Catherine Mayer Explained

Catherine Mayer
Birth Date:24 January 1961
Birth Place:United States
Nationality:British (naturalised)
Occupation:Author, journalist, politician
Alma Mater:University of Sussex
Known For:Co-founder of Women's Equality Party
Party:Women's Equality Party
Notable Works:Charles: The Heart of a King
Relatives:Lise Mayer (sister), David Mayer (father)
Website:http://www.catherinemayer.co.uk/

Catherine Mayer (born 24 January 1961) is an American-born British author and journalist, and the co-founder and President of the Women's Equality Party (WE) in the UK.

Early life

Mayer was born in the US and later became naturalised as British.[1] She moved to Britain as a child when her father, the theatre historian David Mayer, came to research a book and later secured employment at Manchester University, where his students included Ben Elton and Rik Mayall. Her mother, Anne Mayer Bird, is prominent within theatre PR.[2] [3]

Mayer attended Manchester High School for Girls,[4] and studied English Literature and European Studies at the University of Sussex (1978–82).[5] One of her sisters is The Young Ones co-writer (with Mayall) Lise Mayer, while another is the theatre agent Cassie Mayer.

Career

Mayer started her career at The Economist and has worked as a foreign correspondent at the German news weekly Focus.[6] [7] Mayer was president of the Foreign Press Association in London from June 2003 until June 2005. She worked at Time magazine from 2004 to April 2015, serving as Times Editor at Large, Europe Editor, London Bureau Chief and Senior Editor.[8] Mayer began legal action against Time in July 2017 on the grounds of age and gender discrimination.[9] [10] Her attorney was Dr. Ann Olivarius, a founding member of the Women's Equality Party, which was co-founded by Mayer (see below); Mayer and Olivarius were featured in a 2018 episode of Thomson Reuters Legal UK & Ireland’s podcast series, "The Hearing." Mayer's lawsuit prompted other journalists to seek legal advice about sexual discrimination[11] and ended with an "amicable resolution" in 2018.[12]

In 2011 Mayer wrote Amortality: The Pleasures and Perils of Living Agelessly about the pros and cons of people living longer.[13] Her 2015 biography of Prince Charles, published in the UK as Charles: The Heart of a King and in the US as Born to Be King,[14] generated worldwide headlines with its claims of dysfunction in the royal courts. Clarence House, which had facilitated access to the Prince, distanced itself from the book.[15] [16] [17] Mayer stood by the content.[18] The book was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.[19] [20]

Mayer's non-fiction Attack of the 50ft. Women was published in 2017.[21] The book covers the benefits of gender equality and how it is being promoted in various countries,[21] [22] and has been described as "a compelling feminist call to arms".[23]

Her memoir Good Grief, which incorporates letters written by her mother and covers the death of both women's husbands and the coronavirus pandemic, was published by HarperCollins in December 2020,[24] [25] with an updated paperback edition in February 2022.[26] Reviewing Good Grief in The Observer, Kate Kellaway called it "smart, upbeat and brimming with fortitude",[27] and those who also gave endorsements and praise included Kate Mosse, who described it as "a perfect book, specific and personal, but spot on about the universal nature of grief and how we grieve. Every page sings."[28]

Women's Equality Party

Mayer co-founded the Women's Equality Party with Sandi Toksvig in March 2015[29] [30] and is its President.[31] The party has core objectives: equal representation, equal pay, equality in and through the media, equal education, equal health, shared opportunities in parenting and caregiving and an end to violence against women;[32] its first policy commitments were launched by the party's first leader, Sophie Walker, at Conway Hall on 20 October 2015.[33] [34] In February 2018 Mayer stated: "The party also welcomed all genders. Everyone is born with a sex, usually, though not always, male or female. Gender is the product of social and cultural factors that can be changed. The very first policy document made clear that WE supported "the right of all to define their sex or gender or to reject gendered divisions as they choose."[35] The party won its first seat in the local elections in May 2019.[36] Mayer stood as the lead candidate for the party in the 2019 European Elections in London.[31] [37]

Primadonna Festival

Mayer co-founded the Primadonna Festival in 2019, a festival of ideas, writing, music and comedy at Laffitt's Hall in Pettaugh, Suffolk, aiming to give prominence to women and to new voices.[38] [39] [40] The festival awards the Primadonna Prize "for unsigned and unrepresented new writing talent".[41] [42]

Personal life

Mayer was married to the musician Andy Gill of Gang of Four, from 1999 until his death in February 2020.[43] [44]

