BBC journalist Carrie Gracie never intended to make herself the subject of a story... but women around the world are glad she did.

The reporter of 30 years expressed publicly her reasons for resigning from her post as China editor - a lack of fairness in pay.

Her simple request for the BBC to “abide by the law and value men and women equally” was yet another wakeup call for the powers-that-be to smash this glass ceiling once and for all.

It should not be difficult but as Prime Minister Theresa May demonstrated with her recent Cabinet reshuffle, male dominance is dangerously prevalent.

Despite her best efforts, the ratio of men to women in the top positions ended at 19 to nine.

It was never going to be easy.

However, while there is some way to go until equality is achieved, it is important to note how far women have come.

This year is the 100th anniversary since women were given the right to vote, a hard-earned and precious right.

Katharine Cockin is a professor of English literature at Essex University and she is a font of knowledge when it comes to activists in the suffragettes movement.

She said: “For a lot of people who were campaigning it was not just about wanting an involvement in politics, it was about what the vote symbolised.

“Arguments against the vote were about being intellectually inferior, being easily persuaded to vote a certain way, being emotionally irrational and unstable and even physically inferior.

“Activists were interested in proving women were equal to men in all of these areas.”

Her research focuses on the lives and work of Ellen Terry, the 19th century actor and her daughter, Edith Craig, who was an influential theatre director and activist in the women’s suffrage movement.

Edith directed many plays in support of women’s suffrage and founded the London-based Pioneer Players theatre society.

Katharine’s respected publications include three books on Edith’s life and her work.

She said although women have made great strides towards equality, there are still a number of inequalities behind the scenes such as the cost of childcare, the number of women in senior positions and the difference in pay between men and woman.

However, in recent years she has noticed an exciting spirit of change, with a rise in women, and even men, stamping out stereotypes.

For example, Iceland has become the first country in the world to make it illegal for men to earn more money than women for doing the same job.

Katharine said: “Recently there has been a real eruption of women’s rights marches.

“Over the past couple of years there has been a real shift in the way people are dealing with ethics.”

Following the news about the BBC gender pay gap she was, like most people, surprised and disappointed.

She praised Carrie Gracie for highlighting what is unjustifiable.

She said: “What has raised my spirits is the way in which, on a massive scale, men and women are coming together and saying this sort of behaviour is not acceptable.

“For example, the abuse of power in the Hollywood film industry, there is a lot of work being done about guidance on sexual harassment.”

Since early October, some of the biggest names in arts and entertainment have been caught up in the Hollywood scandal including Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

There are other significant moments, closer to home, which excite Katharine.

In June 2016, Essex University took the significant stride towards gender equality by closing the pay gap for female professors.

The university is also committed to the Athena Swan Charter programme, which encourages and recognises progress on gender equality issues.

Katharine will be visiting the arts centre at Jawyick’s Martello tower and the Essex Records Office to give talks on women’s suffrage in theatre.

Nationally, the Vote 100 centenary campaign will come to an end in June, with a major exhibition in Westminster Hall.

It is a fitting place for the display, the heart of democracy for the country and where women have had the vote for a century.