UK exhibition shows 15th-century women led armies and performed surgery

Eleanor Jackson, the lead curator, says the exhibition, which includes a letter by Joan of Arc, shows the contributions of women across society. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Even in 1480s rural Essex, women were battling the gender pay gap.

On one farm in Stebbing near Braintree in 1483, 27 men and 16 women were hired to bring in the harvest. The men were paid 4p a day – but for Cateryn Lytyll, Marget Pers and the 14 other women, the rate was 3p.