Feminism – a spent force or fit for the 21st century?

Here is an interesting debate about feminism with  Fiona Ranford, a leading member of UK Feminista; Rehana Azan, senior trade union official; Yvonne Roberts, Observer chief leader writer; Melissa Kite, columnist from the Guardian:

Feminism is dead, says Netmums. As feminist activists prepare to lobby parliament, we bring together a group of female thinkers to discuss the rights and roles of women – and men – in society.

Yvonne Roberts It's been a very interesting week for feminism. Netmums has announced that feminism is dead and pronounced the last rites. But at the same time we've had the coverage of the Jimmy Savile revelations and a very strong feminist voice saying that this is an institutional problem, not just the behaviour of one individual. So feminism, is it alive or is it dead? Fiona?

Fiona Ranford The news from Netmums isn't surprising. We're all well aware that there's been stigma attached to feminism for many years, making it seem like it's something that is done and dusted, and actually what we're seeing across the UK is a huge rise in the number of women – and men – taking part in feminist activism. So we've seen a doubling in the number of local feminist activist groups in the past couple of years. We've seen a thousand people come to UK Feminista's national conference, which sold out. We've also got a huge lobby of parliament this week, where hundreds of women and men from across the UK will be coming together to demand that feminism is put at the heart of British politics and many of them will be doing feminist activism for the first time. So it's clear that the feminist movement is growing.

Rehana Azam I don't think feminism is dead. As a trade union officer active in the workplace, I've seen the gender pay gap growing significantly over the past decade. So I think there's a very real need for [feminism] in the workplaces, for us to fight for equality.

YR But if equal pay is such an issue, why are so many women saying "We don't need feminism any more. Everything's OK"?

RA I don't think feminism is dead. It depends what your interpretation of feminism is. My interpretation is all about having the freedom to choose. I don't think if you asked some of my members in the workplaces, are they the ones who are choosing the rates of pay they are on, which, compared to those of men, are less? I think the answer would be no, they aren't.

Melissa Kite I sincerely hope feminism is alive. If younger women are rejecting it or saying it's irrelevant, it's only because the women who've gone before them have won so many battles that they now can't see what the problem is. But I think the problem now is much more subtle than it used to be, and sexism – if you like, chauvinism – is not as obvious; it doesn't hit you over the head, maybe. It's very insidious, very subtle, the ways that women might still be kept down. There are still women in this country of different cultures who do not have the rights that I have, for example. And I think there is a very difficult problem nowadays of equality and women's rights coming up against other cultural so-called rights, religious rights. And these two agendas bash up against each other and women are stuck in the middle of things like forced marriage, female circumcision, women not being able to get a divorce because their husband has divorced them in a religious sense, in a Sharia sense.

For full story go to Guardian website

Health check for women’s rights in the UK

On October 22^nd a small group of women from the UK will be going to Geneva to address the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)[i] to highlight the problems impacting on women’s equality in the UK and what our Government must be questioned on, and held to account over, by the UN. This is a unique opportunity for women to raise the key issues they are facing with the UN and the eyes of the world will be on the UK and their progress on women.

Women’s rights in the UK have come to a standstill and in fact some are being reversed. Government policies[ii] and austerity measures[iii] are disproportionately impacting on women and the rights that were fought so hard for are now being reduced:

-       The representation of women in the media[iv] continues to be unequal and damaging, reinforcing gender-based stereotypes and sexism[v]

-       Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) which impacts on sexual health and confidence is no longer compulsory[vi] and schools are not safe for girls[vii]

-       Female unemployment is at a 25 year high[viii] and there has been little movement on the gender pay gap[ix]

-       The widespread closure of Sure Start Centres[x] and the high cost of childcare,[xi] which is the highest in Europe,[xii] leads many women not to seek work at all

-       Women’s specific health needs are not addressed and we still see more women than men reporting debilitating mental health problems,[xiii] while there are GPs who illegally perform FGM.[xiv] The localisation of healthcare and changes to the National Health Service also risks women falling through the gaps in provision and is why a gendered approach to health is even more important[xv]

-       There is also a danger that women’s reproductive rights will be rolled back with government support[xvi]

-       Violence against women and girls (VAWG) still occurs in the UK at epidemic proportions and austerity measures, which have led to high unemployment and increased debt, are creating an increase in violence[xvii] and impacting on women’s safety as support services are being cut[xviii]

-       Government policies around welfare benefits and other support are disproportionately impacting on the most vulnerable[xix] and measures such as the Universal Credit[xx] will see women trapped in violent relationships with no where to turn for support

-       The lack of government support for women’s NGOs, despite demonstrating value for money,[xxi] and the decentralisation of power to local authorities who are also facing huge cuts, means that local services for women are closing[xxii] at a fast rate leading to a lack of appropriate, accessible services for many women.

