Studying literature at Harvard is like learning about women at the Mayo clinic.

The Company of Wolves is about how society teaches young women to look at themselves and what to be afraid of. It's about a girl learning that the world of sensuality and the unknown is not to be feared that it's worth getting your teeth into.

I used to be scared of women. When I was very young they terrified me but discovering the female universe was incredible and still is to this day as you never stop learning about them.

I have often thought of it as one of the most barbarous customs in the world considering us as a civilized and a Christian country that we deny the advantages of learning to women.

Women have to harness their power - its absolutely true. It's just learning not to take the first no. And if you can't go straight ahead you go around the corner.

In some countries we have had the right to vote for less than 100 years so the entry of women into political leadership has caused a tsunami.

Leaders of the future will have to be visionary and be able to bring people in - real communicators. These are things that women bring to leadership and executive positions and it's going to be incredibly valuable and incredibly in demand.

Actually I don't ever think there will be a men-only team of leadership in the Labour party again. People would look at it and say 'What? Are there no women in the party to be part of the leadership? Do men want to do it all themselves?' It just won't happen again.

The school made it very clear that women were entitled to positions of authority. That sense of entitlement allowed us to feel that we have a natural place in leadership in the world. That gave me a mental and emotional confidence.

Even after such milestones as Kathryn Bigelow winning an Oscar there still seem to be few women in leadership roles.