Women's Views on News |
- Film festival to celebrate Arab women
- Making cities safer for women
- Sports round-up: 18-24 February
- Structural problems in UK architecture
| Film festival to celebrate Arab women Posted: 25 Feb 2013 08:34 AM PST
The 2013 Bird’s Eye View film festival, an annual event celebrating women filmmakers, opens in London next month, and this year features the work of women from across the Arab world. There will be an International Women's Day gala screening of ‘Wadija’, Saudi Arabia's first feature film, from breakthrough female director Haifaa Al Mansour, which tells the story of a rebellious schoolgirl who wants a bicycle, and when her parents refuse, determines to raise the money herself. Wadjda won multiple awards at the Venice Film Festival for its inspiring, sharply humorous and gently subversive look at a life in modern-day Riyadh. On 3 April the main film festival, Celebrating Arab Women Filmmakers, will have an Opening Night Gala featuring ‘When I Saw You’ from Palestine’s first female feature director, Annemarie Jacir, following a free-spirited young boy escaping from a refugee camp in Jordan in 1967. Other features include ‘Coming Forth by Day’, which follows an unmarried woman dutifully caring for her sick father as she tries to escape to a life of her own, and ‘On the Edge’, which depicts two young women as they plunge into the underside of Moroccan life. The festival will also feature documentaries such as ‘In the Shadow of a Man’ exploring recent events in Egypt from a woman's perspective and ‘A Tale of Two Syrias’, which looks at the country's mounting unrest from two very different perspectives. There will also be a series of short films and special events like Sound and Silents, where modern composers perform their own scores to silent movies, and Fashion Loves Film, this year exploring Middle Eastern fashion past and present. Birds Eye View founder-director Rachel Millward said: 'I'm thrilled that in 2013 Birds Eye View will celebrate the work of Arab women filmmakers. “Now, when Arab women are dominating the headlines at the world’s most established film festivals, is the perfect time to shine a light on this increasingly important and diverse range of cinematic voices.' Bird's Eye View 2013 takes place on International Women’s Week, 7 and 8 March 2013, at the Southbank Centre and BFI Southbank. The main film festival, Celebrating Arab Women Filmmakers, runs from 3-10 April 2013 at the BFI Southbank, the Barbican, the ICA and at Hackney Picturehouse. Tickets are on sale now.  |
| Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:35 AM PST
Dublin has become the western first city to join the UN Safe Cities Initiative, a scheme aimed at combating violence and harassment against women and young girls. It was originally launched in 2011 by UN Women, UNICEF and UN HABITAT. When a city joins the initiative, local authorities and organisations on the ground work with the three UN bodies to develop and implement measures to make urban spaces safe for women and girls. An initial examination and scoping study of the city is carried out and followed by policies which are specifically targeted towards localised problems. In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, for example, a heavy focus was placed on market places, as these had been qualified the most unsafe public spaces for women. In Rio de Janeiro, women are mapping safety risks in the favelas, the slums, 'such as faulty infrastructure or services, obscured walking routes, and lack of lighting', which are then reported to the local authorities. The idea is that the pooling of resources – the expertise and experience of the UN and those of the local bodies – and the collaboration will yield effective policies and implementation. Taking part in this global initiative also allows for the exchange of best practices and lessons learned across countries. Dublin's decision to join the initiative was announced by Lord Mayor Naoise Ó Muirí at the World Forum of Cities Against Poverty. He said: 'We are adapting this Safe Cities Global Initiative not because Dublin is a particularly unsafe city, but because we want to be proactive, not complacent.' Although Dublin will be the first western city to adopt this scheme, violence and harassment against women in cities is hardly a problem limited to developing countries. According to a recent YouGov survey, 43 per cent of young women aged 18-34 in London had experienced sexual harassment. Is there any chance then, that London – or any other UK cities – will follow in Dublin's footsteps? Mayor Boris Johnson had made it a key electoral pledge in his first mayoral campaign to 'eradicate' violence against women and girls. Making London safe for women is also one of the priorities for the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime. Yet so far, no other western city has hinted they will be joining the Safe City initiative. The idea of applying an international approach at the local level is not new, as activists have been increasingly galvanising across borders. The hollaback initiative, which works to 'end street harassment powered by a network of local activists around the world', is active in 62 cities around the world. Hollaback encourages women to share, map and document instances of street harassment. It has created a space where women can swap stories and support each other, and know they are not alone in their experience of street harassment. Recently, thousands of women throughout the world took the streets on Valentine's Day in a global protest, calling for an end to violence against women. This event, One Billion Rising, was a call for women to 'strike, rise and dance' in a moment of solidarity. The advantage of an international approach is that it builds a network of solidarity for women across the globe – to realise we are not alone in our fight and not alone in our cry – our very loud shout – that ‘enough is enough’.  |
