summary chapter which notes approvingly that, "the trans movement is also shaking up simple gender and sexual binaries", as though the original suffragettes could have avoided the binary fact of sex if they chose. Or as though if we deny reality now, that will somehow remove the effects of how our sexed bodies work.
The book is only a few years old but it feels like the conversation has already changed. Perhaps that is part of the point - history continually in the making.
I found the ratings at the end of each chapter a little odd; scoring the feminist movement out of 5 like it's an assignment that's been handed in ... I didn't really know what to make of that.
And I also found it confusing - particularly in the context of looking back to a time when women were denied the vote for being female - to find the book sometimes assuming a definition of woman unconnected to the female. Like in the final summary chapter which notes approvingly that, "the trans movement is also shaking up simple gender and sexual binaries", as though the original suffragettes could have avoided the binary fact of sex if they chose. Or as though if we deny reality now, that will somehow remove the effects of how our sexed bodies work.
The book is only a few years old but it feels like the conversation has already changed. Perhaps that is part of the point - history continually in the making.
June 26, 2023
Wonderful engaging thought-provoking read .
March 2, 2019
A very interesting look at how things have changed in the last 100 years. It's a daunting task to attempt, which certainly explains why a lot of topics covered are brief summations, and I enjoyed getting some data/case studies to back up topics which have been a part of mainstream feminist discussion. A downside of the book is that the nature of attempting to cover a broad stroke of history means that there are topics I would have like to have seen explored with some more depth and nuance. This is more a book which provided introductions, case studies and statistics, rather than necessarily breaking new ground. That said, it definitely succeeds in what it sets out to do and was a solidly good read.
April 10, 2018
Thorough, wide-ranging and comprehensive. Immensely readable and inspiring. Only wish it had been longer!
August 10, 2018
This book was fantastic. I saw Helen Pankhurst at the Hay Festival this summer, where she discussed the book chapter by chapter and opened my eyes to the blatant gender inequalities which still occur in our society today. I think I had been living quite a closed off life where I didn't consider feminism when going about my every day life, and I really appreciate the stories that this book (and her talk) have shared with me. Going forward, I want to be more active a feminist, and I am pleased to have explored the areas that I need to focus on through Helen's writing.
Particularly interesting was Helen's section on intersectionality, as I found it really hit the nail on the head of why I hadn't previously identified properly with feminism. She shares a quote from Audre Lorde which identifies how there is a 'mystical norm' where power resides, which, in the UK and US tends to be white, male, young, thin, heterosexual and financially secure. She then goes on to say that we tend to identify ONE way in which we are different and blame this for all our oppression. I think this really hits the crux of how we, as a society, can sometimes fall when striving for equality. It's this point that supports a more holistic approach, considering ways to challenge the status quo when it demeans anyone of an under-represented minority.
I would definitely recommend reading this, whether you are a feminist (which you should be, c'mon) or not. It provides a succinct history of how far we have come, and a realistic, sensible and inclusive look into where we can go from here.
Particularly interesting was Helen's section on intersectionality, as I found it really hit the nail on the head of why I hadn't previously identified properly with feminism. She shares a quote from Audre Lorde which identifies how there is a 'mystical norm' where power resides, which, in the UK and US tends to be white, male, young, thin, heterosexual and financially secure. She then goes on to say that we tend to identify ONE way in which we are different and blame this for all our oppression. I think this really hits the crux of how we, as a society, can sometimes fall when striving for equality. It's this point that supports a more holistic approach, considering ways to challenge the status quo when it demeans anyone of an under-represented minority.
I would definitely recommend reading this, whether you are a feminist (which you should be, c'mon) or not. It provides a succinct history of how far we have come, and a realistic, sensible and inclusive look into where we can go from here.
June 28, 2018
What a fantastic book. It was really eye opening to learn of the overt bias in very recent history (such as the civil service requiring women to get permission to continue working once married in 1975) and the less obvious bias and under representation that is still around today. There's still a lot to be done to achieve equality and I plan on using the ideas from this book to work out what I can do.
March 13, 2018
Yes, the author is related to 'those' Pankhursts. And, being a descendent of such revolutionery women, she has picked up the baton of what they started in the 19th century. This is a look at women's rights then, now and in the future. Some interesting points and whether you agree with them or not, this book will get you thinking.
December 7, 2018
Absolutely amazing story, one of my favourite Suffragette books I have ever read so far. The things that people got away with in regards to the treatment of women back in time up until the modern day is barbaric. It is a truly inspirational book, admirers of the Suffragettes will love it.
