Ancestry Brings Attention To Missing Historical Female Figures

Ancestry, the global leader in family history, introduces “The Parity Principle,” a new measure for historians and educators to address the long-standing, significant gender bias in recorded history.

This comes as new research from Ancestry reveals the stark reality of the women missing from our histories. Shockingly, a new review of KS3 history textbooks shows that men are mentioned four times (81%) more often than women (19%)[1]. What's more, over half of the public (57%)[2] admit they are more confident naming male historical figures than female ones[3], and nearly two-thirds (64%)[4] fear that AI, if trained only on traditional historical materials[5], will fail to address the experiences of the women of our past. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds (64%)[6] of people believe the omission of women’s accomplishments has directly influenced attitudes to modern gender roles[7].

Tasked with bringing a stark piece of data to life Weber Shandwick partnered with Ancestry to build the ‘Missing Pages’ installation.

While Ancestry is urging those who document and record history to place more emphasis on women's roles, they are also encouraging the public to look at the female history closer to home - the women who came before them in their own families. To demonstrate the wealth of stories waiting to be discovered, Ancestry has partnered with Historic England to highlight 25 remarkable women championed through public nominations to the National Blue Plaque scheme. Found within records like the 1921 Census of England and Wales on Ancestry, the lives of unsung female war heroes, pioneering scientists, and the country's first policewomen prove that there is no shortage of inspiring women in our families whose stories are just waiting to be discovered.

The human cost of not showing women's achievements in mainstream recorded history is tangible. Dr Annie Hyatt was one of fewer than 500 female doctors in Edwardian Britain, the first woman appointed Deputy Medical Officer of Health, and a trailblazer who built an entirely self-sufficient professional life outside of marriage. Mary Cartwright, a groundbreaking mathematician laid the vital foundations for chaos theory and the Butterfly Effect, becoming the first female President of the London Mathematical Society. However, both women, alongside 23 others uncovered by Ancestry, remain largely unknown or celebrated.

For the first time, a formal framework has been created to help address that. Developed by Ancestry and historian Dr. Amy Boyington and inspired by the Bechdel Test for fiction, “The Parity Principle” provides a simple set of criteria for historians, educators, and the public to assess whether historical works offer a complete picture of the past by including the experiences of both men and women. The test arrives at a crucial time for educators, as an overwhelming nearly four in five (79%)[8] teachers surveyed agree that a simple, standardised framework would be helpful to ensure they cover diverse perspectives in their lessons[9].

Dr. Amy Boyington commented, “For centuries, the stories of women have been largely absent from our historical records. History has been written by men, about men. This has created a distorted view of the past and has profound implications for how we see the world today. The Parity Principle Test is a practical tool to help us all be more conscious of the stories we tell and to actively seek out those that have been overlooked. It's a starting point for a much-needed conversation.”

To pass the test, an educational module or historical account must feature the same amount of named women as men:

a) within the main thrust of the historical narrative

b) discussed on their own terms, rather than in their relation to others (e.g. as a spouse or a victim),

c) providing insight into their own notable achievements and/or the general life experience of women at the time.

However, balancing the documentation of history is not just a job for historians. With more than half of UK adults (51%)[10] surveyed admitting they have never taken steps to preserve the stories of the women in their own family, Ancestry is calling on the nation to take history into their own hands, document their female lineage, and uncover the lives of their ancestors today. With access to over 70 billion records from 80 countries, the public can now uncover everything from the unsung women who kept their local communities running, to trailblazing records of the UK's first policewomen and female pilots.[11]

Dr Jennifer Doyle, Family History Expert at Ancestry added, “At Ancestry, we believe that everyone’s story deserves to be told. History has largely documented the lives of men, leaving the accomplishments of women sidelined or forgotten entirely. With ‘The Parity Principle,’ we are actively challenging this imbalance, but we also want to empower the public to balance the history books within their own homes. By using Ancestry to uncover the missing pages of our family trees, we can ensure the vital stories of our female ancestors are finally found, shared, and preserved for the next generation.”

Anna Whitehouse, founder of Mother Pukka said “It is astounding that the women who shaped our world are still being relegated to the footnotes of history. I experienced this erasure firsthand when researching my paternal grandmother. Seeing her life reduced to the occupation of ‘wife of’ on her death certificate was a turning point. But finding her census returns and marriage records on Ancestry gave me the tangible evidence I needed to make her story real and sparked entirely new conversations with the women in my family. It is time we unearth the incredible women from our shared history, starting with our own ancestors, to give them the recognition they so rightly deserve, and to show our children the true, equal picture of who shaped the world.”

To find out more about these incredible women or The Parity Principle and how to apply it, please visit www.ancestry.co.uk.

Ancestry’s partnership with Historic England demonstrates a shared commitment to telling new and unknown stories from women’s history, celebrating pioneers, activists and community leaders who have shaped England’s history. Through the 1921 Census of England and Wales and the National Blue Plaque Scheme, run by Historic England, we’re shining a light on the many untold histories of women of the twentieth century.

[1] Censuswide analysed a representative sample of UK KS3 history textbooks and publicly accessible educational materials, including exam board specifications and BBC Bitesize content. Named historical figures and visual depictions were reviewed and categorised by gender to assess representation patterns in mainstream secondary history education

[2] Combines ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’

[3] The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 UK Consumers (Nationally Representative). The data was collected between 01.05.2026 - 05.05.2026

[4] ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’

[5] The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 UK Consumers (Nationally Representative). The data was collected between 01.05.2026 - 05.05.2026

[6] ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’

[7] The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 UK Consumers (Nationally Representative). The data was collected between 01.05.2026 - 05.05.2026

[8] Combines ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’

[9] The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 500 UK teachers (even split of primary and secondary school), with a minimum of 20 history teachers . The data was collected between 01.05.2026 - 06.05.2026.

[10] Combines ‘No, I haven’t, but I plan to’ and ‘No, I haven’t, and I don’t plan to’

[11] This research was conducted by Censuswide among a sample of 2,000 UK Consumers with at least one female relative considered a family matriarch. The data was collected in February 2026.