Island women awarded with Freedom of London

Two Island women have been awarded the Freedom of London for their exploits in the ’70s working on the City’s Stock Exchange.

Janet Stevens and Sarah Danes, of Cowes, were two of the first women to work on the stock exchange floor. Janet now works at IW College as head of business development while Sarah is an Island magistrate.

The couple, along with friend, Christine Spencer, talked about their early careers at a ladies’ lunch at the Royal Solent Yacht Club, Yarmouth, on Friday.

Janet said: “We all met on the London Stock Exchange floor. I was a trainee dealer – a Blue Button – training to become a stockjobber. I left straight from school and was the first female to be trained by my company, along with 14 other boys, and I became a dealer in 1981.

“Sarah was a stockbroker, buying and selling shares on behalf of clients, while Christine joined earlier, in 1974, one of the first female dealers on the floor.

“When I joined there were six women on the floor along with 1,400 men; it was quite a daunting experience! I was told I had to be better than the boys; it was important I was better than my male peers. I had to prove that I was good enough to be there.

“There was a lot of camaraderie, although there were still men who felt women shouldn’t be allowed on the floor, but the majority were very supportive. We felt women could give a new dimension to the place and a lot of people could see that, although women were not even allowed to wear trousers at the time!”

The actual award came as a huge shock to the participants and Janet added: “We were all invited to the lunch at the Plaisterers’ Hall in the City, with the Lord Mayor, a couple of weeks ago. There had been a big piece on us all in the Financial Times.

“The Lord Mayor stood up at the end of the meal and just made the announcement; we weren’t expecting anything. Looking back it just felt like a normal job but a bit more challenging.”

Chief commoner of the City of London Corporation, Ann Holmes, said: “When women on the trading floors were hugely outnumbered by men, these women, who were passionate about their work and determined to succeed, helped change the City’s landscape for the better.

“It gave great pleasure to join the Lord Mayor in nominating them for the City’s award, and I have no doubt that they will remember the ceremony for many years to come.”