Women's Views on News

“Sexist trousers” affair sparks question, is feminism being watered down?
Frozen in time: gender pay gap remains unchanged for ten years
Amnesty launches campaign for Saudi women’s right to drive
British PM says he will tackle violence against women
Womankind launches online march for female empowerment
Women of the World Festival – a celebration of women’s achievements
Story links, March 9, 2012

“Sexist trousers” affair sparks question, is feminism being watered down?

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PST

Photo: Emma Barnett

Alexandra Szydlowska
WVoN Co-Editor

When journalist Emma Barnett was tidying her house last weekend, she spotted her boyfriend’s trousers strewn across the floor. Nothing unusual there.

However, on picking them up, she noticed something strange about the large white label sewn inside.

In big capital letters, following the usual instructions to machine wash warm, using only non-chlorine bleach, etc., was the following suggestion: “OR GIVE THEM TO YOUR WOMAN - ITS HER JOB.”

Predictably shocked, the Daily Telegraph’s Digital Media Editor swiftly tweeted the incident and contacted the clothing brand Madhouse with her complaint.

She also wrote a comment piece for the Telegraph in which she admitted:

“…Normally I am the type of person who can stomach, and often smile along, with a touch of what has just become known as casual sexist 'banter'… However, this crass message stitched onto the label in these cheap chinos from Madhouse, genuinely took me aback.”

Immediately, last year’s furor over Topman’s sexist t-shirts springs to mind, see WVoN story, for which the company apologised, claiming the logos as ‘light hearted’ humour which ‘carried no serious meaning’.

In Madhouse’s case, the message put across is considerably more weighty than Topman’s poor attempt at humour. It’s a concealed jibe made at womens’ expense – and thus seems so much crueller for it.

And yet in this video showing five CNN commentators’ reactions to the story, the issue of whether Madhouse’s self-confessed ‘mistake’ was pointedly sexist or not is glossed over completely.

Instead, the commentators banter for about three minutes about whether or not men are fit to do their own laundry, skirting the issue of sexism completely.

Which leads me to wonder, is feminism in danger of being watered down?

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, where news publications, feminist organisations et al shared rousing stories and celebrated the progress that feminism has brought to the lives of women across the globe.

Yet one article written by Laurie Pennie in the Independent caught my eye.

It bemoaned the lack of urgency and passion behind IWD today, described by Pennie as ‘more about jazzy corporate lunches, poetry competitions and praising our valued sponsors’ than action.

She describes recently attending the UN Commission on the Status of Women, where ‘in a session on body image and the media, delegates applauded politely as a promotional anti-airbrushing video by Dove cosmetics was shown’.

Pennie makes the point that for many women, liberation has meant settling for a bland form of neo-liberalism, which has given them a false sense of security while putting them at a disadvantage.

“Instead of equality at work and in the home, we settled for “choice”, “flexibility” and an exciting array of badly paid part-time work to fit around childcare and chores.

“Instead of sexual liberation and reproductive freedom, we settled for mitigated rights to abortion and contraception that are constantly under attack, and a deeply misogynist culture that shames us if we’re not sexually attractive, dismisses us if we are, and blames us if we are raped or assaulted, as one in five of us will be in our lifetime,” she wrote.

So, given that feminists have been pawned off for the last half century, perhaps its not surprising that Emma Barnett was deluged with responses telling her to not get her knickers in a twist about a pair of trousers.

Or more accurately, to ‘lighten up and take a joke’ and to ‘get a life’ in the face of a bit of ‘male banter’.

This suggests a need for the public to be reminded that feminists aren’t caricatures to be laughed at, but women with real difficulties and real demands – and who are prepared to do something about them.

Speaking out against tasteless, sexist ‘banter’ is a good start.

As Barnett wrote: “We really are in a bad place as a society when laughing something off has become virtually the only response to anything vaguely anti-female, or anti-male for that matter.”

And Madhouse’s response? They were ‘unaware’ that the trousers had gone into distribution with the logo intact.

