Women's Views on News |
| Reebok drops rapper for date rape lyrics Posted: 15 Apr 2013 07:26 AM PDT
US rapper Rick Ross has been dropped by Reebok for using pro-rape lyrics in the track U.O.E.N.O. Ross’s lyrics on the track by Rocko refer to the date rape drug MDMA, known as Molly: "Put Molly all up in her champagne, she ain’t even know it, I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” English critique aside, the lyrics are a clear reference to drug rape and, as the Associated Press put it, him ‘having his way with her’ is a very English way of avoiding the words ‘sex’ and ‘against her will’. American women’s rights group UltraViolet led the campaign calling for Reebok to drop the artist, gathering more than 72,000 signatures and protesting at the company’s flagship store in Manhattan last week. Ross responded with a half-hearted non-apology, claiming the lyrics had been ‘misinterpreted’. “The term ‘rape’ wasn’t used,” he said, “you know I would never use the term rape in my records.” I’m glad we cleared that up, Rick; as long as you don’t say rape, it’s not rape. Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, said: "We are appalled that Reebok would pay a spokesperson who brags about enjoying drugging and raping a woman. “Reebok devotes a lot of time, energy and money to marketing to women, and now they are paying a man who is literally bragging about raping us while absurdly insisting it can't possibly be rape if he doesn't use the word ‘rape’.” Last Thursday, less than two weeks after the campaign began, Reebok confirmed it would be cutting its ties with Ross, who was the face of Reebok Classic trainers, saying: ‘While we do not believe that Rick Ross condones sexual assault, we are very disappointed he has yet to display an understanding of the seriousness of this issue or an appropriate level of remorse. ‘At this time, it is in everyone’s best interest for Reebok to end its partnership with Mr Ross.’ Ross’s lyrics have also been removed from the track by Rocko, although the rapper’s friend claims the backlash is ‘unfair’. “I don’t think that was fair. Not to name drop, but there are several artists that said things in their lyrics way, way, way worse than that,” Rocko told MTV News. “I’ve heard lyrics [about] burning down houses and throwing people off of bridges and killing your wife and your whole family. “I’ve heard all types of stuff and it wasn’t scrutinised like this.” Rocko seems to be missing the point here; just because someone else might be more explicit and violent in their lyrics doesn’t make casual rape references ok. This is the type of attitude that helps perpetuate the notion than rape is less of a crime than, say, arson or GBH. To dig the hole even deeper, Rocko goes on to point out “everybody knows that the big homey don’t have to rape anybody. “He’s having paper, he got [millions of dollars], why would he have to do that?” What does he mean he doesn’t ‘have’ to rape anybody?! Does anyone ‘have’ to rape anyone else? So, what you’re telling me Rocko, is that as long as you have enough money, presumably to buy sex or to make you irresistible to women, there’s no need for date rape? Rap has been rife with misogyny since the beginning and remains a male-dominated business. WVoN reported recently on moves away from the violent and sexist themes portrayed in hip-hop music, but artists such as Lamar and Drake are the exception rather than the rule. Responding to the move by Reebok, UltraViolet’s Nita Chaudhary said: "We are thrilled to hear that Reebok is joining the fight against rape culture and dropping Rick Ross, “This is a huge victory for women, for the 526 survivors of rape who were brave enough to publicly confront rape culture, and for the nearly 100,000 UltraViolet members who have poured their hearts and time into this campaign, “This sends a strong message that rapping about drugging and raping an unconscious woman is not only morally wrong, but has real consequences. “Thank you, Reebok, for taking a stand." Ross responded to the news with a formal statement, acknowledging that his lyrics were ‘offensive’. “Before I am an artist, I am a father, a son, and a brother to some of the most cherished women in the world. “So for me to suggest in any way that harm and violation be brought to a woman is one of my biggest mistakes and regrets.” Ross also said men who listen to his music should “know that using a substance to rob a woman of her right to make a choice is not only a crime, it’s wrong.” Hell yes, Ross! Although this still leaves me questioning his moral compass…  |
| Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:05 AM PDT
