Ethel Simpson (2 September 1926 – 12 December 2017) was a pioneering
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
journalist. She worked to break down gendered barriers within journalism and was one of the first female chief reporters at the
Aberdeen Press and Journal
''The Press and Journal'' is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and Highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper, and one of the longest-running newspape ...
.
Early life
Ethel was born in
Banff on 2 September 1926 to a farming family.
She attended Keithhall Primary School and then
Inverurie Academy
Inverurie Academy is a comprehensive secondary school in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. The school is one of the 17 secondary schools run by Aberdeenshire Council. Inverurie Academy is located on Jackson Street, Inverurie. As of 2023, the academy ra ...
. After completing a shorthand typing course at Webster's College, she joined the Aberdeen Press and Journal in 1944 at age seventeen.
Career
Ethel then became a Junior Reporter for the Aberdeen Press and Journal in 1945, the first woman to do so.
In 1955 and 1956, Ethel spent three months on a 10,000 tour of
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
, writing about her travel
She worked her way up, eventually becoming the Chief Reporter of the Journal in 1975.
Ethel pressed for gender equality in the newsroom, and protested when a female reporter was told to go home and change into a
skirt
A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards.
At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are ...
.
She retired in 1986.
Personal life
Ethel had a daughter, Emma, and two grandsons. She was a
monarchist
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. C ...
and a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
.
See also
*
Mamie Magnusson
Mamie Ian Magnusson (''née'' Baird; 24 October 1925 – 12 April 2012) was a pioneering Scottish newspaper journalist and author.
Early life
Baird and her twin sister Anna were born to a working class household in Rutherglen in 1925.
Bair ...
*
Isabella 'Marie' Imandt
Isabella ‘Marie’ Imandt (1860 – 1945) was a female journalist from Dundee, Scotland, and one of the first female correspondents.
Early life
Isabella ‘Marie’ Franziska Imandt was born in Dundee, Scotland in 1860. She was the daughter o ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Ethel
Scottish journalists
Scottish women journalists
1926 births
2017 deaths