Ixelles streets to bear more female names

About a dozen streets in Ixelles are to be named or renamed in an effort to honour the women who have contributed to Brussels history and to society as a whole, reports Bruzz. The first step of the initative dates to 2004, when Avenue Pierre Curie was changed to Avenue Pierre et Marie Curie.

In Brussels, 22% of the streets are named after men, compared to only 3% named after women. The municipality of Ixelles is doing something to change that, already having named one of the squares on the ULB/VUB campus after Lucienne Herman-Michielsens, a former senator who campaigned for women's rights.

Ixelles will not only give its streets more female names, but also the names of men who have accomplished much for women's rights. One avenue, for example, will be given the name of Roger Lallemand, a Belgian lawyer who defended the bill to legalise abortion.