We are very excited this week about the start of the women’s football season! Football: Arsenal Ladies lost the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against German side Wolfsburg 0-2 on April 14, leaving them with an uphill battle in the second leg away on April 21. Arsenal played better than the scoreline suggests, and striker Ellen White was unlucky with several attempts at the goal. Manager Shelley Kerr is confident ahead of the second leg. “We created three or four good chances,” she said, “but we can play better. "It’s a big ask now to get the goals we need, but this team has shown in the past that they can score away from home and we’ll go into the second leg believing we can get through to the final.” Arsenal have had more luck at home this week. Birmingham City's defence of the FA Women's Cup ended on April 9 with a 6-0 defeat at the hands of the Gunners. Arsenal took the lead from the start, with Gemma Davison scoring after just 11 minutes. Davison and White put away two goals each, with Jordan Nobbs and Kim Little rounding off the list of scorers. Eleven-time cup winners Arsenal will play Liverpool in the semi-finals on April 26. Bristol Academy, who beat Everton 3-2 on April 14, will face Lincoln on April 28 for a spot in the final. Liverpool will also be hoping to challenge Arsenal's top spot in the Women's Super League (WSL), which began on April 14. Arsenal have been the dominant team in recent years, topping the leaderboard of the Women's Premier League for seven consecutive years before its rebranding as the WSL – which they have also won twice. Although they have finished at the bottom of the table for the last two years, Liverpool have made a string of new signings, and are currently the only team training full time, which may give them a significant edge as the season progresses. The reds made a great start to their season with a 1-0 win over Lincoln in the opening match on April 14. Striker Natasha Dowie made her move early with a goal in the seventh minute. Elsewhere, Chelsea drew 1-1 with last year's runners up Birmingham City. Chelsea have also recruited heavily since last season, and manager Emma Hayes said that it would take time for her squad’s ten new players to settle in. Rugby: A decision by Six Nations organisers not to change the format of the tournament has been welcomed by players and coaches. The proposed changes would have seen the Six Nations split into a two-tier tournament. England, France and Ireland would have played each other both at home and away, while the second tier of Italy, Scotland and Wales would play fewer games per season, alternating home and away each year. The proposals were aimed at reducing the costs of staging the tournament, and at allowing the second tier teams, who did not make much of an impact in this year's tournament, to develop. However, the changes were vehemently opposed by players, coaches and politicians alike. The Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation and the all-party parliamentary group on women's sport and fitness, wrote to rugby union leaders last week urging them to reject the proposals. Barbara Keeley MP, co-chair of the parliamentary group, said: "The Six Nations is the biggest annual tournament in women's rugby, and is much loved by both fans and players. "To downgrade the tournament would be a devastating blow both to the players and all of the young women who grow up dreaming of representing their country at a national level. "At a time when the majority of women and girls do not do enough exercise to benefit their health, we should be inspiring them to take up more sporting activities, not limiting their options." Players reacted with relief when the proposals were rejected on April 10. The women's arm of the Welsh Rugby Union, who campaigned strongly against the changes, tweeted: "Fantastic news. We took on a giant, the little people got their voice and it looks as though we have won. Huge victory for women in sport." Rowing: Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover has confirmed that she intends to defend her title in the Rio Olympics in 2016. The 26 year-old, who competed with Heather Stanning in the coxless pairs in the London Olympics, and won gold with Polly Swann at last month's world cup, modestly said that her long term goal was to compete, if she's "good enough". Tennis: Following last week's news that she is suffering from glandular fever, it has been announced that Heather Watson aims to return to competition in time for the French Open at the end of May. This extended break rules her out of Great Britain's Fed Cup tie away against Argentina next week. The squad for that event, announced by Fed Cup captain Judy Murray on April 9, comprises Laura Robson, Johanna Konta and Anne Keothavong. Watson's place will be filled by Elena Baltacha, who is returning to competition after a nine-month absence due to injury. The winners of the tie, which takes place on April 20 and 21, will be promoted to the World Group. Great Britain has not played in this top tier of the competition for 20 years. Despite recently gaining the British number one ranking, Laura Robson posted yet another early-round loss this week at Poland's Katowice Open. She failed to convert a match point in the first round against veteran player Lourdes Dominguez Lino, eventually losing in three sets. Robson has not advanced beyond the second round of a tournament since the Australian Open in January.  |
