AV: What could it mean for women?
Contribution by Hayley Chamberlain
What has surprised me more than anything over the course of the campaign (yes, even more than NO2AV’s outlandish adverts) is the lack of discussion about how the alternative vote will affect under-represented groups in society. It is true that on its own, AV is not going to put more women into Parliament overnight, but there isn’t a system in the world that would. Much work will still need to be done to make Parliament a more welcoming place for women and men of all backgrounds and this cannot be achieved without the will of the parties.
However, recent experience in America shows that upgrading our system to AV can have a profound effect on the nature of election campaigns, helping to make politics more accessible to women and men from more diverse backgrounds. Oakland in California held its first mayoral election using AV (known there as Instant Runoff Voting) last November and the difference it made was striking. The favoured, establishment candidate Don Perata was beaten by Jean Quan, who became the first Asian American female mayor. If the election had been run using first past the post, Perata would have won comfortably even though most people in the city didn’t actually want him.
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When will something be done about street harassment?
Alongside the focus on the most serious forms of violence, discrimination and exploitation, it is important to find room to talk about the minor, everyday acts of casual contempt that are still a reality for almost all women, including right here in the UK.
One of the most prevalent and least examined of these, which urgently needs more input not just from policy-makers, but from journalists and researchers and even bloggers, is sexual harassment on the streets.
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How times have changed
contribution by Elizannie
Each of my great-grandmothers have been described at various times by various descendants as ‘a strong woman’ [sometimes the adjective has not been so kind as 'strong'!].
But to survive in those times [last forty years of the 19th century onwards] working class women as my great grandmothers were, had to be ‘strong’. One great grandmother was widowed aged just over thirty with three children aged under five.
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Don’t tell us we don’t need feminism any more
contribution by Sian Norris
Last year, Nicholas D Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn published their game changing book, Half the Sky. In it, they talk about the 107 million missing women.
These women are missing because of femicide, because of lack of healthcare, because of domestic violence and because of trafficking. These are the women who we don’t hear about on the news.
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Notes from a male dominated media industry
In the last two months I’ve been working as a freelance journalist for the first time, and I had an interview at a national newspaper for a job.
Scenario 1: During my group interview for the job, there were around 6 male editors and executives present, and one woman. The people interviewed were evenly divided: 6 men and 6 women.
Scenario 2: Yesterday, I interviewed Ed Balls and John Denham at a video games lab in Liverpool. The Labour representatives organising the event were all male. So was the councillor present. The one woman in the room, Angela Eagle MP, left as I arrived, so there was a local journalist, Ed Balls, John Denham, Liam Byrne, and their special advisers, all male.
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Can we stop talking nonsense about breast-milk?
If you don’t want to spend £15 on an ice cream made with human milk, that’s A-OK with me. I don’t want to spend £15 on that either. You may have concerns about the commodification of people; I can understand that. You may dislike political posturing; that’s fine.
But if you espouse any of the following points of view, I may well get my leaky friend to squirt you in the eye with some of her finest breast-juice. (It’s great for conjunctivitis!)
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Claudia Aderotimi was the victim of something more universal than ‘hip-hop culture’
British student Claudia Aderotimi died in America last week, the result of botched plastic surgery intended to give her a bigger bottom
Some commentators say that Claudia was a victim of “hip hop” culture. She was actually a victim of something much more universal.
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A clampdown on sexism in the media? Pull the other one
contribution by MediaInsider
I can’t help but think BSkyB and News International slamming its employees for sexism is a bit like George Osborne complaining that his weekly food shopping bill has increased- they both only have themselves to blame.
Sky Sports News openly flaunts its sex appeal (see recent advert), and has a history of employing young, attractive female presenters to work alongside middle-aged male pundits, hardly sending a message that sexism in the work place is dead.
Its Saturday morning show Soccer AM even trades off its image as ‘Men and Motors’ style trashy TV.
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Raab is right about discrimination against men, but wrong to blame feminists
contribution by Laura Nelson
In a sweeping, scathing tirade, Tory MP Dominic Raab this week attacked the ‘obnoxious bigotry’ of feminists.
Feminists are individuals, and don’t all share the same views. But, in general, we aspire to the very opposite of bigotry. Feminists aspire to equality for men and women, which is just what Raab says he wants too.
And this is the interesting point. Raab wants equality. Feminists want equality.
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Old and female and better off dead…?
This is another post about people I’ve talked to as I travel round the UK talking to those dealing with public sector cuts:
There are times when I wonder if being an old woman without money will be as funny as all that. It seems likely that I’ll find out first-hand in the near-ish future. Right now, I get to watch.
I’m in a room in Gateshead with about 15 older women at a Personal Growth – Take Individual Steps session (known as PG Tips here at the Tyneside women’s health centre).
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Why the BBC and Charlie Brooker are wrong over Eastenders
For those of you that don’t follow life in Albert Square: a controversy has engulfed Eastenders’ baby swap story. It focuses upon the eternally tragic Ronnie Branning (neé Mitchell), and the loss of her newborn son to cot death.
