Edith Summerskill
Encyclopedia
Edith Clara Summerskill, Baroness Summerskill CH
PC
(19 April 1901 – 4 February 1980) was a British physician, feminist, misandrist, Labour
politician and writer. She was appointed to the Privy Council
in 1949.
and trained as a doctor at Charing Cross Hospital
. She was one of the founders of the Socialist Health Association
which spearheaded the National Health Service
(1948). She pressed for equal rights for women in the British Home Guard
. In 1938 she initiated the Married Women's Association to promote equality in marriage and became its first president.
in the Middlesex County Council elections. She then served as a councillor on Middlesex
County Council
from 1934 until 1941. She stood for a seat in the House of Commons
unsuccessfully in Putney
in 1934 and Bury
in 1935, before becoming Labour Member of Parliament
(MP) for Fulham West
thanks to the working women's vote. She caused some disquiet by taking the seat in her maiden name. When the Fulham West constituency was abolished for the 1955 general election
, she was returned to the House of Commons
as MP for Warrington
.
Summerskill was included in Clement Attlee's
Labour government following the election victory in 1945. She served as a Parliamentary Secretary
in the Ministry of Food, and was later promoted to the Ministry of Social and National Insurance
, heading the department she was profiled as the Minister of National insurance, however she was not a cabinet minister.
As well as her service in government, Summerskill also served on the House of Commons Political Honours Scrutiny Committee from 1967 to 1976.
Summerskill served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food
(1945-50) and as Minister of National Insurance
(1950-51). She was a member of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee
from 1944 to 1958 and served as Chair of the Labour Party 1954-5). She left the House of Commons in 1961 and was made a life peer
as Baroness Summerskill, of Kenwood in the County of London
. Furthermore she was awarded an additional honour being initiated into the Order of the Companions of Honour
in 1966.
Summerskill appears in a specially selected list of Fabian Society
members from 1942 to 1947, showing continuity and prestige.
An active feminist, she was instrumental in promoting women’s causes throughout that period, starting with the Clean Milk Act in 1949. Later, as the president of the Married Women’s Association, she campaigned in and outside the parliament to assure the equal rights of housewives and of divorced women, which resulted in the Married Women’s Properties Act in 1964 and the Matrimonial Homes Act in 1967.
. Secondly she suggests women are physically stronger, live longer are constitutionally tougher, having greater stamina
. Finally she believes women have equal if not greater intellect
than men.
The letters address exactly the same issues that Pym and her educated women are struggling with. Although Summeskill’s book contains only Edith’s letters to her daughter, the mother’s response to questions raised by the daughter creates a sense of an ongoing dialogue between the two, concerning issues of education for women, equality and achievements. In reply to Shirley’s question about the part that married women are playing in the affairs of the country, her mother writes:
The insistent demand of women for recognition in spheres of work outside the home, which has quietly but unremittingly been advanced in the course of the last hundred years, has grudgingly been conceded. As a doctor and a Member of Parliament I am fully conscious of the fact that the doors both of the medical schools and of the House of Commons had to be forced by furious and frustrated women before their claims were recognized. It would be quite inaccurate to suggest that we were welcomed into the universities or into public life. (143)
Summerskill constantly struggles for and raises consciousness about women’s equal rights. In response to Shirley’s complaint about “the stock question” of the anti-feminists, “Why have not more women achieved eminence in the arts and sciences?” She answers: “Personally I am astounded that so many have distinguished themselves despite the conditions which society has imposed upon them” (181). Summerskill maintains that in spite of the difficulties and prejudices, women are making progress and have achievements in music, visual art, and literature as well as some advancement in science and technology (181). Yet Summerskill’s conclusion in 1956 is similar to the one Virginia Woolf reached twenty-five years earlier. Woolf claims that even when all the outward obstacles are overcome, she, or any other a woman, has not solved the problem of “my own experiences as a body” (1942: 206); Edith Summeskill makes the parallel concession that for a woman, the “most powerful force, which takes her off the course” is the “biological urge to have a family” (187).
, also served as a Member of Parliament and government minister. Her grandson Ben Summerskill
became Chief Executive of the British gay equality charity Stonewall
, the largest such organisation in Europe, in 2003.
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(19 April 1901 – 4 February 1980) was a British physician, feminist, misandrist, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and writer. She was appointed to the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
in 1949.
Early life
Summerskill was educated at King's College LondonKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and trained as a doctor at Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
. She was one of the founders of the Socialist Health Association
Socialist Health Association
The Socialist Medical Association was founded in 1930, in order to campaign for a National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It took in many of those who had been active in the State Medical Service Association...
which spearheaded the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
(1948). She pressed for equal rights for women in the British Home Guard
British Home Guard
The Home Guard was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War...
. In 1938 she initiated the Married Women's Association to promote equality in marriage and became its first president.
Parliament
Summerskill entered politics at 32 when she was asked to fight the Green Lanes ward in HarringayHarringay
Harringay is a residential area of North London, part of the London Borough of Haringey, United Kingdom. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the northern boundary of Finsbury Park up to the southern boundary of Duckett's Common, not far from Turnpike Lane.-Location:The...
in the Middlesex County Council elections. She then served as a councillor on Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
from 1934 until 1941. She stood for a seat in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
unsuccessfully in Putney
Putney (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections 1950–1979:-Elections 1918–1945:-Notes and references:...
in 1934 and Bury
Bury (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bury in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament ) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in 1935, before becoming Labour Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Fulham West
Fulham West (UK Parliament constituency)
Fulham West was a borough constituency based around the London district of Fulham. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1955....
thanks to the working women's vote. She caused some disquiet by taking the seat in her maiden name. When the Fulham West constituency was abolished for the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, she was returned to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as MP for Warrington
Warrington (UK Parliament constituency)
Warrington was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. From 1832 to 1983 it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
.
