Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

Beyond the Arab uprisings: creating economic opportunities for women

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:00 PM PDT

Maria Andrews
Guest blogger

A joint conference by Women for Women International (WfWI) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) took place in June at the EBRD's headquarters in London.

The focus for the conference was on the economic opportunities for women following the Arab Spring uprisings and how partnerships with the private and NGO sector can create openings for women in North Africa.  

The conference brought together government officials, representatives of international financial institutions, experts in gender and equality issues, researchers and members of civil society. 

Participants discussed the impact of the Arab uprisings and creating a more enabling environment to enhance economic opportunities for women, along with the different factors that affect female employment in the private sector, such as labour legislation and employment policies.   

The conference opened with a presentation by Dr Naif Al-Mutawa, Founder and CEO of Teshkeel Media Group and Creator of “The 99.”  He had a trailblazing and pioneering idea to break down prejudices using comic book superheroes characters born of Islamic archetype and bring them together with other iconic comic book characters to communicate to audiences around the world.   

Conference panelists included Erik Berglof, EBRD's Chief of Economics, Rania Al-Mashat, Deputy Governor of the Egyptian central bank, and Manuela Ferro, Director for the MENA region in charge of the economic, poverty reduction and gender agenda at the World Bank. 

The sessions were expertly chaired by Roula Khalaf, Middle East Editor of the Financial Times, Hans-Peter Lankes, Managing Director of the Institutional Strategy and Executive Committee Management for the EBRD, and  Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Director of Policy and Development for Women for Women International. 

The afternoon keynote speech was made by the Founder of Women for Women International, Zainab Salbi, an Iraqi, activist and social entrepreneur who is changing the world one woman at time.  

Sharing the experience of WfWI in helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives through its market-tailored vocational training, she provided a practical insight in how women were setting up their own businesses, moving into formal employment and becoming economically self-sufficient. 

"At the EBRD we view gender as one of the factors that can impact upon people’s economic opportunity, but which should not,” said EBRD Chief Economist Erik Berglof.  ”In addition to fostering transition to market economies, through its work the EBRD contributes to the advancement of social reforms and creating equal economic opportunities among individuals.

“As the Bank expands its activities in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region, we will be capitalising on the lessons learned so far, while taking into account the specifics of the new region into which we are expanding.” 

Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Director for Policy and Development at Women for Women International, said: "Upheaval creates suffering and challenges, but also windows of opportunity for change, personally, socially and economically and through our work we seek to support women in difficult environments and help create positive change.

“We are here to identify the key challenges and solutions, opportunities and ideas to create greater equality between men and women and in access to money and opportunities globally.” 

Zainab Salbi, Founder of Women for Women International added: "The Arab Spring has been an awaking and brings to light the livelihoods of women. There is a direct correlation between the full engagement of women and economic growth of a country.  For growth and sustainability it is crucial this proportion of society is part of the economic process.

“Otherwise ignoring the ‘revolution’ will impact on the economic development and freedom of all society." 

To watch Zainab Salbi’s speech, listen to all the other talks and download the slides, please visit Women for Women’s website.   

About the author:  Maria Andrews is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Women for Women International.  You can contact her at mandrews@womenforwomen.org.

Make-up expert Lauren Luke supports domestic violence campaign

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 08:30 AM PDT

Emma Davis
WVoN co-editor 

Self-taught make-up guru, Lauren Luke, has teamed up with one of the UK’s leading domestic violence charities for a new digital campaign.

The Youtube star, whose cosmetic tutorial videos regularly reach millions of viewers, features in a clip showing her audience how to cover up cuts and bruises.

She apprears on screen with a black eye and split lip and explains to her followers “I’ve had a bit of a rough time”.

The clip, titled ‘How to look your best the morning after’ is cut short when a panicked looking Luke turns off the camera after she  hears somebody else nearby.

The staged video is part of Refuge’s ‘Don’t Cover It Up’ campaign, which aims to spread awareness of domestic violence as well as encouraging female victims to “break the silence, to realise they are not alone and to reach out and get help.”

The charity state that 65% of women who suffer domestic violence keep it hidden by covering up the physical marks of the violence, although this is just one way that women conceal the abuse.

Luke said she was surprised to learn how many women are abused. In an interview with Refuge she said:

“I was absolutely gobsmacked to read the statistics.

“Domestic violence is a huge issue and I really do not think it gets the exoposure that it needs.”

Our worst pictures come courtesy of our best friends says new survey

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 07:05 AM PDT

Rebecca Rogers
WVoN co-editor 

A new survey has revealed.that one in four women social media users purposely post unflattering photos of their friends on social networking websites.

The survey by photobook website, mymemory.com, asked 1,500 women over 18 about their photo posting habits and found that a quarter had posted unflattering photos of their friends in bikinis on Facebook.

Almost half (45%) also admitted to doing the same of a friend in an unflattering outfit.

Most of the women who posted said they did so after falling out with their friends, compared to a third who said they were taking revenge on those who had done the same to them.

Three-quarters of women said that they often 'de-tag' themselves from photos they don't like and two thirds surveyed said that they would be 'angry' at friends who uploaded the unflattering photos.

Rebecca Huggler, co-founder of MyMemory.com said:

"The etiquette of tagging friends in photographs on social networking sites is a tricky one to master, and with so many pitfalls, we wanted to look into women's relationships with the photographs they upload to the sites in question."

She added that: "To see that so many women deliberately commit 'photo sabotage' and upload unflattering pictures of friends is somewhat surprising, particularly when you consider how many said they'd be mad if the same was done to them."

