Barbara Wootton is regarded as one of Britain's most distinguished social scientists. As an economist during the depression in the 30s she was concerned with the wages of the British worker. She has advocated a fairer distribution of income controlled by the Government, and more planning. Her ideas have always been more radical than many in the Labour Party. Barbara Wootton has also done much to further the cause of women's equality - yet she does not call herself a feminist. As one of the first women magistrates she served on the bench for 40 years. As one of the first women life peers she has been involved with both the abolition of the death penalty, and the move to legalise cannabis. And she would like to abolish the House of Lords. A life-long workaholic, she has achieved eminence in many careers-social scientist, criminologist, economist. Yet her personal life has included tragedy. At the age of 18 she was left a widow after just two weeks of marriage to Jack Wootton , who was killed in France at the end of the First World War.