After discovering her son, a grief-stricken and confused Ronnie wandered into the Vic and swapped him for Alfie and Kat’s baby. Since then, Ronnie has become increasingly irrational and paranoid as she attempts to keep her actions secret, whilst Alfie and Kat have been grieving for the child they believe to have died.
Charlie Brooker used his column in yesterday’s Guardian to dismiss the controversy and the 6,000 complaints it has elicited.
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Right-wing wonks claim the battle for equal pay for women has been won
The latest piece of wearying cognitive dissonance from a right-wing think tank is published by Dr Catherine Hakim, reporting on ‘feminist myths’ in employment practices.
Dr Hakim from the Centre for Policy Studies argues that the battle for equal opportunities has been won (yay!), and that further activity by the all-powerful feminist lobby would be counter-productive.
You may be thinking: ‘why should I give a tuppenny sod about what the CPS thinks?’. The problem is, these people are the non-horse-related working parts of Cameron’s brain.
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How Poland is pushing for gender equality in Parliament
contribution by David Mentiply
Last week the Polish Sejm (parliament) passed the Parytet law which will see radical changes to Poland’s electoral landscape. At every General Election, all political parties in Poland must ensure that 35% of their local candidates are female.
In a deeply religious and socially conservative country, this could represent a breakthrough in attitudes towards women and their role in civic society.
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More light finally shed on the allegations against Julian Assange
With the beginning of the extradition proceedings against Julian Assange, we finally get to see exactly what the allegations against him are.
Gemma Lindfield, for the Swedish authorities, told the court Assange was wanted in connection with four allegations.
1. Miss A said she was victim of “unlawful coercion” on the night of 14 August in Stockholm. The court heard Assange is accused of using his body weight to hold her down in a sexual manner.
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Not getting the point on violence against women: a report from Bristol
contribution by Sian Norris
A few weeks ago, the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, was celebrated by Bristol City Council with an exhibition of art and writing.
Events turned sour however when the head of the council, Barbara Janke, questioned why the art on display was only by women, before arguing the UN day ignored male survivors. And now she’s attacking us through local media.
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Is it always a ‘sell out’ to discuss difficult issues?
The discussion following Cath Elliott’s response to John B’s piece on Julian Assange has mostly been about the rape allegations themselves. But I think there are broader issues here that I want to touch on.
On Twitter earlier she said in response to me:
… is seeing how fast so-called leftie feminist men are to jump in and defend him and paint women as bloody liars again
and then…
That’s the misogynist shite I was talking about before. The way left wing men always sell out women in the end.
I won’t get into how patronising an accusation this is because it has become far too common an accusation on the left.
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Why it’s wrong to casually dismiss the allegations against Julian Assange
I’m happy to be among the first to admit on this site that I have no idea whether Julian Assange is or is not guilty of committing a sex crime during his recent visit to Sweden.
In fact I’ll go one further, and state for the record that I don’t know enough about Swedish law, and in particular Swedish sex crimes law, to even begin to speculate on the rights and wrongs, he said she saids, in this case.
No, my issue with John Band’s piece on this site the other day is not that I think Assange is a man and all men are rapists therefore Julian Assange must a rapist, or whatever other radical feminist straw-woman-thinking readers here might want to accuse me of.
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Since when did rape become funny?
contribution by Emma Poole
I watched a recorded episode of ‘Russell Howard’s Good News’ this week – I couldn’t even enjoy the funny bits. The show was fragmented by the host’s jokes about rape and paedophilia. I don’t find them funny. They make me feel sick. They give me nightmares.
This show is not alone, I can name many, ‘QI’, ‘Mock The Week’, ‘My Name Is Earl’, ‘Desperate Housewives’. Many films too now have jokes about rape, either male or female.
I am guessing there are many in the public who find this hilarious.
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She is free now, but the justice system still fails raped women
The woman sentenced to 8 months in jail after retracting her claim that her husband raped was released yesterday.
Lord Chief Justice criticised decisions to prosecute the woman but went on to call this an “extreme case”.
This is not an extreme case, however awful it may be. Women are consistently being portrayed as the guilty party in rape cases.
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If Cameron wants to protect children from sexualisation, what about Page 3?
contribution by Emily Davis
The Sun’s page 3 feature has now been going for 40 years, and some say is central to its success. However, the Conservative now say they want to halt the ‘sexualisation of children‘.
Would Cameron consider taking action or making a comment regarding the Sun’s ‘page 3′ soft porn then? It is of course widely consumed in public spaces where children are often exposed to it.
Or would he not want to confront the paper in this way?
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» Even Tories know Osborne’s tax changes won’t help lower paid
» New #Yes2AV Postcards site launched
» Growth down, borrowing up: Osborne blames “Wrong kind of inflation”
» Did Labour councils deliberately cut frontline services?
» International concern for Libya must be regarded with scepticism
» What place for the Church in the Big Society?
» Can the Lib Dems save the NHS?
» What are your private sector horror stories?
» Our international struggle
» Arguments against bombing Libya
» Why the coalition’s take on localism is unsustainable
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