| Sports round-up: 18-24 February Posted: 25 Feb 2013 03:00 AM PST
Cycling: Great Britain's women were once again the stars of the show at the track World Championships in Minsk, Belarus. Laura Trott, Dani King and Elinor Barker took gold in the women's team pursuit, beating Australia in the final. Barker is still studying for her A-levels and took the place of Jo Rowsell, who did not compete in the Championships. Barker was obviously delighted. In an interview with the BBC, she said, “I feel really overwhelmed. I thought I was just riding round the Manchester Velodrome in a training ride and then we won. I just feel shocked. It is above and beyond what I’ve dreamed of.” It is the last time the team pursuit will be a team of three over a distance of three kilometres. From now on, the women’s event will mirror the men’s, with four team members riding over four kilometres. Rowsell will rejoin the team to round out Great Britain’s four. Laura Trott won silver in the omnium on 24 February. The double Olympic champion left herself too much to do in the final event, and finished behind American Sarah Hammer in the overall standings. But the title "queen of the track" must go to Becky James, who notched up two golds and two bronzes in an incredible competition. She started with two third places early on in the week in the team sprint and 500m time trial. From then on she was unbeatable, taking gold in the women's sprint, beating Kristina Vogel of Germany 2-1 on 23 February before a spectacular win in the keirin on Sunday. After her first victory she told the BBC, “It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe this has just happened to me. I’m world champion and I can’t believe it!” Rugby Union: This weekend saw another exciting round of encounters in the Women's Six Nations. England suffered a shock defeat at the hands of France, the first time they had been beaten by Les Bleus since 2005. The game took place at Twickenham on February 23 after the men's game. The extreme cold made handling difficult and the game was strewn with errors. England seemed nervous in the first half and trailed 18-10 at half time. The coach brought on Katy McLean for the second half, and although she definitely made a difference, they eventually went down 30-20. It was the first time that England had ever lost at Twickenham, a run that had stretched for ten matches. England cannot now retain their Six Nations title. Better news for the Irish, though, as they beat Scotland 30-3 at Lasswade on February 23 to claim their first ever Triple Crown. The win means that they are now sure of a place at the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2014. On Sunday, Wales won a thrilling match against Italy 16-15 in Benevento. It was Wales' first win of the 2013 Championship. The game wasn't settled until the 78th minute when Laura Prosser scored her second penalty to make the score 16-12. Even then Italy came back with a penalty of their own, but Wales held on to take all the points and keep their hopes of making the 2014 Rugby World Cup alive. Curling: Perth retained its Scottish women's curling title this week, with kip Eve Muirhead, second Vicki Adams and third Anna Sloan beating Lockerbie 8-4. This was Muirhead's fourth national title triumph. She will next lead Scotland at the World Women’s Championship in Latvia in March. Wheelchair curling: Scotland's wheelchair curling team will be competing in Sochi next week in the sport's World Championship. The event is being held at the same venue as the 2014 Winter Paralympics. Wheelchair curling teams are mixed, and the Scottish team comprises Skip Aileen Neilson, Tom Killin, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson and Gill Keith. “We’ve been working hard on and off the ice, and to go to Sochi and play against the other nations who we will face again next year is a great opportunity for us and fantastic preparation,” Neilson told the BBC. In 2010 Neilson was the first woman to skip at a World Championships or OIympics when she headed the GB team at the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver. “I’m sure there are females who could aspire to that skip role and I’m sure it will happen,” she said. Hockey: Two of Great Britain's outstanding hockey players of recent years have announced their retirement. Christa Cullen and Beth Storry have both announced they are to leave the international arena. Cullen, 27, made 171 appearances for her country and became known for scoring from penalty corners. She is leaving Britain to take up a job in Kenya. Goalkeeper Beth Storry, 34, made 115 appearances and featured at two Olympic Games. She has long been considered one of the best keepers in the game. Judo: Gemma Gibbons won her first British Championships title in Sheffield this week. After claiming Olympic silver in London in 2012, Gibbons was unsurprisingly seeded first. She won all of her fights in the under 78kg class, including