Rachael’s writing shines new light on histories of same sex desire and gender diversity, on women’s lives and working class experiences.
Rachael has authored a number of popular books and articles, as well as academic publications.
In Wedded Wife: A Feminist History of Marriage, Rachael provides an intimate and accessible examination of the history of marriage.
Having married her wife just a few years after the legalisation of same sex marriage in the United Kingdom, Rachael interweaves her own personal experiences of marriage with stories and anecdotes from throughout history. She explores how the history of marriage continues to influence, pressure and shape women’s choices today.
In shaking off patriarchal expectations, Rachael examines marriage’s troubling past and celebrates a more joyful present, celebrating the feminist activists who have fought to make marriage a more equitable celebration of love, open regardless of gender or sexuality.
She asks what compels us to keep making this choice? Can we let go of the gendered baggage that we have inherited? Can we hold true to feminist values as we commit to our partners? And what does that look like? How can we build on the past to continue to redefine marriage for the future?
Recently featured in
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New Humanist
Rachael writes for the New Humanist
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Observer / Guardian
Eva Wiseman interviews Rachael about Wedded Wife
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Big Issue
Rachael writes for the Big Issue
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The Scotsman
Rachael writes about the history of marriage for The Scotsman
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DIVA Magazine
Rachael writes about challenging tradition when we tie the knot
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Stately Suffragettes
Rachel discusses Women & Power at The National Trust
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Independent
Rachael talks to Helen Coffey about marriage rates in the UK
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Good Housekeeping
Rachael reflects on her wedding to her wife in her recent article for Good Housekeeping
