Women's Views on News |
| Posted: 28 Jun 2013 09:46 AM PDT
I’ve been feeling poetic recently. And I’ve been feeling increasingly wound up about street harassment…well from about the age of 10. Last week the two things came together, when I performed a poem I wrote about street harassment. Earlier this year I reported on, and was involved in a survey into street harassment carried out by Coventry Women's Voices (CWV) and Coventry University. In April the report, 'An Everyday Occurrence', was published showing the results of the survey. The survey found that 61 per cent of those asked had experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months; incidents which included unwanted sexual comments (37 per cent), wolf-whistling (32 per cent) and being groped (12 per cent). The international movement Stop Street Harassment says that around the world between 70-100 per cent of women have experienced some form of harassment in public. This harassment can include anything from leering, wolf-whistling and sexual comments to groping, masturbation and assault. My own experiences of street harassment, like many who we spoke to in the survey, began when I was about 10 years old, and haven’t stopped since. Being involved with the survey and hearing how many other women experience sexual harassment on a daily basis only compounded my anger about the issue. So I put it in a poem. My poem is called ‘Respect Me’, because simply that is what I’d like men to do, and I feel that if any of the men who have sexually harassed me – or other women – had an ounce of respect for us, they would stop it. As I wrote the poem I recalled, not only the incidences of harassment I have experienced, but also many of the responses we got in the survey. The types of harassment women experienced, the way women change their behaviour to avoid harassment, the emotional effect it has on women and the places women have experienced it. All this went into the poem ‘Respect Me’ which I will leave you to watch, or read: Respect me. MY body. Not yours to ogle or claim Respect me. Stop staring "I'm fine thanks" "Go away" "Please leave me alone." "Let me be." Respect me. Respect me. What is it you want? RESPECT ME! It is harassment. It is power play. It is threatening. So step back. Listen and hear.  |
| Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:11 AM PDT
As Science Grrl celebrates its first birthday WVoN takes a look at this exciting collective of women scientists who are putting the extraordinary and the wonderful back in to STEM careers. Science Grrl was created as a response to an EU "teaser" video for its campaign titled 'Science: It's a girl's thing'. The Science Grrls – based in London, UK – were so angered by the video, which is available to view on its website here for explanatory purposes, that they decided to launch a counter initiative to show women and girls the: 'real face of female science'. As identified by Science Grrl the EU campaign video was discredited by the fact that 'no real science took place'. In fact, in this author’s view, the video was particularly patronising and discouraging. Its depiction of young women strutting about removing sunglasses, albeit cheerily, while a male scientist looked on was particularly dispiriting and said nothing of what women can bring to science or gain from a career in this field. Science Grrl were therefore desperate to emphasise that: 'Science is fascinating, captivating and full of wonder'. Out of a desire to showcase science and female scientists at their best, Science Grrl launched an initial offering of a calendar illustrating: “real female scientists doing real, beautiful science”. The calendar was a great success and spawned the broader network that Science Grrl has become over the past year, determined to encourage young women to embark on careers in Science, Technology, and Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. As outlined in its strategy for 2013-2014 Science Grrl's vision is: 'A world where access to a fulfilling STEM career is decoupled from gender'. Hoping to achieve this vision through its aim to: 'promote role models, access to career guidance and work experience and to support female scientists at all stages of their careers'. Encouraging collaboration with other groups, individuals and organisations seeking to improve female representation in STEM careers and being committed to inclusivity in their work and partnership with others is a sign that Science Grrl is dedicated to achieving its goals. The detailed strategy and plans for the coming years infer that Science Grrl is a force to be reckoned with, yet despite all this furious activity the network is still fun and approachable. Organising for two eight year-old science lovers, Aimee and Lara, to tour labs and meet female scientists is evidence of an approach that fosters excitement and wonder. And it worked. As Aimee wrote on Science Grrl's blog: “Science Grrl encouraged me to want to be a scientist even more. That experiment worked!!”  |
| Posted: 28 Jun 2013 02:00 AM PDT
