Double prize recognition for feminist legal historian

A Cardiff academic has been awarded 2 major book prizes for her work highlighting a mid-twentieth century pressure group who fought for equal partnership in marriage.

Dr Sharon Thompson’s book, Quiet Revolutionaries was awarded the SLSA Socio-Legal Theory and History Prize this April and just two months later in June, the SLS Peter Birks Second Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship.

Dr Thompson’s book tells the story of the Married Women's Association, a pressure group set up by suffragettes at the brink of the Second World War to address the legal rights of housewives. It explores family law reform through the lens of feminist legal history and includes a foreword by former President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale. Reviewers have called Quiet Revolutionaries a ‘model of feminist legal history’, as it engages with historical questions of money and power within marriage, while grappling with issues that we still face today.

Speaking of her achievement, Dr Thompson said, “It is an honour to have my book recognised so generously by the SLSA and SLS. I am incredibly grateful to my Cardiff colleagues for their support and inspiration when writing this book, in particular Professor Russell Sandberg. I would also like to acknowledge Professors Erika Rackley and Rosemary Auchmuty's edited collection Women's Legal Landmarks - a project that underscores the significance and transformative potential of feminist legal history and which paved the way for Quiet Revolutionaries.”

To find out more about the hidden history of the Married Women’s Association, Dr Thompson’s book is available via Bloomsbury. You can also listen to the Quiet Revolutionaries podcast on most major podcast platforms or visit the Married Women’s Association website.