the last against Caroline Kinnane. Gibbons was delighted with the result, "I've never been senior British champion before, so it was great to come away with that title." A surprise bronze went to 22 year-old Laura Dangerfield. “I was a bit star-struck when I faced Gemma, but I can forgive myself that!” she said. After six years out of the sport, Dangerfield only took up judo again in April last year, amassing enough ranking points to gain entry into the British Championsips. Her bronze medal moves her from tenth to fifth in the national rankings. In other categories there were wins for 17 year old Jodie Myers in the senior over 78kg class, following hard on the heels of her 2013 Junior Championship victory. The senior under 48kg title went to Kimberley Renicks, with Louise Renicks taking the under 52kg category. The senior under 57kg competition was won by Sophie Cox, but she was pushed all the way. Four-time European medallist Cox said: "I came here today because I wanted to test myself and I certainly got that." The senior under 63kg title went to Faith Pitman, and the under 70kg to Megan Fletcher. Tennis: Heather Watson suffered a surprise quarter-final defeat in the US Indoor Championship to Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland. The Briton played poorly, succumbing 6-1 6-2 to Voegele, who is ranked 48 places below Watson in the rankings.  |
| Structural problems in UK architecture Posted: 25 Feb 2013 01:10 AM PST
A recent survey by the Architect's Journal (AJ) found that ‘thirty per cent of female students have been bullied,’ ‘nearly two-thirds of respondents have suffered sexual discrimination in their career,’ and that ‘almost half of women were paid less than their male equivalents for the same job.’ And Dame Zaha Hadid, who was described as ‘one of the most gifted practitioners of the art of architecture today’ when she won the 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize, said in an interview with the Guardian that ‘when I taught, all my best students were women. Then they drift off’. The numbers of practicing professionals show that drift. Only 6,911, or 21 per cent, of the 33,456 people registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) are women. Yet there are relatively equal numbers of male and female architecture students. Yasmin Shariff, director of Dennis Sharp Architects and an elected member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) council and the Architectural Association (AA) council, said, in an article for the Architect's Journal, that ‘As a western nation with strong equal opportunities legislation, and the sixth richest economy in the world, 21 per cent in the 21st century is a disgrace.’ Concerns have been raised about the design of Britain's towns and cities, citing the ‘limited "gene pool"’ within the industry. And Hadid said in the Guardian interview, ‘I am sure that as a woman I can do a very good skyscraper. I don’t think it is only for men.’ But what is only for men is appropriate pay. An article in The Evening Standard recently pointed out that ‘only 37 per cent of full-time women directors in architecture earn between £61,000 and £99,000, compared with 63 per cent of their male counterparts.’ And 47 per cent of the AJ's female survey respondents said that they believed they would earn more if they were male. Shariff pointed out that by the time she had paid the childminder and the rail fare, she ‘was in deficit’. And despite evidence that ‘talented women can make it to the top’ with achievements that include two consecutive women presidents of RIBA, Ruth Reed and Angela Brady, and Hadid winning what is considered the Nobel prize of architecture, the Pritzker Prize in 2004, Shariff says ‘these exceptions mask a sinister and rotten kernel of inequality and discrimination.’ Unfortunately, that discrimination is housed by the very institutions that should be working to eradicate it. In her article, Shariff points out that the ARB has not completed a review or survey of women in architecture for more than eight years and that its 2005 report, Women in Architecture, corroborated the findings of RIBA's 2003 review, Why Do Women Leave Architecture. In the AJ survey, ’82 per cent said that the RIBA should be doing more to tackle the gender imbalance and improve the retention of women within the industry’. Last year's Emerging Woman Architect of the Year, Hannah Lawson, said, ‘I recall many meetings where every question was directed to my male colleagues, despite my being the most senior member of the team.’ And she was invited to an awards ceremony because ‘it will look good to have some skirt at the table’. With industries that work closely with architecture, such as development and building, also predominantly male, women architects have additional layers of sexism to deal with. Sixty-one per cent of the AJ's survey respondents believe that the building industry has not yet accepted the authority of female architects. Hadid warns against blaming men, saying it is a broader, societal problem that encompasses working patterns, pay and childcare – the struggles many women have in many industries. ‘Society has not been set up in a way that allows women to go back to work after taking time off. ‘Many women now have to work as well as do everything at home and no one can do everything. ‘Society needs to find a way of relieving women.’  |
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