Japan Airlines is ditching the phrase "ladies and gentlemen" and instead embracing gender neutral terms during in-flight and airport announcements. In Japanese, the expression generally used for such announcements is already gender-neutral, but the decision applies to other languages used by the airline.

Consistent conversations about compassion help tackle harmful gender stereotypes in the classroom and beyond.

“The growth of women’s sport during the late 19th century and early 20th century was often considered problematic, and the clothes that women wore to participate in these activities were perceived as part of the problem."

She is not only one of English literature’s most beloved of tragic heroines, but recently discovered fan mail has now revealed that Thomas Hardy’s character Tess of the D’Urbervilles inspired the early Suffragettes. Letters being made public for the first time show that the author won the deep admiration of early 20th century feminist pioneers for his portrayal of women and their struggle for independence.

Dr Elizabeth Loder, Head of Research at The British Medical Journal said it was time to start using female pronouns as the overall number of women doctors would soon overtake men. It would also help to end the inherent sexism attached to the job title.

Just 23.6 per cent of 7,409 barristers currently working in the UK are female, compared with 17.3 per cent in 2010.

Whether it’s free-solo backpacking, taking a yoga retreat in Thailand or a city break in Barcelona, the number of women choosing to travel alone is on the up. Hostelworld research shows there has been an 88 per cent increase in solo female bookings over four years.