The Trends

What the Data Tells Us

Monuments to men outnumber those to women 5.5:1 and are often clustered around key heritage tourism destinations like Edinburgh Castle, St Giles’ Cathedral, and Princes Street Gardens.
Animals are represented at a comparable rate to women. This includes a bear, a penguin, and six dogs.
Aside from Calton Hill, which features only male monuments, the highest ratio of male to female representation is in Edinburgh’s New Town neighborhood at over 16:1. Not ironically, the lowest ratio can be found in the Suburbs, where it falls to slightly over 3:1.
Men are almost 3x more likely to feature in their own monuments than women, who tend to be represented allegorically or abstractly. Animals are over 2x more likely to feature than women.
Despite a growing awareness for equal rights, women’s memorialization has steadily decreased since 1950, while men’s and animals’ have increased.
Women are far more likely to be commemorated via plaques, which are often small, unobtrusive, and placed out of the direct line of sight.
Trends are consistent both city wide & within microcosms like the Writer’s Museum.