Margaret Stevenson Miller (1896 – 1979) was a British lecturer and researcher, who campaigned for women's rights. She began her studies at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, where she was the first ever graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from that institution in 1920. She then gained her PhD at the

School of Slavonic and East European Studies The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES ) is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history, ...

(now part of

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

). Margaret learned Russian, and visited and corresponded with

Beatrice Webb Martha Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield, (née Potter; 22 January 1858 – 30 April 1943) was an English sociologist, economist, socialist, labour historian and social reformer. It was Webb who coined the term ''collective bargaining''. She ...

. Margaret joined the Department of Commerce at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

in 1928 and married a colleague, C Douglas Campbell in 1932, author of ''British Railways in Boom and Bust''. Although British universities did employ married women, on the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor, Dr H J W Hetherington, the University of Liverpool Council exceptionally introduced a

marriage bar A marriage bar is the practice of restricting the employment of married women. Common in Western countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s, the practice often called for the termination of the employment of a woman on her marriage, especi ...

in February 1933 that forced her to resign. The resulting protest was taken up by other groups campaigning for equality for women, including the feminist

Six Point Group The Six Point Group was a British feminist campaign group founded by Lady Rhondda in 1921 to press for changes in the law of the United Kingdom in six areas. Aims The six original specific aims were: # Satisfactory legislation on child assault; ...

, The British Federation of University Women which led to the Campaign of Right for the Married Women to Earn.Margaret Miller and the Campaign for the Right of the Married Woman to Earn
/ref> Despite the University Council overturning the bar in 1934, Margaret was not reinstated in her post, and although her post was advertised, she was advised not to apply. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Miller worked as a research strategist in Soviet affairs as part of the Political Intelligence Department's Foreign Research and Press Service in Oxford, at the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

in Washington, and after the war she briefly worked in the Foreign Office's Economic Intelligence Department.Miller Collection
/ref> After her appointment to the Central Electricity Authority, she continued to write, lecture and broadcast on Soviet economics until her death in 1979.

Library holdings

Her writings 1920-1930 are held in

The Women's Library The Women's Library is England's main library and museum resource on women and the women's movement, concentrating on Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has an institutional history as a coherent collection dating back to the mid-1920s, ...

: a collection of her papers on the economy of the Soviet Union (1929-1975) is stored in the library of

UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES ) is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history, ...

References

External links

Catalogue of Miller CollectionDisruption is Progress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Margaret Stevenson 1896 births 1979 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of University College London Alumni of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies British feminists