Statue

def. a three-dimensional representation usually of a person, animal, or mythical being that is produced by sculpturing, modeling, or casting

Summary

Statues often commemorate people of historical, cultural, and political significance. However, women and other minority demographic groups are underrepresented in these depictions, creating an unbalanced view of our collective memory.

Historical erasure

Women’s contributions, particularly in politics, science, and social movements, have historically been omitted from commemorative sculpture, reflecting patriarchal values in collective memory.

Representational imbalance

The vast majority of public statues depict men, often military, political, or religious figures. Meanwhile, women are underrepresented or depicted as allegorical figures (e.g., “Justice,” “Liberty”) rather than historical individuals.

Until the summer of 2020, all 23 statues in New York’s Central Park honoured men.

Symbolic roles

When women are represented, they are frequently portrayed in passive or supporting roles (e.g., mourning, nurturing, or embodying ideals), rather than as agents of action or leadership.

Spatial placement

Statues of men typically occupy central, elevated, or public locations (e.g., city squares), while statues of women are more often found in peripheral or decorative spaces (e.g., gardens, fountains).

Intersectional exclusions

Black, Indigenous, and other women of colour are even less represented in statues, compounding both racial and gendered marginalisation.


Did you know?

According to the UK’s Public Monuments and Sculptures Association database, there are more statues of men called ‘John’ than there were of historical, named, non-royal women (the only reason adding royal women to the figure just beats the Johns is down to Queen Victoria).

Case study: Contested memory and revision

Recent movements to remove or replace colonial and patriarchal monuments highlight how commemoration practices uphold gendered and racial power structures.

During the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, a statue of slave-trader Edward Colston was torn down and dumped into Bristol city harbour. Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas. This act of his statue being torn down caused a ripple-effect across the UK, leading to the removal or alteration of almost 70 tributes to enslavers and colonialists, including 39 names on streets, buildings and schools, as well as 30 statues, plaques and other memorials.

You can read more about the Black Lives Matter movement here.

Published 16 November 2025