An old handwritten letter with cursive script on aged paper, featuring dark ink and slightly torn edges.

Public Speaking & Talks

Background © Parliamentary Archives, HC/CL/JO/1/5

I love speaking on the history of women, Parliament and archives.

I'm very experienced in delivering talks to a wide range of audiences on topics including women's suffrage in Parliament, women MPs, and women and the Lords.

I've talked about Necessary Women: the Untold Story of Parliament's Working Women to lots of different groups including Archives for London, London Historians and the Farnham Literary Festival. There are such wonderful human-interest stories, something for everyone. 

At a panel event on celebrating women cabinet ministers at no 11 Downing Street

Other public speaking highlights include my TedX talk, and giving papers at conferences in New York, Vancouver, Naples, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin.

I was honoured to give the annual J H Whitley public lecture at the University of Huddersfield in 2024, on 'Breaking the chains: Women’s Suffrage and Parliament'.

In November 2025 I spoke about the first Conservative woman Cabinet Minister, Florence Horsbrugh, at a cross-party event at no 11 Downing Street on ‘Celebrating Female Cabinet Ministers’.

Would you like me to speak to your group?

Get in touch
A wrinkled vintage banner with bold black text advocating for women's voting rights, featuring the words 'Proclamation' and 'Votes for Women.'

© Parliamentary Archives HC/SA/SJ/3/1

Speaking engagements

Upcoming Talks

  • "In the Royal Gallery we have an exhibition of historic documents relating to the suffrage movement. It is a tribute to our parliamentary archivist Mari Takayanagi and to Melanie Unwin from the works of art office that we have had these documents recognised by UNESCO as being of national importance. On Tuesday, they organised a suffragette walk through Parliament. One of the most moving sights for me was the windows in St Stephen’s Hall illustrating the history of suffrage, including portrayals of chains, force-feeding, and the “cat and mouse” Act."

    — Baroness Massey of Darwen, Hansard 1 March 2012

  • "This week, as part of a whole host of International Women’s Day celebrations, we heard from the parliamentary archivist, Mari Takayanagi, about the remarkable contributions of early women MPs and the huge impact they had on law-making—how they spoke out 100 years ago in this place about the most sensitive of crimes against women, like FGM."

    — Maria Miller MP, Hansard, 11 March 2021

Rep of People Act 1918

© Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/PU/1/1918/7&8G5c64

Speaking engagements

Recent Talks