At the end of the week in which we marked 200 years since the death of Jane Austen, we can celebrate how much progress has been made since then in the aspirations and expectations of women. Girls can grow up with dreams that stretch further than seeking the reassurance of financial dependence through marrying well. Young women can read Pride and Prejudice in the knowledge that their ambitions are not limited to finding Mr — or Ms — Darcy, but to also plotting the twists and turns of a fulfilling career. The date of Austen’s anniversary also happens to be my daughter’s birthday. At seven, she is interested in science and dolls, so I bought her a figure from a TV series featuring girls doing…

Source: The Times July 20, 2017 23:26 UTC