February 11, 2018
An exceptionally powerful narrative, stirring and gorgeously written, a must read for...well, for everyone! It made me feel proud+angry+inspired all at once!
October 4, 2019
The Group Thinks:
The 100th year anniversary of women getting the vote. Helen Pankhurst lists events of the intervening years. Helen Pankhurst is the great-grandaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, the book has been marketed to make sure the readers know this. It led me to think it would be much more personal to the family, maybe with insights into the feelings involved. The book has many surprising facts such as: Queen Victoria despite her position as Queen of the British Empire, wrote in 1870 let women be what God intended, a helpmate for man. Lady Amberley (a suffragist) ought to get a good whipping. Many of the group found the dates and the way the time line jumps about, difficult to read. Found it more of an academic book, than a book to read for a readers group. We were looking forward to reading Deeds not Words, as a womens group, felt it would be really apt, but know-one through they would recommend it. Not a readers group choice.
What Jackie S. thought
Quite apart from its ponderousness I find this deeply problematic book on all sorts of levels.
Firstly it appears to be offered in a 'suffragette' wrapper by a descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst and, by implication, attributes all the changes that women have achieved, for example equal pay and equal opportunities, as resulting from the influence of the WSPU.
This is far from the truth
The aim of the WSPU was simple to achieve voting rights for women on the same basis as for men, i.e. to restrict voting for women to a property owning class. There were attempts within the organization to widen this to all women regardless of qualifying conditions but this was opposed by the members of the WSPU. It is salutary to remember that when limited female suffrage was offered to women Emmeline Pankhurst gave up on the WSPU! During the first world war Christabel Pankhurst is to be remembered as the leading light in the white feather campaign.
Secondly I feel that the book is particularly partisan in spirit, shining light on the suffragettes and failing to allow adequate light on other individuals working in the fields of working class emancipation and under its umbrella, female emancipation. Margaret Bondfield, the first woman government minister is an excellent example. She argues that the only way forward was a bill that enfranchised all men and women without qualification. She wished good luck to those fighting for a 'same terms as men' suffrage bill' but added 'Don't let them tell me they are working for my class'. Yet in this book there are only two fairly disparaging entries in relation to Margaret Bondfield, one on page 31 and a further short entry on page 45.
Thirdly I think the scholarship is poor and limiting, As far as the first point is concerned an example on page 74 that 'not until the 1980s were women allowed to do engineering degrees.'
I knew this to be manifestly untrue. I was a Chemistry student at Leeds in the mid sixties and there were at least three women students in different engineering faculties and doughty women they were! The quote was attributed to Dame Vera Baird in relation to Bristol University, heard on Women's Hour in 2015. In case things were different at Bristol from Leeds I sent an email for information on the first female engineering graduate - the answer 1929! Incredibly sloppy no to have written herself to check up. (Have written to the publisher!)
In relation to limiting the example of Marie Stopes is illuminating. The author mentions the free birth control clinics in the east end but fails to acknowledge Stopes as a eugenicist (looking for a perfect race) and communicated with Hitler about adopting her ideas. Quotes abound on the internet but perhaps the most illuminating one concerns the fact that she disowned her own son because he was planning to marry a women who wore glasses (Mary is unfit to bear children!) when the women in question was the daughter of Barnes Wallis - he of the bouncing bombs.
Finally I find the book patronizing Page 10 there has also been confusion about the different Emmelines and Emilys who have become merged in the public imagination into a single image of a woman marching, being chained to railings in Westminster, before being knocked down by a horse in the Derby. Somehow it seems too much to remember more than one famous suffrage campaigner! Gushing quotes therefore on page 14 undeserved simply by the Suffragettes alone!
The 100th year anniversary of women getting the vote. Helen Pankhurst lists events of the intervening years. Helen Pankhurst is the great-grandaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, the book has been marketed to make sure the readers know this. It led me to think it would be much more personal to the family, maybe with insights into the feelings involved. The book has many surprising facts such as: Queen Victoria despite her position as Queen of the British Empire, wrote in 1870 let women be what God intended, a helpmate for man. Lady Amberley (a suffragist) ought to get a good whipping. Many of the group found the dates and the way the time line jumps about, difficult to read. Found it more of an academic book, than a book to read for a readers group. We were looking forward to reading Deeds not Words, as a womens group, felt it would be really apt, but know-one through they would recommend it. Not a readers group choice.
What Jackie S. thought
Quite apart from its ponderousness I find this deeply problematic book on all sorts of levels.