Bibliography

Books
Selected articles
Video

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Alexander . Ella . Will you support the Women's Equality Party? . . . 2 April 2015 . 26 September 2015 . 26 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150926074958/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/features/2015/04/02/womens-equality-party-formed-by-catherine-mayer-policies-and-background . dead .
  2. News: Halliburton . Rachel . This woman can have Blair any time . . 8 January 2004 .
  3. News: Langdon . Julia . Julia Langdon . I think it's amazing how unequal we are . . 16 July 2007 .
  4. News: Epstein . Angela . Why are feminists so unpleasant to women? . . . 13 October 2015 .
  5. http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/43605 "Four leading alumni return to Sussex for panel debate on women in arts leadership"
  6. News: Sexton . David . 'Prince Charles has the loneliest existence I've ever witnessed': Catherine Mayer on her new biography of the future king . London Evening Standard . 4 February 2015 .
  7. News: Blumen . Danielle . Time for women in the media (blog) . . London School of Economics. 29 November 2009 .
  8. News: Greenslade . Roy . Roy Greenslade. Mayer rocks on with Time promotion . The Guardian . 3 February 2012 .
  9. News: Graham-Harrison. Emma. Top journalist sues Time magazine for 'sex and age discrimination'. The Observer. 5 August 2017. 6 August 2017.
  10. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.4272606/former-editor-catherine-mayer-sues-time-magazine-for-sex-and-age-discrimination-1.4272612 "Former editor Catherine Mayer sues Time magazine for sex and age discrimination"
  11. Web site: Newsweek Journalists Weigh Sex Discrimination Suit Against Magazine. Walker. Bragman. 2017-10-18. HuffPost UK. en. 2019-08-07.
  12. News: Sandi Toksvig sparks new gender pay row over QI fee. Thorpe. Vanessa. 2018-09-08. The Observer. 2019-08-07. Graham-Harrison. Emma. en-GB. 0029-7712.
  13. News: York . Peter . Peter York . A user's guide to age . . Independent Print Ltd . 13 May 2011 .
  14. News: Swanson . Clare . New Prince Charles bio coming from Holt . . 5 November 2014 .
  15. News: Staff writer . Prince Charles 'understands limitations' of Crown . . 4 February 2015 .
  16. News: Agency. Duchess of Cornwall comes face-to-face with author of controversial Prince Charles book . . Telegraph Media Group . 16 February 2015 .
  17. News: Morgan . Sally . As Royal aides question a new biography of the Prince of Wales its author Catherine Mayer tells Hello! why she stands by every word . . 20 February 2015 .
  18. News: Sherwin . Adam . Adam Sherwin . Catherine Mayer, author of controversial Charles biography: 'I was a republican but now I'm a monarchist' . The Independent . 3 February 2015 .
  19. Book: Staff writer . Charles: The Heart of a King . 5 February 2015 . Random House . 9780753550809 .
  20. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1099361/charles-the-heart-of-a-king/ Charles: The Heart of a King
  21. News: Shaffi. Sarah. From feminist novels to explorations of love: the most enthralling new reads for March. Stylist. March 2017.
  22. Web site: Driscoll. Brogan. Catherine Mayer, Women's Equality Party Co-Founder, On Why We Need To 'Seize The Turbulence' Of 2017. Huffington Post. 8 March 2017.
  23. Sweeney, Tanya (2 April 2017), 'Why issue of gender equality still looms large', Irish Independent.
  24. News: A tale of two widows: the mother and daughter united by grief in the time of Covid-19. Richard. Brooks. The Observer. 5 July 2020.
  25. Web site: We must not wish this bleak year away. New Statesman. Catherine. Mayer. 30 December 2020.
  26. News: Widow of Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill reveals how she was ambushed by bereavement. The Observer. Vanessa. Thorpe. 16 January 2022.
  27. News: The Mahogany Pod; One Thousand Days and One Cup of Tea; Good Grief – reviews. Kate. Kellaway. The Observer. 7 March 2021.
  28. Web site: GOOD GRIEF: Embracing life at a time of death. catherinemayer.co.uk.
  29. News: Staff writer . Londoner's Diary: Women's party is ready to be a player . London Evening Standard . 20 April 2015 .
  30. News: Cocozza . Paula . Women's Equality party founders: 'It needed doing. So we said, "Let's do it"' . The Guardian . 28 August 2015 . 21 September 2015 .
  31. Web site: Women's Equality Party takes a swipe at notorious Ukip poster. Kate. Proctor. 2019-05-16. Evening Standard. en. 2019-08-07.
  32. News: Why health equality is the next goal for the Women's Equality party Hannah Peaker. Peaker. Hannah. 2016-11-29. The Guardian. 2019-08-07. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  33. Web site: Women's Equality Party announces first policies and campaigns . . 20 October 2015 . 21 October 2015 .
  34. News: Minter . Harriet . The Women's Equality Party launch is not a moment too soon . The Guardian . 21 October 2015 . 21 October 2015 .
  35. Web site: Mayer . Catherine . We need to have difficult debates. We need to find better ways to have them (blog) . catherinemayer.co.uk . 22 February 2018 . 23 February 2018.
  36. News: Don't despair over Boris Johnson – it's time for hope . Mayer. Catherine. 2019-07-25. The Guardian. 2019-08-07. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  37. News: Why is Nigel Farage all over the airwaves while my party barely gets a look-in? - Catherine Mayer. Mayer. Catherine. 2019-05-13. The Guardian. 2019-08-07. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  38. News: New literary festival feeds growing appetite for female-led cultural events. Thorpe. Vanessa. 2019-03-30. The Observer. 2019-08-07. en-GB. 0029-7712.
  39. News: Why we're launching Primadonna, the inclusive literary festival that will make our world a better place. Mayer. Catherine. 2019-04-03. The Telegraph. 2019-08-07. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  40. Web site: Sandi Toksvig and leading women writers create a family-friendly Primadonna Festival in Suffolk. Clarke. Andrew. East Anglian Daily Times. en. 1 May 2019. 2019-08-07.
  41. Web site: Primadonna Prize . primadonnafestival.com . 14 January 2024.
  42. News: Primadonna Festival launches inaugural writing prize . The Bookseller . Katie . Mansfield. 24 May 2019. 14 January 2024.
  43. News: Gill . Andy . Andy Gill meets Andy Gill . The Independent . 18 September 2009 .
  44. News: Andy Gill, Radical Guitarist With Gang of Four, Dies at 64. The New York Times. Jon. Pareles. Jon Pareles. 1 February 2020.

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