Friday, October 19, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

Hidden Marks: how misogyny stains universities

Posted: 18 Oct 2012 06:30 AM PDT

National survey reveals the extent of violence against women at universities.

‘Hidden Marks’ was the first ever nationwide report into women students' experience of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault.

The report documented the findings of a survey, carried out in 2009 and 2010 by the National Union of Students, which explored the prevalence, and nature, of violence against women students.

It looked at how likely women students were to experience harassment and violence, the extent to which they reported these crimes and to whom, the profile of offenders, and the impact of such incidences on women students' health, relationships and education.

Both UK-domiciled and international students took part, and surveys were completed by 2,000 students studying in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A UK-wide study covering full-time and part-time students in both further and higher education, it provides a snapshot of the experiences of women students, and it is not cheerful reading.

For example, 1 in 7 survey respondents said they had experienced a serious physical or sexual assault during their time as a student.

Only 4 per cent of women students who have been seriously sexually assaulted have reported it to their institution.

Only 10 per cent of women students who have been seriously sexually assaulted have reported it to the police.

And of those who did not report serious sexual assault to the police, 50 per cent said it was because they felt ashamed or embarrassed, and 43 per cent because thought they would be blamed for what happened.

The Hidden Marks website was then set up as a response to these research findings.

It is, it says, for women students who have experienced (or who know someone who has experienced) rape and sexual assault, domestic violence/abuse from an intimate partner, physical violence (where the perpetrator is not an intimate partner), stalking, and/or sexual harassment.

The website offers help for women who need support or want to know their legal rights. It also looks at what can happen if you report an assault, as well as what to do if you are worried about a friend.

And it was launched even before this year's reports in The Guardian and The Independent newspapers of increasing misogyny at Fresher's Week events nationwide.

Sandra Horley, CEO of national domestic violence charity Refuge, said: "I am deeply saddened to hear that so many women students are experiencing violence and harassment during the course of their studies, and that so very few feel able to report the crimes against them.

"It is vital that universities create an environment where women feel confident to speak out against abuse.

"Women students need to know where they can seek help, and must feel sure that their reports will be taken seriously.

"Women have the right to enjoy university life, focus on their studies and plan for their futures, without fear of intimidation of violence."

To visit the Hidden Marks website click here.

Fathers to get one year paternity leave

Posted: 18 Oct 2012 04:00 AM PDT

Fathers will be able to take up to a year off work after the birth of their baby.

The government plans to introduce a new law next year to allow mothers who are the main breadwinner of a household to go back to work after 2 weeks, allowing the father to claim “flexible parental leave”, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

This move could potentially benefit up to 420,000 families every year.

“The increased flexibility will offer families real choices about managing work and caring responsibilities” said Maternity Action, a charity that gives advice to new parents and pregnant women.

Ceri Goddard, chief executive of the Fawcett Society described the changes as a “radical step” that would “challenge employers’ discrimination” against female workers.

Ministers outlined plans to give mothers 18 weeks paid leave after birth, with an additional 30 weeks to be shared between parents.

The scheme is not expected to be implemented until after the next general election, due to disagreements about the impact on UK businesses.

One Conservative minister commented, ""The last thing businesses, particularly small businesses, should be saddled with at the moment is yet another round of regulation and uncertainty.

"They should just be left to get on with building their companies and helping get the economy going".

It is thought that the scheme was blocked initially by Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and Oliver Letwin, the Cabinet Minister. However Theresa May, the Home Secretary and Nick Clegg were "keen to push ahead".

Vince Cable was initially sceptical about the plans, but is now supportive after his department claimed that the burden on business would be marginal .

A spokeswoman for Maternity Action commented, “We are mystified at claims that this is a burden on business. The proposals allow families to share existing entitlements. Many people are unaware that statutory maternity pay is reimbursed by government and the same arrangements apply to shared parental leave.”

The Women’s Library shows its treasures

Posted: 18 Oct 2012 12:50 AM PDT

The recently-saved Women’s Library shows its value in new exhibition.

Having recently overcome the threat of permanent closure, The Women's Library is opening a new exhibition this week telling the story of the struggle for women's rights in Britain.

‘The Long March to Equality: Treasures of the Women's Library’ brings together the rarest items in the Library’s unique collection of women's history for the first time. It is free to visit and opens this week.

The exhibition spans four hundred years, from the earliest texts questioning women's role in British society through to 21st century feminist activism.

The story of how women have campaigned for equal rights in Britain is told through a range of visual media selected to represent the most significant moments in British women’s history.

The Library’s collection includes over 60,000 books and pamphlets, over 3,500 periodicals and press cuttings, 500 personal and organisational archives and over 5,000 objects about women’s lives.

The Library has uploaded audio recordings of some of the Treasures of the collection.

These include an extract from Mary Astell's ‘A serious proposal to the ladies, for the advancement of their true and greatest interest,’ read by writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, and another from Isabella Beeton's ‘The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine’ read by novelist and fellow foodie Sophie Dahl.

The Library's collection, the oldest and most extensive of women's history in Europe, faced being dispersed after London Metropolitan University, which owns the collection and its purpose-built building, announced they would stop maintaining it.

The shocking news that London Metropolitan was selling the collection to save money following cuts in its budget was met with a wave of protest, from women's rights organisations and members of the public. The 'Save the Women's Library' campaign was immediately set up and its petition has since been signed by over 12,000 people.

The Library acknowledged these efforts when it was announced that its collection will be entrusted in its entirety to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). It said its staff had been ‘greatly encouraged by the support we have received from users and advocates of the Library.’

Following the move, the Library will again be open to the public from 2013.

However, the news that the collection will be moved from its purpose-built home to the fourth floor of LSE's library is not ideal. The ‘Save the Women's Library’ campaign warns that the move may restrict access to the collection. The Women's Library is one of a very small number of libraries with open shelves, allowing visitors to freely access material.

Local MP Rushanara Ali, who supports the campaign, pointed out that, in its current location, the Library ‘provides a crucial hub for local women, researchers and students, contributing to the East End’s vibrant intellectual and cultural life.’

For those who are unable to attend the exhibition in person, the Library has set up a blog that will run throughout the exhibition and beyond.