I am an experienced historian, researcher, writer and policy professional with expertise in gender, legal and social history (1500-1800) and feminist socio-legal studies.
I hold an AHRC-funded PhD in History from the Centre for Gender History in the University of Glasgow, where I researched women’s legal status and property relationships in early modern Scotland. I have a keen interest in understanding the socio-cultural roots of gender inequality in the Scottish legal system and its lasting impacts for women’s rights, and I have published widely on this subject in journals, magazines and books.
I have worked in policy and research for the Scottish Parliament and a national women’s charity, contributing to national policy discussions with politicians and stakeholders around tackling gender inequality and violence against women and girls (VAWG). I have also taught and researched at the University of Glasgow, as well as holding funded postdoctoral research fellowships at the School of Law in the University of Glasgow and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. I have raised approximately £480k in research funding to explore issues facing women and girls in Scotland throughout history to the present day. I am currently a Research Affiliate in the Centre for Gender History at the University of Glasgow.
I am passionate about bringing women’s history to life beyond academic circles. I am a Steering Committee member of Women’s History Scotland, Scotland’s national women’s and gender history organisation, and a Council Member of the Stair Society, Scotland’s leading legal history society.
I have experience giving television and radio interviews and I enjoy communicating history to different audiences. I have provided historical research consultancy to publishers and production companies (BBC One, Who Do You Think You Are?; BBC Two, A House Through Time). I have presented my research on radio and podcasts (BBC Scotland, Time Travels; reddit’s AskHistorians podcast) and I frequently write for a public audience (History Workshop Magazine).
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Dr Rebecca Mason 