Professor Davidoff (MA International History 1956) was a feminist historian and sociologist who pioneered new approaches to women’s history and gender relations, helping to create the Feminist Library in London and founding the academic journal, Gender & History. Her master’s thesis written at LSE in 1956 on the ‘Employment of Married Women’ became a foundation for her life’s work in the research field of women’s history. She later went on to teach the UK’s first MA in women’s history at the University of Essex.
Founded in 1926, The Women’s Library collection has developed to become a world-leading resource of material relating to women’s history, holding the oldest and most extensive collection of women’s history in the world.
Two study spaces in The Women’s Library @ LSE Reading Room have been named in recognition of Professor Davidoff’s generosity. In accordance with her wishes the spaces are named after Vera Douie OBE, a founding librarian of the collections, and Esther Rachel Freedman, while we recognise Professor Davidoff’s name on The Women's Library main donor board.