Every year, International Women’s Day prompts the same question in classrooms: whose stories are we still not telling? This year’s theme, Give To Gain, highlights the power of sharing - sharing knowledge, opportunities, visibility, and space. When we give students access to the stories of women who shaped history, they gain a deeper understanding of how societies change, who drives that change, and why representation matters.
To make it easier for teachers to bring those stories into lessons, we’ve gathered a set of Reteach resources that explore women’s experiences across different periods, from Roman Britain to early feminist writing. Each one offers a clear way to help students see how gender roles were shaped, challenged, and reimagined.
Key resources for exploring women’s history
1. The Experiences of Girls and Women in Roman Britain
A rich overview of how girls and women lived, worked, and navigated identity in Roman Britain, drawing on archaeology, inscriptions, and material culture. It helps students gain a more nuanced understanding of everyday life, gender expectations, and the diversity of women’s experiences across the empire.
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2. Plantagenet Queens and Queenship
An accessible exploration of the roles, influence, and public presence of Plantagenet queens, from dynastic politics and marriage diplomacy to patronage and ceremonial power. Perfect for lessons on monarchy, gendered authority, and how queens shaped medieval politics and culture.
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3. Female Participation in British Politics pre‑1900
A concise overview of how women influenced political life despite legal and social barriers. Useful for lessons on representation, activism, and the long road to formal rights.
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4. Women and the Miners’ Strike of 1984–5
A powerful look at how women organised, led community support, and reshaped the direction of the strike. It helps students gain insight into grassroots activism, solidarity, and the ways women step into public roles during moments of crisis.
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5. Women in Power: Labour Cabinet Ministers
A focused look at the women who shaped Labour policy from inside the Cabinet, highlighting how they navigated power, influence, and public scrutiny. It helps students gain a clearer understanding of representation, leadership, and the realities of political life for women in modern Britain.
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6. Disabled Women and the Women’s Liberation Movement
A vital look at how disabled women challenged exclusion within the wider Women’s Liberation Movement and demanded space, recognition, and autonomy. It helps students gain a deeper understanding of intersectionality and the importance of ensuring that feminist movements reflect all women’s experiences.
7. Female Spies and Secret Agents in WW2: The Special Operations Executive
A look at the women who trained, parachuted into occupied Europe, and carried out some of the most dangerous missions of the war. Ideal for IWD discussions on courage, resistance, and the hidden labour of women in conflict.
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Podcast episodes
8. History is a Pendulum with Kate Mosse and Sasha Smith
A conversation between best‑selling author Kate Mosse and Assistant Headteacher and ESIS History Chair Sasha Smith about representation, whose stories are told, and how history swings between inclusion and exclusion. Anchored by the Curriculum Review Report, the End Sexism in Schools Report, and Kate Mosse’s A Feminist History for Every Day of the Year, the discussion examines representation, inclusion, and meaningful reform in schools, making it ideal for IWD sessions on visibility, voice, and curriculum change.
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9. Witchcraft as a Social and Cultural Case
Historians and authors Malcolm Gaskill and Estelle Paranque explore witchcraft through a social and cultural lens, uncovering its patriarchal roots and showing how accusations became a weapon used both against women and, at times, by them. A powerful listen for IWD discussions on fear, control, and the shaping of women’s lives.
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More Women’s Histories to Explore
These are only a few examples of our resources, Reteach has many more resources created by brilliant women historians, researchers, and educators whose work helps classrooms gain a fuller, more global picture of women’s lives across time.
A wider selection includes:
- Women and Activism in Twentieth‑Century Britain
- South Africa Under Apartheid: Women, Children, and the Anti‑Apartheid Movement
- Queens and Royal Women in the Medieval Islamic World
- Royal Women of Eastern Asia
- Byzantine Empresses and Royal Women
- Women and the Renaissance
- Women in Early Medicine
- Working‑Class Women and the British Empire
- Women’s Activism in 19th‑Century Britain
- Women and the American Revolution: Courage and Defiance
- How Women Settlers Influenced the American West
- Royal Women of the Mughal Empire
- The Royal Women of the Ottoman Empire
- Tudor Royal and Noble Women: The Pinnacle of Soft Power
- Women and Agency at Charles II’s Court
- The Women of the Wars of the Roses
- Women and the Norman Conquest
- Women in Celtic Society
Bringing it back to Give To Gain
Across these resources, one message stands out: when we share women’s stories, students gain a fuller, more honest understanding of the past. Give To Gain is a reminder that giving visibility, context, and space to women’s histories strengthens everyone’s understanding of how societies evolve. The more we give students access to these narratives, the more they gain the tools to question, analyse, and imagine a fairer future.