Necklace, symbol of United Nations Year of the Women 1975

Shared by
the Charlotte Museum Te Whare Takatāpui-Wāhine o Aotearoa

Necklace in gold of the symbol used for the United Nations Year of Women in 1975. Gifted to the museum from Renée's publisher at Cuba Press in Wellington on behalf of the Estate of Renée Taylor. Necklace came in a small bag. In 1975 the United Nations designated the year as International Women's Year, culminating in the first World Conference on Women in Mexico City. The UN then designated the decade from 1976-1985 as the United Nations Decade for Women. In 1980 the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women gathered in Copenhagen to review the progress of the goals set in 1975, and in 1985 the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the UN Decade for Women convened in Nairobi. These conferences were attended by government representatives, while representatives of NGOs gathered simultaneously at related conferences. Renée Gertrude Taylor ONZM (née Jones; 19 July 1929 – 11 December 2023), known professionally as Renée, was a New Zealand feminist writer, playwright, novelist and short story writer. She started writing plays in her 50s, with her first play, Setting the Table, written in 1981. Her most well-known works were a trilogy of plays beginning with Wednesday to Come (1984). Renée described herself as a "lesbian feminist with socialist working-class ideals".