In general I have spent my life bucking the trend on what girls and women are expected to do (sports, hobbies, career, temperament, family – well lack if it). For

When I learnt to ring in the late 70s it was definitely a male-dominated activity, and there were people about that didn't approve of

women in the bell tower. I

I learned to ring in 1980 when I was in my early 20’s. The Band here was a strong Sunday Service Band ringing Grandsire, Plain Bob and Stedman with good

I learnt to ring at University with a good band and though taught mainly by men, had plenty of females around. I cannot recall ever being told a bell was

I once organised a few days ringing with a group of people, most of whom were working on a new (to us) surprise major method from the
Pickled Egg Project

I am fortunate in that I don't feel that I have suffered discrimination where I ring. I think my capabilities have been recognised
and ringing opportunities have certainly come my

Why is it that there is an even gender balance among ringers in the early stages of ringing, but the gender distribution changes at more “advanced levels”?

I got

I have never experienced much gender bias against me personally, but have been aware of slight gender bias in the world of ringing
and in society. Regarding heavier bells: Starting

Perhaps I have been extremely fortunate, but I have  experienced very little opposition from anyone as I have progressed in ringing. I was
taught when I was still at school

Having learnt as a teenager I had lots of opportunities for calling touches, quarters and peals. I met and married a ringer and then all the opportunities seemed to stop

Several of the stories published so far hit on something really crucial, I think, which is that as a ringer, and particularly as a visiting
ringer, one is often asked

I learnt to ring at school. It was a girl’s boarding school and while we were taught by a Mr, he was the only man at our practices. So, whether

Many years ago, when I was in charge of our local tower, we were fortunate to have a large number of teenage ringers and learners. I had a policy whereby

At our annual association festival one year I realised that  the quarter-peal bands, arranged by the organisers, typically had only 1 or 2
women, and that year there were no

Running practices in the 1990s I realised that when a visiting male/female couple came into the tower I would ask the man first about his willingness and ability to conduct

I did not ring much for years after I had children because our family schedule, ringing room layouts, and child care needs made ringing more work than fun for me. 

I currently have three children under the age of 5 and now ring infrequently, having previously been an active peal ringer, Sunday Service
ringer, practice attender, and participant in the

I started ringing nearly 9 years ago, whilst in my mid-20s,  a few weeks after giving birth to my second child. I would take him up into the
ringing room

I started to ring in a 10-bell tower with an RM who did not have a great deal of complex method knowledge or interest. I very nearly gave up until

I was taught to ring in my thirties at a local village church. After a few years, I started calling changes, touches and QPs, mostly out of necessity. Together with

I learned to ring more than 30 years ago when I was an undergraduate at Kalamazoo College, Michigan.  My first peal was a handbell peal, and I was the last