Firstly it appears to be offered in a 'suffragette' wrapper by a descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst and, by implication, attributes all the changes that women have achieved, for example equal pay and equal opportunities, as resulting from the influence of the WSPU.
This is far from the truth
The aim of the WSPU was simple to achieve voting rights for women on the same basis as for men, i.e. to restrict voting for women to a property owning class. There were attempts within the organization to widen this to all women regardless of qualifying conditions but this was opposed by the members of the WSPU. It is salutary to remember that when limited female suffrage was offered to women Emmeline Pankhurst gave up on the WSPU! During the first world war Christabel Pankhurst is to be remembered as the leading light in the white feather campaign.
Secondly I feel that the book is particularly partisan in spirit, shining light on the suffragettes and failing to allow adequate light on other individuals working in the fields of working class emancipation and under its umbrella, female emancipation. Margaret Bondfield, the first woman government minister is an excellent example. She argues that the only way forward was a bill that enfranchised all men and women without qualification. She wished good luck to those fighting for a 'same terms as men' suffrage bill' but added 'Don't let them tell me they are working for my class'. Yet in this book there are only two fairly disparaging entries in relation to Margaret Bondfield, one on page 31 and a further short entry on page 45.
Thirdly I think the scholarship is poor and limiting, As far as the first point is concerned an example on page 74 that 'not until the 1980s were women allowed to do engineering degrees.'
I knew this to be manifestly untrue. I was a Chemistry student at Leeds in the mid sixties and there were at least three women students in different engineering faculties and doughty women they were! The quote was attributed to Dame Vera Baird in relation to Bristol University, heard on Women's Hour in 2015. In case things were different at Bristol from Leeds I sent an email for information on the first female engineering graduate - the answer 1929! Incredibly sloppy no to have written herself to check up. (Have written to the publisher!)
In relation to limiting the example of Marie Stopes is illuminating. The author mentions the free birth control clinics in the east end but fails to acknowledge Stopes as a eugenicist (looking for a perfect race) and communicated with Hitler about adopting her ideas. Quotes abound on the internet but perhaps the most illuminating one concerns the fact that she disowned her own son because he was planning to marry a women who wore glasses (Mary is unfit to bear children!) when the women in question was the daughter of Barnes Wallis - he of the bouncing bombs.
Finally I find the book patronizing Page 10 there has also been confusion about the different Emmelines and Emilys who have become merged in the public imagination into a single image of a woman marching, being chained to railings in Westminster, before being knocked down by a horse in the Derby. Somehow it seems too much to remember more than one famous suffrage campaigner! Gushing quotes therefore on page 14 undeserved simply by the Suffragettes alone!
September 3, 2018
The title was the first thing that grabbed me about this book as within my own profession we often say there are lots of words spoken around dementia but much less action. Having grown up in a family where being a woman was never seen as a disadvantage and where I was always told I could do anything I set my mind to it was an interesting read about the various struggles faced by woman and the various triumphs. The book is broken into themes and each is then rated and I found myself agreeing with each rating. In a time where we have a female prime minister and a female first minister it was sobering to think that 100 years ago woman couldn’t even vote. This is a must read for anyone wanting to know more not just about the suffragette movement but also about the history of woman in the last 100 years in the UK
September 5, 2021
Good but....
Mostly good, enlightening and inspiring, but one factor I found really disappointing was Helen's views on sex work.
I don't believe anyone can call themselves a feminist and judge women for what they do with their own body.
Street prostitution and trafficking are two horrible areas where vulnerable women are victimised, true.
But many escorts, porn stars, glamour models, and yes organised self employed sex workers find it empowering, they like their work, safe in the knowledge it's the men who are trash, not then and that they are funding their Jimmy choos. They're the ones with the power, the should be able to choose how they work without judgement by other women.
Men are horrible enough to all women, so disappointed that someone like Helen would put all sex workers ,in every circumstance, in the category of letting the side down.
Mostly good, enlightening and inspiring, but one factor I found really disappointing was Helen's views on sex work.
I don't believe anyone can call themselves a feminist and judge women for what they do with their own body.
Street prostitution and trafficking are two horrible areas where vulnerable women are victimised, true.
But many escorts, porn stars, glamour models, and yes organised self employed sex workers find it empowering, they like their work, safe in the knowledge it's the men who are trash, not then and that they are funding their Jimmy choos. They're the ones with the power, the should be able to choose how they work without judgement by other women.
Men are horrible enough to all women, so disappointed that someone like Helen would put all sex workers ,in every circumstance, in the category of letting the side down.