A new report from the North East Women’s Network[xxiii] gives a stark example of these issues as a microcosm of women across the UK. It outlines how government policy changes are disproportionately impacting on women in the North East who are facing unprecedented challenges.

Ironically this comes at a time when the UK’s record on women’s rights is about to come under the spotlight internationally. In July 2013 the UK Government must report to CEDAW on their progress since they were last examined by the UN Committee in 2008.[xxiv]

It will be interesting to see how the Government will address the reversal of women’s rights in the UK and the deepening of women’s inequality, especially when they are supposed to be presenting an example to other countries through their international work.

The Women’s Resource Centre[xxv] coordinate a network of organisations across the UK who are producing a shadow report which will reflect on the Government’s report[xxvi] to CEDAW which has been submitted. This CEDAW Working Group have already sent a list of key issues and suggested questions[xxvii] for the Committee to ask the Government to highlight the extent of discrimination against women in the UK and will be following up on this at the meeting in Geneva.

These issues will also be raised at the UK Feminista lobby of Parliament[xxviii] on October 24^th where women from across the country will meet with their MPs and ensure that they understand their international obligations as well as those to their female constituents.

“The Government must face up to their international obligations under CEDAW to protect and advance the rights of women in the UK. It is unacceptable for the UK to be reversing women’s rights and austerity cannot be an excuse - the legacy of these changes will be felt for generations so we must ensure that the UN holds them to account and they do not continue to roll back women’s rights in the UK,” says Vivienne Hayes, Chief Executive of the Women’s Resource Centre.[xxix]

Notes to Editors[xxx]

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[i] http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/committee.htm

[ii] http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/20/women-coalition-government-equality

[iii] http://fawcettsociety.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1208

[iv] Research by Women in Journalism found that male journalists wrote 78% of all front-page articles and men accounted for 84% of those mentioned or quoted in lead pieces http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/14/sexist-stereotypes-front-pages-newspapers

[v] UK NGOs responded called on the Government’s Leveson Inquiry to look at the way the media in Britain reports on violence against women, including victim-blaming and the perpetuation of myths about abuse, and how the press objectifies and degrades women http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/preventing-violence-against-women-media-152

[vi] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8768980/Coalition-shelves-Labour-plan-for-compulsory-sex-education.html

[vii] Research has found that sexual bullying and harassment is routine in schools and one in three 16-18 year old girls say they have been 'groped' or experienced other unwanted sexual touching at school, one in three teenage girls has also experienced sexual violence from their boyfriend http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/schools-safe-4-girls

[viii] In February 2012 of the 2.67 million people who were unemployed, 1.12 million were women http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/20/female-unemployment-crisis-women

[ix] On average women in the UK earn 15% less than men. The Government have introduced agreements with private industry to combat this but these are voluntary and ineffective http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/16/gender-pay-gap-audits

[x] 281 centres have been closed since April 2010 and local authorities have also cut their budgets by 11% in 2011 and 21% in 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/nov/14/sure-start-centre-closures-coalition

[xi] An average part-time nursery place in London is £126 per child each week http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/sep/01/soaring-childcare-costs-work-nothing

[xii] 33% of a British family’s net income goes towards the cost of childcare compared to the OECD average of 13% http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1305310/UK-families-face-highest-costs-childcare-Average-weekly-nursery-160.html

[xiii] Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men (29% compared with 17%) http://thewomensresource.tumblr.com/post/33299537503/why-we-should-remember-cedaw-on-world-mental-health-day

[xiv] http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Society/article1022172.ece

[xv] http://www.whec.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/11/WhyWomensHealth11.pdf

[xvi] Senior Ministers, including the Health Secretary and Minister for Women, support a reduction in the abortion time limit against medical evidence http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/9591847/Senior-ministers-call-for-cut-in-abortion-limit.html

