First women traders to get City Freedom awards after ‘breaking glass ceiling’

Eight women who traded in the 1970s and 1980s will be awarded the Freedom of the City of London for their achievements in the financial sector.

Eight women will be given the Freedom award for their work in the face of ‘appallingly sexist behaviour’ (Dave Thompson/PA) (PA Archive)

Some of the first women to work as City traders for the London Stock Exchange are set to receive awards following the 50th anniversary of females joining the trading floor.

Eight women who traded in the 1970s and 1980s will be awarded the Freedom of the City of London for their achievements in the financial sector.

The traders have been praised for their pioneering work in the face of “appallingly sexist behaviour”, Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons told the PA news agency.

He said the Freedom awards – an ancient tradition thought to have begun in 1237 – “go a small way towards recognising their tenacity and commending their achievements”.

Women were first admitted to the trading floor of the historic London Stock Exchange (LSE) in March 1973.

These women broke the mould and, in doing so, they broke a glass ceiling that many, many women in the City have been able to benefit from ever since

Julia Hoggett, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange

Some of the first to join recall experiencing laddish and misogynistic behaviour in an industry dominated by men.

Hilary Pearson was part of a group of six women to break the mould when they began trading as stockbrokers 50 years ago.

She said: “Looking back to the 1970s, when six of us ‘made history’ by turning up to the office on March 26 1973, working conditions were Dickensian compared to the present day.

“The firm’s computer occupied an entire room and there were no desktop terminals or electronic calculators. I well remember the three-day week, working by candlelight.”

Sarah Danes, who became a stockbroker in 1978, said: “As women who were not university-educated in those days, it was quite something to join an industry steeped in history and heritage – mostly, of men – in the 1970s and 1980s.”

LSE’s chief executive Julia Hoggett, who became the first woman to head up the group in 2021, said the traders’ “trailblazing paved the way for women’s inclusion” in the financial services industry.

She added: “These women broke the mould and, in doing so, they broke a glass ceiling that many, many women in the City have been able to benefit from ever since.”

The awards will be given during a ceremony at the Lord Mayor’s home and office, The Mansion House.