The use of Facebook has been studied widely since its launch and overwhelming popularity growth. Some studies have had positive findings, including that viewing profiles can boost people's self esteem.

More than half of UK tradesmen think wolf whistling is chauvinistic

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT

Sarah Graham
WVoN co-editor

A recent survey in the UK has revealed that more than half of tradesmen think wolf whistling is sexist and chauvinistic.

The research found that 75 per cent of tradesmen now believe it is inappropriate to whistle at women who walk past building sites.

Of these, 56 per cent said they would not wolf whistle because it is "chauvinistic and sexist".

Almost one in five (19 per cent) however said they would avoid whistling only out of fear of being sued for sexual harassment.

Last year two builders in Hertfordshire were suspended after being accused of wolf whistling at a woman, setting a precedent for intolerance of harassment amongst construction industry employers.

The study, conducted by the Direct Line for Business, questioned British tradesmen – including roofers, plasters and construction workers – on their attitudes towards women.

Jazz Gakhal, head of Direct Line for Business, said: "The research reveals changing attitudes to acceptable behaviour in the workplace, with people labelling behaviour other generations might have tolerated as outdated and inappropriate.

"It appears the days of women being wolf whistled at as they pass building or construction sites are dying out. Attitudes regarding acceptable behaviour towards members of the opposite sex continue to evolve and it appears for many the wolf whistle represents a time long past."

Nevertheless, one quarter of the survey's respondents said they saw nothing wrong with wolf whistling, so the industry may still have some way to go in eliminating the practice.

Helen Mirren says the film industry needs more women

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:00 AM PDT

Mariam Zaidi
WVoN co-editor

The British actress Helen Mirren last week called for more female film directors in the industry.

Mirren was at the Karlov Vary International film festival in the Czech Republic where she was being honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

Speaking at the festival, Mirren said she hoped to see an equal number of female directors presenting their movies at the festival next year.

She also paid tribute to filmmaker Nora Ephron, who died last week, adding that Julie Taymor and Kathryn Bigelow had both helped raise the profile of female film directors.

Mirren joins Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep who has also publically spoken out against the lack of equal representation of women in the film industry at all levels and even the lack of movies about women.

But despite the lack of women currently behind the scenes in the film industry, it’s worth remembering that movies about and by women such as The Help, The Iron Lady, Bridesmaids, Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada have earned over $1.6 billion at the box office over the last few years.

The most famous recent member of the women director club, Angelina Jolie, directorial debut 20011's film 'In The Land of Blood and Honey' was nominated for best foreign language film at the 69 th Golden Globes.

Manchester police launch scheme to protect victims of domestic violence

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:30 AM PDT

Sarah Graham
WVoN co-editor

Police across Greater Manchester in England have launched a scheme which extends their powers to protect victims of domestic violence from their abusers.

The new Domestic Violence Protection Orders  (DVPO) allow police to bar violent partners from their homes, and to ban abusers from contacting their victims.

Detective Superintendent Phil Owen said: "Nationally two women a week die due to domestic abuse and our aim is to reduce the harm caused by domestic abuse and help victims regain control of their lives."

The DVPO scheme came into effect across Greater Manchester on Monday after being piloted over the last 12 months in conjunction with Wiltshire and West Mercia police forces.

During this one-year period more than 180 of the orders were issued in north and south Manchester, Oldham, Salford and Bolton.

Prior to the introduction of the DVPOs only abusers arrested and charged with an offence could be forced to leave their home.

Police are now able to act against anyone they believe to be a risk, enabling them greater power to intervene quickly when they are concerned about violent behaviour.

Those issued with a DVPO can be banned from their home for up to 28 days, allowing victims more time, space and support to seek safety from within their own home, rather than being forced to flee to a refuge.

Victims considering their options will be offered support from case workers, and abusers may also choose to attend a voluntary offenders' programme.

Sarah Summers, whose sister Katie was murdered by her boyfriend, told This Is Lancashire why she welcomed the scheme:

"One of the problems is as soon as police leave an address the offenders come back.

"The police need to be able to give victims more time to realise that they can cope on their own and get the help and support needed."

Det. Supt. Owen added: "Everyone has a right to feel safe in their homes and have a future without fear."

A court hearing will decide the duration of each DVPO (between 14 and 28 days) no more than two days after the order is issued. Breaching the order will be punishable by a prison sentence of up to six weeks.

The Domestic Violence Protection Orders will now be trialled across the rest of the country for 12 months.

Those affected by domestic violence in the Greater Manchester area can contact the Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0161 636 7525.

Elsewhere in the UK, contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline, open 24 hours a day, on 0808 2000 247.

EU ban on gender-based insurance and pension rates raises questions

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:20 AM PDT

Laura Bridgestock
WVoN co-editor

If a European court ruling banning insurance and pensions providers from basing rates on gender is fully enforced, women in countries like the UK can expect to see their insurance rates go up – but should hopefully benefit from higher pension annuities.

At present, women tend to be charged lower rates for products such as car insurance, as they are seen as lower risk. But they also tend to receive lower pension annuities, as they have a longer average life expectancy.

Last year however, the European Court of Justice ruled that insurers could no longer charge different premiums based on customers' gender.

Pensions expert Tom McPhail has predicted that pension annuities will equalise at a level higher than the current average for women, but "significantly lower" than the current average for men.

There is also some question as to whether additional legislation will be introduced to extend the ruling to occupational pensions schemes.

These are not currently covered, which has led to speculation that some insurers may continue to target the male pensions market, by focusing on male-dominated sectors of work.