With the announcement of the England squad last week, now is a good time to profile the tournament which kicks off in Gothenburg, Sweden on 10 July. Firstly, a potted history. The Women's Euros, as the European Women’s Championships are commonly known, has existed in various incarnations since 1984. This year will be the 11th competition. The inaugural winners were Sweden, followed by Norway in the second year. Since then Germany have been largely untroubled, winning eight of the following nine contests. Their only blip came in 1993, when Norway slipped in for a second triumph. The closest a home nation has come to winning the trophy was in the first competition, when England lost on penalties in a two-legged final, and again in 2009 when Hope Powell's England side were beaten by Germany at the final in Helsinki. The format of the tournament is three groups of four, with the top two from each group plus two best runners-up going through to the knockout quarter finals. England will again be hard pushed to carry off the trophy this time round. Injuries to key players have been a recurring theme in the build up to the tournament. With a serious knee injury, experienced defender Rachel Unitt is a notable absentee. First-choice left-back Steph Houghton is also a worry, but is named in the squad, as are captain Casey Stoney and strikers Kelly Smith and Karen Carney, all of whom have been plagued by niggling injuries. The uncapped Gemma Bonner and Lucy Bronze have been drafted in as defensive cover. There has been some controversy over the omission of the WSL's leading scorer, Natasha Dowie, who must be wondering what she has to do to get a game, after scoring 10 times in 12 games in the league this season. England are drawn in a tough group. They are in Group C, based in Linkoeping. Their first group game is against Spain on 12 July, with Russia following on 15 July, finishing off with a dangerous France on 18 July. The other groups are: Group A: Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden and Group B: Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway. As to who is going to win it – no one seems to be looking further than Germany. However, they too have suffered an injury crisis in the lead up to the tournament. Coach Silvia Nead has lost defenders Babett Peter and Verena Faisst, midfielders Viola Odebrecht and Kim Kulig, forward Alexandra Popp and the experienced Linda Bresonik. Nead has been forced to select six young players, each with fewer than ten appearances. Defender Babett Peter will, arguably, be the squad's biggest loss. She was an integral part of the side that took the title for the fifth time in a row in 2009. A stress fracture of the foot keeps her out this time. “I’m unbelievably disappointed,” she said. “I’ve had some minor pains for a while but I didn’t think it was anything major. It was a shock to find out I have a serious injury.” France's squad, too, has not escaped unscathed. Top striker Laëtitia Tonazzi has withdrawn with a calf injury. At 32, this would probably have been her last appearance at a major tournament. Her place is taken by an uncapped 19-year old, Viviane Asseyi. Coach Bruno Bini is also still waiting on midfielder Amandine Henry, who is struggling with a thigh injury. England were unbeaten in qualifying, but the latest injury scares must put a dent in their hopes. If they get out of the group, they surely have a chance, but at the moment, this is all we can hope for. France and Spain are improving fast and you can never discount the hosts, Sweden. In fact, you can make a case for just about everyone, which should make it all very exciting. England Coach, Hope Powell, is fully aware of the task ahead. “You go into major tournaments and the idea is you want to win it. I’m under no illusion though; everybody else has the same agenda and we recognise it’s going to be tough,” she said in an interview with the BBC. “I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Germany will win it. Historically they have been such a powerful nation and they have won this tournament on countless occasions, but this year I think they have got as good a chance as everyone else.” The final takes place at the Friends Arena, Solna, which has a 30,000 capacity, on 28 July. There's good news about media coverage, too. All England's matches will be broadcast live on BBC television; this may be on BBC Three or BBC Two, so check listings for definitive details. In fact, a total of 16 games will be shown live throughout the tournament. There will also be radio coverage on BBC 5 Live or 5 Live Sports Extra and text commentary of England's matches on the BBC website. UEFA also has a comprehensive website covering the tournament in depth. Take a look here for profiles of each team and player and regular updates. If you've never got "into" women's football, now is the time. Never has there been so much accessible, terrestrial coverage. This will be an exciting, close tournament, so check it out! Surely Germany can't win it again, can they?  |
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