Thursday, October 4, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

US-Pakistan women’s council launched

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has launched a new US-Pakistan women’s council.

Hillary Clinton announced last week the US State Department’s decision to launch a new women’s council in Pakistan.

The women’s council is set to encourage and support the economic growth and status of women across the country in collaboration with the Organisation of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America.

In a press release, the US State Department announced that American University in Washington will co-fund the council.

"The council will connect US and Pakistani corporations, foundations, universities, and individual donors with programs in Pakistan that support economic opportunities for women – such as training in financial management, product development, market access, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

The council will not be a grant-giving organisation, but rather will broker connections for collaboration to support such economic opportunities for women," said the State Department.

The council is made up of advisors and officials from both sides of the continent, including Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman.

The purpose of the council is to provide Pakistani women with direct support and advice from already well established entrepreneurs from a Pakistani background.

Women in Pakistan have long been struggling for equal opportunities within a strict patriarchal society. Clinton, a strong advocate of women’s rights across the world, is hopeful that the council will bring new opportunities of prosperity to women in Pakistan.

Women’s World T20: Coverage? Money?

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:00 AM PDT

The World Twenty20 cricket is under way in Sri Lanka, the women's competition alongside the men's.

At the risk of jinxing them completely, England's women have a great chance of winning it – unlike the men.  And yet, have you seen any coverage of it?

Every men's game is covered on BBC Radio 5Live Sports Xtra.  The women's tournament will not be covered until the semi finals on Thursday and Friday.

There is hardly any coverage in the newspapers, even in the broadsheets, while the men's has garnered many column inches every day.

England has the best batter in the world in Sarah Taylor, a captain newly appointed to the MCC World Cricket Committee in Charlotte Edwards, and one of the most explosive bowlers in the game in Katherine Brunt, and yet there is neither terrestrial nor satellite television coverage.

Unfortunately, it's a situation to which both women cricketers and fans have become accustomed.

However, there are other, more disturbing inequalities between the two tournaments.

This week, Charlotte Edwards uttered the immortal line: "It’s not about the money for us. If we played for money we would be playing different sports."

It's just as well, as the prize money for this tournament totals just on 60 thousand US dollars, whereas the men are playing for a cool one million.

There can be no doubt that the women's game is not such a draw, but if it is not marketed in the same way, how are potential viewers supposed to make up their own minds?

If there is no access to media coverage, how will the situation ever improve?

The sad fact is that the women's tournament is clearly not valued by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as much as the men's and the organisation's sexism, will, if not checked, ultimately cause women's cricket as a whole to dwindle.

These days when exercise and sport, especially for women, are supposed to be being promoted, these decisions do nothing to encourage the development of a robust women's game.

And if the prize money disparity wasn't enough, a possibly more disturbing revelation has been that the men's subsistence pay is 100 dollars a day while the women's is just 60 dollars.

While the ICC could try to make all kinds of justifications as to the prize money difference, I can't possibly see what they could say to justify the pay situation.

An ICC spokeswoman has said: ”We are working towards equal everything.  We are aiming to have three viable formats in men’s and women’s cricket and to promote the women’s game so it receives the same exposure, the same opportunities and the same prize money."

Notably, no time scales were mentioned.

These women are dedicated, talented athletes.  They deserve more.

In England, women's cricket is relatively well-regarded and supported by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

And yet these women still play in relative obscurity.

The controversies surrounding this tournament have undoubtedly highlighted the women's game, but in a way neither the players nor the governing bodies wanted.

I certainly can't wait for the day we can concentrate on what takes place on the field, not off it.

On Women for Women International

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:10 AM PDT

In My Opinion: guest blogger Brita Fernandez Schmidt.

I am honoured and excited to take up my new role as the Executive Director for Women for Women International UK.

Having met women and their families in countries affected by conflict, I am deeply committed to do what I can to create peace and sustainable development.

Women for Women International is an impressive organisation, which has at its heart a comprehensive programme supported by a special one-to-one connection which is sponsorship.

When I first started sponsoring four years ago, my first sister was from Bosnia. She happened to be of similar age to me and also the mother of two children.

I was lucky in that she was able to write to me and we exchanged a few letters throughout the year of my sponsorship.

I remember getting a letter from her where she told me what it meant to her to know that I cared enough, even though I did not know her, to support her financially, enable her to learn new skills and write to her.

She also told me that she had used some of her monthly stipend to buy tulip seeds and that she was going to plant them in her garden so that she would always remember me.

There are so many things that went through my mind in that moment.

One was that my support gave my sister the strength and courage to believe in herself and allow herself to embrace this new opportunity and develop her skills and a new life for herself and her family.

So my money had helped her, but the connection with me had possibly helped her even more – so I had been able to contribute directly to creating change and hope.

Another thought that went through my mind was what a privilege it is to reach out and support someone else and share that journey and how much you actually get back.

No wonder that one of the 7 ways of achieving happiness is to give.

So today I want to invite you to reach out to another woman in one of the countries where Women for Women International operates and support her – it will transform her life and yours!

Join me…

Women for Women International work with women survivors of war, to help them rebuild their lives.

To learn more about sponsoring a woman through Women for Women International UK, visit our website.

Click on the post to leave a comment.

Women over 50 hit hardest by government spending cuts

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:53 AM PDT

Older women are being hit hardest by the government's austerity measures, according to research carried out by the Labour Party.

Women as a whole have suffered most from government spending cuts, but unemployment among women over 50 in particular has risen by a staggering 31% since the coalition government came to power.

Cuts to local authority budgets and the pressure to deal with the increasing life expectancy of their parents is said to be to blame for this rise.

In an interview with the Guardian Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said the generation of women who fought for equal pay, improvements in childcare and maternity leave were caught having to care for elderly family members whilst at the same time suffering from outdated workplace practices.

She stated that, "a toxic combination of sexism is causing problems for this generation".

Cooper said the Labour Party will announce the launch of a new social care information service for older women ‘who don't know where to go for help’.

“They may have a mum in Bolton who increasingly needs help and support and they may live somewhere else and have no idea what to do. Whether it’s the council, a voluntary organisation or just a neighbour, this information service will help" she claimed.

David Cameron has been criticised for disregarding women's issues in government policies, and in the latest government reshuffle he failed to increase the representation of female MPs in the Cabinet above the previous five.