Meet the ambassadors: Baroness Ruth Lister

We continue to be amazed by the achievements of our eighteen ambassadors – but perhaps what’s most remarkable about each of them is that they always want to make a difference.

Today we want to share with you the story of one such woman: Baroness Ruth Lister, previously the Director of the Child Poverty Action Group and Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at Loughborough University.

She earned a BA in Sociology from the University of Essex and a MA in Multi-Racial Studies from the University of Sussex. Honorary doctorates followed from Manchester, Essex, Brighton, Lincoln, and Glasgow Caledonian Universities.

We love her passion for contributing to the world and her support for women who want to do the same. “For me, being a woman is very much bound up with being a feminist,” she says. “I discovered feminism, the women’s movement, in my twenties.”

In her What I See video, she reveals that her feminist views have formed her as a person and she has been involved with many women’s groups throughout her career. “[Feminism] has shaped the way I am in the world: it’s shaped my public persona and it’s shaped my private persona.”

Named a Commander of the British Empire in 1999, Ruth became a Fellow of the British Academy a decade later. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Social Policy Association in 2010.

“Women’s solidarity has been very important to me. I think it’s important that, as women in politics, we support each other.”

You can watch Ruth’s video here (her contribution starts at 5:06). Don't forget, you too can add your voice to The What I See Project via writing, video, and even Twitter.