Photographic exhibition Then and Now, which chronicles the struggle of women to gain equal opportunities in society, is on display at Cletwr, Tre’r-ddôl.

The exhibition features photos of women now, contrasted with black and white images from the past.

Michele Leslie, who has put the exhibition together, said: “I considered what women could do before they got the vote or around the time when they were first legally and socially, permitted to do a given job.

“It traces in pictures some of the milestones along the way to women being on relatively equal terms in the work place with men in Britain.

“In the exhibition, there is a folder, out lining key turning points and legislation in this fight for women to have the same opportunities as men to earn, and own their money (instead of it becoming the property of their husband), and progress their careers in any sphere.”

She added: “I am concerned about environmental issues and have worked in environmental research, education and gardening. I have an interest in the visual image, both as a scientist and an artist and have produced images in different media.

“Primarily I am interested in landscape and wildlife, and deeply concerned about the climate and environmental crisis; but also am interested in recording events and phenomena as history or science.

“This exhibition explores the struggle for political change to allow women to participate in society on equal terms with men; to have the same work opportunities and be paid the same salary.

“The grossly unequal pay of the past and [lack of] opportunities, led some women into prostitution, and many children had to work long hours, forcing them to forfeit education which could have led them to a more prosperous life.

“Fortunately, in this country things have improved, though in other parts of the world women and children are still trapped in poverty driven in part by inequality.

“The fight for the vote, the equal pay act and other legislation has parallels with the fight to get politicians to act on the climate crisis.

“For the vote then equal opportunities, it took from 1832 until 1994, when women got statutory maternity pay.

“With the climate crisis we do not have 162 years to get things mostly sorted.

“We need politicians to act with more urgency and implement legislation to stop the use of fossil fuels and put taxpayers’ money into a sustainable future, not a dead one keeping the fossil fuel industry in power and in turn the fossil fuel industry keeping certain political parties in power.”

The exhibition ends on Monday, 27 February.