[xvii] The Government linked an increase in domestic violence to the recession in 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/04/domestic-violence-discrimination-women-recession and an EHRC report confirmed this http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/47_the_equality_impacts_of_the_current_recession.pdf

[xviii] Thirty-one percent of the funding to the domestic violence and sexual abuse sector from local authorities was cut between 2010/11 to 2011/12, a reduction from £7.8 million to £5.4 million http://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/publications-research/gender/professor-sylvia-walby-reports-on-the-impact-of-cuts-on-violence-against-women-services-2.html

[xix] As the Women’s Budget Group have found in their analyses of the Budgets since 2010 http://www.wbg.org.uk/RRB_Reports.htm

[xx] The Women’s Budget Group believes these proposals will concentrate financial resources and power into the hands of one person which may exacerbate existing gender inequalities http://www.wbg.org.uk/RRB_Reports_13_4155103794.pdf

[xxi] Research by the Women’s Resource Centre found that on average, over five years, for every £1 invested in women’s services, between £5 and £11 worth of social value is generated for women, their families and the Sate http://www.wrc.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2011/h/hidden_value_wrc_sroi_report_2011_2.pdf

[xxii] Women’s Aid found that 60% of refuge services had no funding agreed from 1st April 2011 http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-press-information.asp?itemid=2599&itemTitle=Women%92s+Aid%92s+survey+reveals+fear+that+over+half+of+refuge+and+outreach+services+could+face+closure&section=0001000100150001&sectionTitle=Press+releases and in 2011 the Women’s Resource Centre found that 95% of women’s organisations surveyed faced a funding crisis (unpublished)

[xxiii] http://www.wrc.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2012/n/newomens_women_and_the_cuts_interim_study_final_5_9_12_doc.pdf

[xxiv] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws41.htm

[xxv] www.wrc.org.uk

[xxvi] http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/equalities/international-equality/7th-cedaw-report?view=Binary

[xxvii] http://www.wrc.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2012/c/cedaw_list_of_issues_and_questions_for_website.pdf

[xxviii] http://ukfeminista.org.uk/event-details/feministlobby/

[xxix] Contact – Vivienne Hayes, Vivienne@wrc.org.uk 0207 324 3032

[xxx] For further information contact Natalie Gyte, Head of Communications natalieg@wrc.org.uk 0207 324 3040 or Charlotte Gage, Policy Officer charlotte@wrc.org.uk 0044 (0) 7841508231 and follow @womnsresource and http://thewomensresource.tumblr.com/

Julia Gillard's attack on sexism

Please click the link to see an inspiring speech by the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, in which she attacks the leader of the opposition for sexism, calling him a misogynist. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/12/julia-gillard-sexism-australian-women?newsfeed=truey

I hope one of our female MPs in the UK will stand up to David "Calm Down Dear" Cameron in this way. It is interesting how the Australian media (overwhelmingly male and middle class) saw this speech as a political disaster and said that her judgement was flawed.  However, Gillard seems to have struck a chord with women around the world. Lets follow her example and stand up to sexism and misogyny.  We should not have to put up with it.  We deserve equality and social justice.

For more on this story and the rise of a new wave of feminism in Austalia: http://newmatilda.com/2012/10/10/gillard-rides-new-wave-feminism

Destroy the Joint Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DestroyTheJoint
"This page is for people who are sick of the sexism dished out to women in public roles in Australia, whether they be our Prime Minister or any other woman"

New EVAW campaign - Schools Safe 4 Girls

AFTER ROCHDALE - PARENTS DEMAND SCHOOLS & GOVERNMENT TAKE ACTION ON GIRLS’ SAFETY

Rochdale child sexual exploitation convictions raise questions about whether schools are doing enough to prevent abuse

Campaigners welcome new Labour commitment to compulsory sex and relationships education, and hope to see Government response soon.

Click here for full story

http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk

Largest Global Study on Violence Against Women Finds Feminist Movements Hold the Key to Change

If anyone is in any doubt as to to whether feminist activism is still relevant today please read this article and follow the link below:

Recently published in the American Political Science Review, a new study on violence against women conducted over four decades and in 70 countries reveals the mobilization of feminist movements is more important for change than the wealth of nations, left-wing political parties, or the number of women politicians.

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 28, 2012

Read more here

Countering everyday sexism

For the next time you feel the need to let off some steam...this is an excellent new project: http://www.everydaysexism.com/