Genes Reunited reveals suffragettes becoming forgotten heroes on 100th anniversary

Genes Reunited has revealed the results of new research that shows suffragettes are becoming forgotten heroes, with three quarters of adults (75%) not knowing when women were given equal voting rights and a third (34%) of 18-34 year olds not knowing what the suffragettes campaigned for

On the 100 anniversary of the day when over 300 suffragettes marched to the House of Commons, latest research from Genes Reunited, a leading UK family history website, shows that modern society is unaware of the brave fight these women made for the right to vote.

Figures from the genealogy site show that almost two-thirds of the UK's adults (65%), do not know that women stood in the face of violence on 'Black Friday' to fight for their right to equal rights as men and to vote.

The survey also showed that two-thirds of people (76%), could not identify that women who were 21 years or older were given the right to vote on equal terms as men in 1928. One in five (18%) suggested it was 1918 which was the year the Spanish Influenza became a pandemic and killed over 30 million people within 6 months (almost twice as many as died during the WW1).

Surprisingly, more men (40%) were aware of Black Friday, compared to only 31 per cent of females, while 5 per cent of the population thought it was the time of the Great Fire of London.

Rhoda Breakell, head of Genes Reunited, commented: "Black Friday is one of the biggest dates in modern British history for women's rights in the UK, and we are pleased to commemorate this occasion and the heroic women involved, to make sure that the generations that follow do not forget the plight that our sisters went through for us. Worryingly, over a quarter (26%) of 18-34 year olds have never heard of the term suffragette, which shows how important it is we mark key dates like this.

"Genes Reunited has over 750 million names on its database, including many of those brave women who fought tirelessly for our rights. Family history sites, like ours, not only allow people to trace their ancestors, but also investigate the lives of key historical figures, who have changed the way we live today."

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Notes to Editors:
*Opinium research carried out an online survey of 2,013 UK adults aged 18+ from 10th November to 12th November. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.

**From 18th November Genes Reuniteds’ standard subscription will be changing and will now contain the following:
- Non-indexed birth records
- Help clinics – members can post their questions and our genes advisors will point them in the right direction of how to start building their family tree
- Standard membership enables you to contact other members who have created their family tree – over 11million ready-made family trees to search
- Loyalty discounts for renewing, monthly competitions and prizes, exclusive discounts for subscribing to a higher package

About Genes Reunited
Genes Reunited was launched in 2003 as a sister-site to the Internet phenomenon Friends Reunited. Since then it has grown to become the UK’s largest genealogy website.

It marked a revolution in genealogy and ancestry by combining them with Internet social-networking. Members are able to build their family tree by posting it on the site and investigating which ancestors they share with other members. They can also search historical records such as census, birth, death, marriage and military records.

Genes has over 11 million members and over 750 million names listed. One new name is added to the site every single second.

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