| Posted: 15 Apr 2013 01:09 AM PDT
Sheryl Sandberg started college in 1987 and graduated in 1991, and has an excellent academic record. She graduated from Harvard and was appointed Chief of Staff at the US Treasury at age 30. In 2001 she joined Google as vice president for online global sales. She took up her current job at Facebook in 2007. Sandberg admits that in her younger years she did not want much to do with feminism or women's rights, assuming that all the battles had been won. She admits that she and her friends 'lowered their voices', worked hard and tried to fit in. But as she got older Sandburg noticed that fewer and fewer of her peers were still in the workplace, and she frequently found she was the only woman in the room. The reason for this, she argues in her recently published book ‘Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead’, is that women too readily withdraw from the world of work because of the pressures and obstacles they face, either from employers with inflexible working patterns, husbands who refuse to do their fair share of housework and childcare, or because of their own self-doubt and lack of confidence, which is often the product of social stereotypes. "Self doubt becomes a form of self-defence," writes Sandberg. She says that women start scaling back on their ambitions long before they even have children, scared off by horror stories of what it is like to be a working mother peddled in films like ‘I don't know how she does it’ and ‘Working Girl’. It all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Women fail to take risks and end up in unfulfilling jobs, which they are more likely to want to quit – and are even encouraged to give up. But Sandberg urges them not to heed to these voices and argues that they are better off hanging in there, despite the high cost of childcare, as they will be rewarded with higher pay in the long run. Sandberg encourages women to seek out men who will support them in their careers and urges men to 'lean in' to family life and do more childcare and housework. "Having it all is a myth," writes Sandberg. “It is impossible to do everything perfectly. We need to learn to identify what is important and what isn't at home and at work.” She quotes American feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem: "Perfection is the enemy. "Superwoman is the adversary of the women's movement." Sandberg also says we need to promote a culture of candour and honesty at work and that women need to be more prepared to ask for what they want. And she offers some helpful practical advice on dealing with difficult discussions and raising concerns at work. She also feels that some statutory measures to protect women and minorities 'can have a chilling effect on discourse'. While this may be a reaction to the more litigious culture of the US, it is disappointing that she is so lukewarm when it comes to providing women with more statutory protection. How else does she think we will attain paid parental leave and more flexible working, which she rightly calls for in the book? Just leaving it up to individual businesses to implement does not seem to be working, because one of the things that struck me about this book is how tough life must be for women in the USA. According to Sandberg only five states have any form of statutory maternity pay. The Family and Medical Leave Act enables women who work for public organisations or employers with over 50 workers to take three months off after having a child, but employers do not have to pay them. Only 16 per cent of employers in the US offer any paid maternity leave, and a report by the US Census Bureau in 2011 found that only 6 per cent of working women in the US received support from government, an employer or their partner to meet the cost of childcare. Women living below the poverty line spent a third of their income on childcare. No wonder women drop out of the workforce. It is easy for highly paid and highly educated women like Sandburg to tell women to ‘lean in’, grit their teeth and plough on, despite the obstacles, but they are not faced with the prospect of having to get into debt just to pay for childcare. Much of the book is devoted to measures that women themselves can take to improve their working lives, but even Sandberg concludes that individual action will only take us so far and, to make real progress, women and men need to work together and support each other. And she quotes Stamford professor Deborah Gruenfeld; "As individuals we have relatively low levels of power. "Working together we are fifty per cent of the population and therefore have real power."  |
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