A gendered perspective of the Memory of the World

While the MoW Programme’s boasts a structurally balanced International Advisory Committee (IAC) with a 50% female membership, and mandates National MoW Committees to reflect Member States’ gender composition, there remains an underrepresentation of gender-related inscriptions of documentary heritage on the MoW Register, a gap that the MoW Programme seeks to bridge. 

A 2020 baseline study of gender equality in MoW inscriptions revealed a limited number of inscriptions directly relating to women. Among them were The 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition (New Zealand), the Astrid Lindgren Archives (Sweden), the Nita Barrow Collection (Barbados), the Diaries of Anne Frank (Netherlands),

the Archives of Saemaul Undong (Republic of Korea), the Qiaopi and Yinxin Correspondence and Remittance Documents from Overseas Chinese (China), the Permanent Collection of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project (United States of America) and The Gertrude Bell Archive (United Kingdom).

While these items and collections are themselves a significant record of extraordinary contributions by women, the underrepresentation means that many other women who have made remarkable contributions to our history have not been recognized appropriately. Nominations spotlighting women who have advanced various fields, particularly in the pursuit of gender equality, present an opportunity to enrich our collective understanding of our shared history.

In response to this disparity, the MoW Programme Secretariat has incorporated a section on Gender Equality into the nomination form for the MoW International Register. This addition aims to prompt submitters to reflect on the nominated documentary heritage’s contribution to the history of gender equality worldwide.

Encouragingly, in 2023, three new items were inscribed on the MoW Register that demonstrate sensitivity, responsiveness or transformation regarding gender issues.

Brazil’s “Feminism, science and politics – Bertha Lutz’s legacy” documents the invaluable contributions of Bertha Lutz, a scientist, diplomat, educator and activist who played an essential role in drafting the United Nations Charter. The collection chronicles  women’s rights movements of the 1920s-1940s, culminating in women’s suffrage in Brazil’s 1934 Constitution.

China’s “Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kong Lac Temple (1645-1980)” shed light on the temple’s advocacy for social reforms, especially in the liberation of and progressions regarding the social status of women.

Canada’s Providing care in the New World highlights the gendered progress of the nursing profession in North America, honouring the Augustinian Sisters who founded the first hospital on the continent north of Mexico and over 1,800 women who dedicated to caring for the poor and sick.

Beyond the International Register, the MoW Programme champions the preservation and awareness raising of women’s contributions through various mechanisms and activities.

These include nominations for National and Regional MoW Registers which can serve as opportunities to mark progress led by women within a geographically specific context, initiatives promoting research and publications, support for memory institutions, and curated exhibitions showcasing women’s pivotal roles in global advancements.

In line with this, UNESCO’s Bangkok Office launched the online exhibition ‘Women in History: Telling HERstory through Memory of the World’ aimed at promoting gender-sensitive documentary heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative seeks to inspire nominations of inscriptions to MoW Registers regarding prominent women who contributed to women’s empowerment around the world.

UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme continues to count on the invaluable commitment and efforts of Member States and memory institutions to achieve a more comprehensive recognition of women’s roles in advancing human endeavors and to promote gender equality.

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Memory of the World Programme

International Women’s Day