UK leads on female banknote representation

Only one in 12 people depicted on banknotes around the world is a woman, according to a study by TradersBest. The investment advice website found that 716 people are showcased on banknotes from 115 countries: 54 women and 662 men. Women represent only 7.54% of people on banknotes.

UK banknotes feature the most women: Queen Elizabeth II is depicted on all banknotes in England and Wales, with novelist Jane Austen also featuring on the £10 note. Royal Bank of Scotland notes, meanwhile, show writer and poet Nan Shepherd on the £5, the Royal Astronomical Society’s first female honorary member Mary Somerville on the £10, businesswoman and arts patron Catherine Cranston on the £20, and social reformer Flora Stevenson on the £50. In addition, the Bank of Scotland’s £100 note features medical pioneer Flora Murray.

Australia takes the second spot, with Queen Elizabeth II on the A$5 note, poet and labour movement campaigner Mary Gilmore on the A$10, businesswoman Mary Reibey on the A$20, social reformer and politician Edith Cowan on the A$50 and soprano Dame Nellie Melba on the A$100.

www.theactuary.com/2024/03/14/uk-leads-female-banknote-representation