But whether they consider the logo as tasteless or not is apparently not worth us knowing about.

Frozen in time: gender pay gap remains unchanged for ten years

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PST

Faye Mooney
WVoN co-editor

A new report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has revealed that women worldwide are paid on average 18 per cent less than their male counterparts.

It also found that the largest pay gap between men and women is in Asia, where the average wage difference has remained the same for over a decade.

The highest number of ’unexplained gender pay gaps’ which can be directly attributed to discriminatory practices were found in Chile, South Africa and Argentina.

Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC said: "For the last decade we have seen women’s wages hitting a road block. The pay gap remains frozen in time almost everywhere.

“Part of the problem is that many workers are not paid a decent minimum wage.”

The study, entitled “Frozen in time: Gender pay gap unchanged for 10 years“, also found that a so-called ‘child penalty,’ which particularly affects women aged 30 – 39, contributes to keeping women’s wages low.

Male dominated sectors such as construction have the smallest gender pay gaps due to the relatively low numbers of women in those industries. Those who work in them tend to be better educated.

Domestic workers are shown to have the lowest levels of earning and the largest gender pay gaps.

The study is the third of its kind produced by the ITUC, and is more far-reaching than ever before. It was put together using information from 43 countries – double the number in the previous report.

Amnesty launches campaign for Saudi women’s right to drive

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

Faye Mooney
WVoN co-editor

Amnesty International has launched a new campaign in support of the right of women in Saudi Arabia to drive.

The campaign calls on the Saudi authorities to stop arresting women for driving, to halt all prosecutions against women for driving and to quash any sentences in relation to the offence, including floggings.

It aims to support and promote Saudi Women's Driving Campaign, which has seen Saudi Arabian women bravely defying the law and taking to the wheel in protest.

Amnesty supporters in the UK are targeting Saudi Arabia's ambassador in London, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf. They are calling on him to press the Saudi King to ‘heed demands of Saudi women to drive as a first step towards guaranteeing their basic rights and ending the discrimination against them’.

Activists around the world are using a photo-sharing site to spread images and messages of solidarity to Saudi women who have risked a great deal in their attempts to overturn the ban on women driving.

A new video which accompanies the campaign entitled "Saudi Arabian women must drive their way to freedom" shows the punishments faced by women who defy the country's female driving ban.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said: "The ban on driving is just one example of pervasive discrimination that women in Saudi Arabia have to face.

"It's utterly shocking that a woman in Saudi Arabia could be given a sentence of flogging simply for getting behind the wheel of a car. It's time for this to end and for the Saudi authorities to respond to international outrage on this issue."

British PM says he will tackle violence against women

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PST

Rachel Ogbu
WVoN co-editor

To mark International Women's Day British Prime Minister David Cameron declared war on violence against women in the United Kingdom and abroad.

In a blog published on the Huffington Post yesterday, Cameron said it was “despicable that in the 21st century so many medieval practices and attitudes remain”.

‘It is appalling that time and again, this is shoved under the carpet. People turn a blind eye and a culture of shame and secrecy is perpetuated.

"That’s why ending violence against women and girls is a priority for this government.

“We are challenging the behind-closed-doors mentality and shining a light under the rocks to root out violence and intimidation where it’s happening – at home and abroad," he added.

He referred to the recently announced pilot of ’Clare’s Law’ to help victims, or potential victims, of domestic violence by allowing women access to information about previous offending by their partner.

The prime minister announced another major step – making stalking a criminal offence in its own right.

"Stalking is an abhorrent crime. It makes life a living hell for the victims."

Home Secretary Theresa May said that police would be given new powers of entry to investigate stalking offences.

Cameron also announced he would be signing up to the Council of Europe convention on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, which also encompasses sexual harassment.

One of the clauses states that it will outlaw ‘unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’.

The government says it is also committed to tackling offences such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation and forced abortions abroad, through targeted aid programmes.

Cameron finished the piece on the Huffington Post by saying: "International Women’s Day is vital as it forces people across the planet to focus on issues like this.