October 3, 2019
Spilt into different topics, there are loads of statistics to wade through. There is a lot of information in the book, some I found surprising, such as: that only Women, Imbeciles and Criminals couldn't vote, also on budget day 2016 Theresa May's leather trousers £995 nothing is mentioned about David Camerons Savile Row suit.
I was looking forward to being enthused and ready to start campaigning, but it wasn't that sort of book at all. I found the book very heavy reading, didn't finish all the chapters but then read the conclusion. I found it to be more of a study book, than a book to just sit and read. I am still in awe of the ladies who stood up for womens' rights and we owe them our life style today.
I was looking forward to being enthused and ready to start campaigning, but it wasn't that sort of book at all. I found the book very heavy reading, didn't finish all the chapters but then read the conclusion. I found it to be more of a study book, than a book to just sit and read. I am still in awe of the ladies who stood up for womens' rights and we owe them our life style today.
July 28, 2022
Helen Pankhurst is clearly very well researched and has lived a rich life of feminism, living up to her ancestors.
The book falls for me in its form, being full of various facts and figures, which (whilst interesting) become too much at times, and take away from holding the information and lose the impact.
It works on occasion as you come across a fact or piece of information that hits you, and acts then as a gateway to further research and information.
The section on violence, for instance, I found more that I was noting down for the future than other sections.
The book falls for me in its form, being full of various facts and figures, which (whilst interesting) become too much at times, and take away from holding the information and lose the impact.
It works on occasion as you come across a fact or piece of information that hits you, and acts then as a gateway to further research and information.
The section on violence, for instance, I found more that I was noting down for the future than other sections.
July 25, 2019
A very well researched, well written study of the evolution of women's rights in a 100-year period, broken down into five tangible sociocultural areas.
Really enlightening, and absolutely worth any British feminist's time. Since this piece is solely and intensely focused on one hundred years of British women's history, readers outside of the United Kingdom might not engage as much with the information offered here.
Really enlightening, and absolutely worth any British feminist's time. Since this piece is solely and intensely focused on one hundred years of British women's history, readers outside of the United Kingdom might not engage as much with the information offered here.
August 17, 2022
"In general, male bastions of privilege were favoured targets for militant action. An official at the Tunbridge Wells cricket pavilion unwisely quipped: "It is not true that women are banned from the pavilion. Who do you think makes the teas?" The suffragettes responded by burning it down."
An excellent examination of the history of women's suffrage in the UK. A little dry in parts and it did have the feel of an academic text but full of fascinating stories, facts and statistics.
An excellent examination of the history of women's suffrage in the UK. A little dry in parts and it did have the feel of an academic text but full of fascinating stories, facts and statistics.
March 14, 2023
A very readable reflection on the development of women's rights from 1918 - 2018. The author herself recognises the limits of trying to get it down to a concise length for a 'popular' book. Yes it skirts over some issues and doesn't delve particularly deeply but it's an overview. What I hope from a book like this is to feel I have a better picture of the overall theme of the book but a desire to read more deeply. This did both of those.
August 30, 2019
This book provides great insight into the world of women. Despite it taking forever to get through, it is full of vital information and personal stories which will make you feel empowered and motivated.
September 4, 2019
I thought this was a well researched and thought out book exploring the history of women's rights.
The language was clear and the chapters were broken down to manageable sections so it was easy to follow
The language was clear and the chapters were broken down to manageable sections so it was easy to follow
July 12, 2021
3.5
I enjoyed it. Was a bit of a fact based marathon but learnt a lot and found it interesting for the most part. Written by Emmeline Pankhurst’s great granddaughter so I appreciated the perspective from which it was written.
I enjoyed it. Was a bit of a fact based marathon but learnt a lot and found it interesting for the most part. Written by Emmeline Pankhurst’s great granddaughter so I appreciated the perspective from which it was written.
February 5, 2022
Took me all of a day to read, an exceptional book. I really liked the writing style to begin with. I respected the nuance in this book, that was refreshing. The book was both infuriating and incredibly empowering, i already identified as a feminist but this has further galvanised me.
March 27, 2025
3.8
"When the long struggle for the enfranchisement of women is over, those who read the history of the movement will wonder at the blindness that led the Government of the day to obstinately resist so simple and obvious a measure of justice."
"When the long struggle for the enfranchisement of women is over, those who read the history of the movement will wonder at the blindness that led the Government of the day to obstinately resist so simple and obvious a measure of justice."
June 16, 2020
This book is Important and I would recommend it to pretty much anybody. I loved the honesty with which Pankhurst presents the topics and the hopefulness with which she looks forward to the future.
May 5, 2021
3.5/5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews