Battle-axe (woman)

A battle-axe is a term, generally considered pejorative, for an aggressive, domineering and forceful woman[1]. The prime example was the militant temperance activist Carrie Nation, who wielded a hatchet and made it her symbol, living in Hatchet Hall and publishing a magazine called The Hatchet. She became involved in the suffragette campaign for votes for women and this campaign further established the archetype.[2][3]

This article is about the archetype woman. For other uses, see Battleaxe (disambiguation).

Other examples, listed by Christine Hamilton in her Book of British Battleaxes, include Nancy Astor, Boudica, Ena Sharples and Ann Widdecombe.[4]

The battleaxe is one of several stereotypes found in nursing – a tyrannical, fierce matron exemplified by Nurse Ratched or Hattie Jacques in popular medical dramas and comedies.[5] Judith Furse played a "battle-axe woman" in Carry On Cabby.[6]

See also

References
  1. "A Browbeating Cultural History of the 'Old Battle-Axe'". MEL Magazine. 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  2. Helen Rappaport (2001), "Nation, Carry (1846-1911)", Encyclopedia of women social reformers, 1, pp. 478–479, ISBN 978-1-57607-101-4
  3. Fran Grace (2001), Carry A. Nation, p. 243, ISBN 978-0-253-33846-4
  4. Christine Hamilton (2003), The Book of British Battleaxes, ISBN 978-1-86105-610-8
  5. Philip Darbyshire and Suzanne Gordon (2005), "The Battleaxe or Monstrous Figure", Professional nursing, ISBN 978-0-8261-2554-5
  6. Brian McFarlane, ed. (2016), "Judith Furse", The Encyclopedia of British Film, Oxford University Press, p. 275, ISBN 9781526111975

Further reading
  • Josephine Kamm (1966), Rapiers and battleaxes: the women's movement and its aftermath, Allen & Unwin
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.