“But we have got to make sure that action to stamp out violence against women continues every day – and that’s what this government is determined to do."

Womankind launches online march for female empowerment

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 05:30 AM PST

Ellie Watmuff
WVoN co-editor

To mark the period covering International Women´s Day (on March 8), feminist charity Womankind is hosting a month-long virtual march around the globe.

The idea is to promote the message that the women's movement is a powerful, global force for change.

It is asking supporters to show their solidarity towards women and partner groups working in Africa, Asia and Latin America by signing up online.

It is documenting the progress of the march using an interactive world map, which also includes a counter monitoring the scale of participation.

Pins on the map register global projects supported by Womankind, including Stopping Violence, Speaking Up, Protecting Health, Gaining Independence and Creating Change.

It also features stories about women who have been empowered and facts concerning women’s rights in different countries, in recognition of the challenges women face in overcoming gender inequality all over the world.

Womankind's Director, Shuna Kennedy said:

"This International Women's Day we want to celebrate the inspiring work of our partners around the world, and add as many voices as possible to let them know they are not alone.

“Our support helps to give courage and hope to the women and men in Zimbabwe arguing for women's political representation, to those campaigning to end discrimination against widows in Nepal or giving legal assistance to women survivors of violence in Afghanistan.

“When we act together the movement for women's rights is a global, powerful force for change."

To join the march people just have to sign up by giving their name and email address. And each time someone does, the line moves 10 miles across the globe. The charity hopes to register 2,500 people in order to cover the world.

Womankind cooperates with a number of different organizations around the world who work to promote female empowerment and women’s rights through community projects.

Last week five women from partner groups in Peru (DEMUS, FEPROMU and Movimiento El Pozo) visited the UK to increase understanding about their work around securing women's rights and gender equality.

Amongst the delegates was Betty, an 18-year old community health promoter who has been volunteering for the past five years for FEPROMU to raise awareness of HIV and STIs.

There was also Luzmila, a powerful grassroots community leader involved in the project with DEMUS who has been campaigning against violence against women for over 30 years.

Whatever the language spoken, the voices agreed on the universality of violence against women.

"…Violence against women, in any stage of life, is similar in many countries.

"We also noticed similarities around the lack of understanding from governments around the multiple forms of violence affecting women, and the tendency to address only some of these forms, often leaving out the mental health needs of women victims of violence.

“Unfortunately we also felt that due to the economic crisis governments across the world are responding by cutting the resources for women's needs."

Find out more about the march here and remember to sign up.

Women of the World Festival – a celebration of women’s achievements

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 03:09 AM PST

Aisling Marks
WVoN co-editor

This weekend the Southbank Centre in London will host an exciting programme of events, regognising women's cultural triumphs.

The Women of the World Festival was launched by English theatre director, Jude Kelly, in 2011, and celebrates the diversity of initiative and success in women's history that is frequently overlooked in a male-dominated society.

With over 90 events in three days, the festival includes a range of innovative and interactive activities, speakers, debates and performances that encourage and promote a culturally active and intellectual female community.

Highlights include debates on contemporary beauty such as 'The Cosmo Debate: 'I am a feminist – can I vajazzle?'' on Saturday to the politically contentious 'Ironing it out: Margaret Thatcher – Feminist icon?' on Sunday.

Among the participants is feminist pop icon Annie Lennox, who will host a night of musical talent to raise awareness of gender inequality, as well as celebrating the successes of the women's movement so far.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Lennox commented, 'I want people to understand me as a person with views, not just performing songs.'

This encapsulates the festival's ethos of justice, equality and representation.

Kelly told The Independent: ‘the conversation about equality between the sexes is one that still needs to be had vigorously and positively, and it’s why I set up the Women of the World festival – to acknowledge that women are doing extraordinary things, and to look at how to release even more of that potential.'

Tickets can be bought from the Southbank Centre.

Story links, March 9, 2012

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 02:30 AM PST

Every day we'll post up a number of story links that we think are interesting.