Women's Views on News |
- MEPs to vote on porn ban
- Gender pay gap begins on graduation
- Students ask bar to remove vile wallpaper
| Posted: 12 Mar 2013 08:00 AM PDT
On 12 March the 754 MEPs will vote on a “ban on all forms of pornography” in a bid to “eliminate gender stereotypes” that degrade women. The proposal was prepared by the EU’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. It “calls on the EU and its member states to take concrete action on discrimination against women in advertising…” and Article 17 calls for “a ban on all forms of pornography in the media” . The MEP’s will be voting on whether to endorse the conclusions of the report on eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU. It proposes “a charter to which all internet operators will be invited to adhere” as part of the framework for achieving that goal. Kartika Liotard, a Dutch MEP, drafted the report. She is seeking “statutory measures to prevent any form of pornography in the media and in advertising and for a ban on advertising for pornographic products and sex tourism”. She also aims is to improve awareness of gender equality in the European Union - and the report contains a number of proposals for improving gender equality within EU members states. The MEPs are also looking at creating state regulators with “a mandate to impose effective sanctions on companies and individuals promoting the sexualisation of girls”. Iceland is already debating blocking online pornography, justifying the step by voicing fears about the damaging effects of pornography on children and women. According to reports, Iceland is considering introducing internet filters, blocked addresses and making it a crime to use Icelandic credit cards to access pay-per-view pornography, in order to stop people downloading or viewing pornography on the internet. The EU’s porn ban proposal has not come without opposition from civil rights groups and social bloggers. The vague wording that has worried some, as the word “media” is undefined. And MEP Christian Engström, deputy leader of the Swedish Pirate Party, fears that the ruling would also see naked pictures that people send each other being considered as pornography, as well as pictures included in private communications sent via email or social networks. It is, he reckons, “an attempt to circumvent the article on information freedom in the European Convention of Human Rights”. And Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge described it as “a hair-raising attack on freedom of speech and freedom of expression”. But Halla Gunnarsdóttir, adviser to Iceland's interior minister said recently: “We are a progressive, liberal society when it comes to nudity, to sexual relations, so our approach is not anti-sex but anti-violence. “This is about children and gender equality, not about limiting free speech. “”Research shows that the average age of children who see online porn is 11 in Iceland and we are concerned about that and about the increasingly violent nature of what they are exposed to. “This is concern coming to us from professionals since mainstream porn has become very brutal,” she said. And Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir, a gender specialist at Iceland University, said: “This [Iceland's] initiative is about narrowing the definition of porn so it does not include all sexually explicit material but rather material that can be described as portraying sexual activity in a violent or hateful way. At this phase the EU vote on the report is not a legislative measure, although it does point to the direction future legislation could take, and the votes will indicate how that can be expected to go.  |
| Gender pay gap begins on graduation Posted: 12 Mar 2013 05:20 AM PDT
A study has revealed that there is still a significant gender pay gap between male and female recent graduates in the UK. Dispelling the myth that the gender pay gap only arises later in women's careers due to having children, the study shows that women who have just received their degree are more likely to start on a much lower salary than their male counterparts. The study, by the Warwick Institute of Employment Research, found that the biggest gaps came in law, where women can anticipate a starting salary of £20,000 whereas men are likely to be taking home £28,000. And the study found that the gender pay gap persists for graduates across nearly all fields except the non-profit sector. As is the case with the UK gender pay gap in general, the gap for graduates is higher in the private sector, and highest in the banking and finance industry. Responding to the statistics, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said, "We [already] know that women pay a huge motherhood penalty, but this data suggests earnings disparities may be starting earlier. “More women are going to university and are better educated than ever before but are not getting the same reward when they leave as male graduates." The standard response to the gender pay gap is to accuse women of lacking the confidence to negotiate for better salaries. This may often be the case, but again it is toxic gender stereotyping that often leads to this. Women are still all too often discouraged from behaving assertively, especially in the workplace, and lack the female role models at executive level to support and inspire them. There are currently only two female chief executives in the FTSE 100. And with Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer and executive board member of Facebook, publicly supporting employers – illegally – interrogating women about their plans for a family, is it any wonder women are more likely to keep their heads down and simply be grateful to have a job? Change clearly can happen, and quickly – the 2012 Davies report into female board representation advocated that the top 350 FTSE companies aim for boards that were at least 25 per cent female, and saw a massive subsequent rise in the number of non-executive female board members. However, the number of female board members at executive level has stalled, and 83 per cent of European company board directors are currently male. While this is a 6 per cent increase on the year before, it is hardly equal representation. Change also needs to happen long before women graduate from university, because, as these statistics show, it is already too late by then. The way in which girls are raised and educated needs to be critically examined to prevent women being socialised into a fear of 'rocking the boat' or being seen as 'difficult' if they demand a better salary. As the Telegraph's Heather Peacock pointed out recently,"we can do more at school level to prove to women they are just as capable as men and should challenge the assumption that they will 'normally' get paid less."  |
| Students ask bar to remove vile wallpaper Posted: 12 Mar 2013 02:12 AM PDT
Part of a recent redecoration of the Moo bar in Russell Street, Leamington Spa includes wallpaper in one area depicting degrading images of women and fake adverts for prostitution. The wallpaper images depict school girls, slavery and violence – using text such as "Busty Indian schoolgirl", and "Black runaway slave girl aged 18 yrs Seeks plantation master". Warwick Anti-Sexism Society (WASS), a student group at Warwick University which campaigns on sexism and gender-based issues, has written a letter of complaint to the management. WASS believes images depicting violence against women, including sexual violence, is not something which should be featured on the walls of an establishment such as Moo. The bar is often frequented by students, the group is concerned about the effects of such imagery on the atmosphere and experience of visitors. There are also concerns about the effects of the sexist and racist images on those who have left the bar. Exposure to objectifying images such as those on the walls of Moo may increase anxiety and fear of sexual assault amongst women. And imagery which portrays women's bodies and sexualities as available to be bought perpetuates sexist ideas and behaviours. Statistics show that 1 in 7 students experience sexual assault while at university. Not something that anyone would really want to encourage, surely. WASS has also spoken to a number of Leamington residents and local charities and feels that this is an issue for the wider community, not only students. At the time of writing there has been no response to WASS’s letter of complaint, and a request for a comment from Women’s Views on News has been met with silence. A petition has been set up asking for this wallpaper to be removed: please sign it. You could also call the District Council’s licensing officers on 01926 412496; or email them at licensing@warwickdc.gov.uk. To contact Warwick Anti-Sexism Society click here. You can also find them on Facebook.  |
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