The Simple Idea that Opportunity Is Available to all Women Is a Lie

Alex Mahon is the CEO of Channel 4. She is the first woman to be appointed Chief Executive of a major UK broadcaster.

Martin Firrell is a public artist who uses language in public space to stimulate debate and promote change with the aim of making the world more humane.

In conversation, Mahon and Firrell reflect on the different ways women and men regard and use power, the persistence of inequality and the risks of assuming that, simply because some women become CEOs, opportunity is available to all women.

Firrell contrasts the contemporary views of Alex Mahon with the writing of Victorian women's rights activist Bessie Rayner Parkes on women and work.

This publication is part of socialart.work, a mass public art project by Martin Firrell calling for greater social justice. It includes digital posters, publications and events supported in 2018-19 by leading out of home media company Clear Channel UK. A complete catalogue of works, commentaries and further reading can be found at www.socialart.work.