South Riding (TV Miniseries)

TV Miniseries. 13 episodes. The representation of the women who work in the public sphere in South Riding points to the problems encountered by women in the post-war period. Sarah Burton, the headmistress of Kiplington High School for Girls, is the heroine of South Riding. She is a successful and independent woman. Her success is, however, dependent upon the fact that she works in female education. This was the only arena where women did not have to compete with men. The other important female character in this novel is Alderman Mrs. Beddows, who is the first woman Alderman on the South Riding County Council. In the 1930s, work in local government (an extension of the public work long practised by middle-class women) offered women more opportunities than work in national politics.