Summerskill was included in Clement Attlee's
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
Labour government following the election victory in 1945. She served as a Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
in the Ministry of Food, and was later promoted to the Ministry of Social and National Insurance
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a post in the British Cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the Employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security.The Ministry...
, heading the department she was profiled as the Minister of National insurance, however she was not a cabinet minister.
As well as her service in government, Summerskill also served on the House of Commons Political Honours Scrutiny Committee from 1967 to 1976.
Summerskill served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food Control, later the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food was a junior Ministerial post in the Government of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1921 and then from 1939 to 1954...
(1945-50) and as Minister of National Insurance
National Insurance
National Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
(1950-51). She was a member of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
from 1944 to 1958 and served as Chair of the Labour Party 1954-5). She left the House of Commons in 1961 and was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baroness Summerskill, of Kenwood in the County of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Furthermore she was awarded an additional honour being initiated into the Order of the Companions of Honour
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
in 1966.
Summerskill appears in a specially selected list of Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
members from 1942 to 1947, showing continuity and prestige.
An active feminist, she was instrumental in promoting women’s causes throughout that period, starting with the Clean Milk Act in 1949. Later, as the president of the Married Women’s Association, she campaigned in and outside the parliament to assure the equal rights of housewives and of divorced women, which resulted in the Married Women’s Properties Act in 1964 and the Matrimonial Homes Act in 1967.
Letters to my daughter
During the 1950’s, Summerskill wrote a series of letters to her daughter Shirley, who, like her mother, was an active feminist. Shirley studied medicine in Oxford at that time and later became a doctor and a Member of Parliament and of Cabinet. Edith Summerskill’s letters to Shirley were collected and published in a book Letters to My Daughter (1957). Summerskill outlines her belief that women are superior to men in almost every way. In support of such a theory Summerskill presents three "facts": Firstly that only women can enjoy two worlds of creative enterprise the biological and the intellectualIntellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
. Secondly she suggests women are physically stronger, live longer are constitutionally tougher, having greater stamina
Stamina
Stamina may refer to:* Endurance* Stamen , the male organ of a flower* Stamina , an American racehorse* Stam1na, a Finnish heavy metal band...
. Finally she believes women have equal if not greater intellect
Intellect
Intellect is a term used in studies of the human mind, and refers to the ability of the mind to come to correct conclusions about what is true or real, and about how to solve problems...
than men.
The letters address exactly the same issues that Pym and her educated women are struggling with. Although Summeskill’s book contains only Edith’s letters to her daughter, the mother’s response to questions raised by the daughter creates a sense of an ongoing dialogue between the two, concerning issues of education for women, equality and achievements. In reply to Shirley’s question about the part that married women are playing in the affairs of the country, her mother writes:
The insistent demand of women for recognition in spheres of work outside the home, which has quietly but unremittingly been advanced in the course of the last hundred years, has grudgingly been conceded. As a doctor and a Member of Parliament I am fully conscious of the fact that the doors both of the medical schools and of the House of Commons had to be forced by furious and frustrated women before their claims were recognized. It would be quite inaccurate to suggest that we were welcomed into the universities or into public life. (143)
Summerskill constantly struggles for and raises consciousness about women’s equal rights. In response to Shirley’s complaint about “the stock question” of the anti-feminists, “Why have not more women achieved eminence in the arts and sciences?” She answers: “Personally I am astounded that so many have distinguished themselves despite the conditions which society has imposed upon them” (181). Summerskill maintains that in spite of the difficulties and prejudices, women are making progress and have achievements in music, visual art, and literature as well as some advancement in science and technology (181). Yet Summerskill’s conclusion in 1956 is similar to the one Virginia Woolf reached twenty-five years earlier. Woolf claims that even when all the outward obstacles are overcome, she, or any other a woman, has not solved the problem of “my own experiences as a body” (1942: 206); Edith Summeskill makes the parallel concession that for a woman, the “most powerful force, which takes her off the course” is the “biological urge to have a family” (187).
Personal life
Summerskill was married in 1925 to Dr Jeffrey Samuel. Their children took their mother's surname. Her daughter, Dr Shirley SummerskillShirley Summerskill
Shirley Catherine Wynne Summerskill is a British Labour Party politician and former government minister.Summerskill was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford and trained as a doctor at St. Thomas's Hospital...
, also served as a Member of Parliament and government minister. Her grandson Ben Summerskill
Ben Summerskill
Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill OBE is a British businessman and journalist, who is the Chief Executive of the UK-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall, now the largest gay equality body in Europe...
became Chief Executive of the British gay equality charity Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, the largest such organisation in Europe, in 2003.
Publications
- Babies without Tears, (1941)
- Wanted—babies: A trenchant examination of a grave national problem, (1943)
- Letters to my Daughter, (1957)
- The Ignoble Art, (1957)
- A Woman’s World: Memoirs, (1967)