Kirsty Davies in Year 12 has won this year’s British Sociological Association (BSA) Young Sociologist of the Year competition. Kirsty's teacher, Miss Davies, supported Kirsty’s application. Kirsty won an iPad for herself and £500 for the school.
The winning essay addressed the question: ‘To what extent, and in what ways, is patriarchy alive and kicking?’ Read Kirsty’s essay (contains reference to a sex act and sexual harassment).
The judges said,
“This entry was inspired by personal experience of public harassment and built on this to explore how patriarchy affects girls and women in public. The essay effectively linked the findings of the student’s questionnaire to feminist writings to show how females are expected to change their behaviour rather than men changing theirs.”
This year’s competition attracted an unprecedented number of entries, with 174 students submitting their work. The significant increase in submissions led the BSA to to invite BSA members to volunteer as judges, joining two BSA trustees on the judging panel.
The judging panel was impressed by the exceptional quality of the entries, which highlighted how young people are able to apply their sociological imagination to gain a deeper understanding of our social lives.
Congratulations on your efforts, Kirsty!