Women's Views on News |
- UKIP in sexism row
- Events 19 August – 25 August
- Sports round-up: 11 – 18 August
- Protest discrimination in fashion houses
| Posted: 19 Aug 2013 09:12 AM PDT
Last week, Stuart Wheeler, who has been treasurer of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) since 2011, attended a debate at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) about whether gender quotas should be used to make firms appoint more women to their boards. "I would just like to challenge the idea that it is necessary to have a lot of women on a board," Wheeler said at the debate. "Business is very, very competitive and you should take the performance of women in another competitive area, which is sport where men have no strength advantage. "Chess, bridge, poker – women come absolutely nowhere. I think that just has to be borne in mind." Dr Clare Gerada, Chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, was at the debate and immediately challenged the 78 year-old Wheeler, a former Conservative party donor. She said: "My mother, at 83, is the biggest bridge champion and continues to be year on year. I think that is such a disingenuous, sexist comment." Dr Gerada later spoke to BBC News and insisted that Wheeler's comments were "self-evidently sexist". She added: "I hope it was tongue in cheek because there is no evidence whatsoever that men are better at poker, bridge or chess. "And even if they were, what does that mean about the skills you require on a board?" Wheeler defended himself on BBC Radio 4's programme The World at One. "I pointed out that in certain areas, women did not do as well as men, and then I cited poker, bridge and chess,” he explained. "My point is that there are some things that men are better than women at, some things that women are better than men at, and you don’t necessarily want to impose a minimum of either sex at the top of any profession or at the top of any board." When asked if he was implying that women are less intelligent than men, Wheeler said: "No, no, certainly not. "All I was saying was there are areas where women are not as good as men. "I’m sure there are areas where men are not as good as women and therefore I don’t think it’s always essential to have a minimum number of either." UKIP stood by Wheeler and claimed that his comments have been taken out of context. A UKIP spokesman said: "Mr Wheeler's comments were an anecdotal example to underline the point that quotas are not the way to appoint company boards. "Companies, like any organisation, need the best they can get to ensure they survive in a competitive world." The majority of those attending the debate were against introducing gender quotas. UKIP MEP Geoffrey Bloom went so far as to say that the idea of quotas for women in companies would come in Britain as a result of pressure from the European Union and was "totally patronising and archaic", and claimed that women actually have the upper hand in the workplace. "If you worked certainly in the public sector or a reasonably large company who can smell which way the wind is blowing, you are far more likely to be advanced by being a woman in your quest for promotion than disadvantaged. "Nigel [Farage, UKIP's leader] and I can give you personal stories about how that’s worked in the [European] Commission where very, very highly qualified men have been jumped over to get a woman into a more senior position with nowhere near the qualifications," he said. Dr Gerada and some of the other attendees, including Jo Fairley, a former magazine editor and the founder of Green and Black's chocolate, suggested that tackling childcare costs, flexible working hours and low aspirations could help women more than making gender quotas mandatory. Currently, women hold just 17 per cent of board positions in FTSE 100 companies.  |
| Posted: 19 Aug 2013 03:41 AM PDT
Activism: 24 August: Lose The Lads’ Mags Day of Action at a Tesco store near you, from midday A day of family-friendly protests, calling on Tesco to stop selling lads’ mags. The protest will include talking to customers about why Tesco shouldn’t be stocking sexist, harmful lads’ mags, and collecting petition signatures. Join an action near you – or organise one yourself! See the website for more details. 24 August: The Mass Sleep Out happening in major cities around the UK Take to the streets in a rough sleep out to highlight the homelessness faced by many as a result of the bedroom tax. Find a “Sleep Out” near you and show your support for those affected by this unjust government policy. Art: Until 26 August: Leaps Jumps and Bumps at the Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA from 10am-6pm The first solo exhibition of the work of Elaine Sturtevant to be held in a public institution in the UK. Sturtevant has made ground-breaking and enigmatic work since her first exhibition in NewYork in the mid-1960s. In the last two decades, Sturtevant has evolved a highly structured and rigorous exploration of current events, using multi-screen video works and installations. Admission free, £1 donation appreciated. Until 8 September: Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper) at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), The Mall, London SW1Y ‘Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper)’ explores how artists from the 1940s to the present day have used drawing to address ideas critical and current to their time, ranging from the politics of gender and sexuality to feminist issues, war and censorship. The exhibition brings together the work of eight artists: Judith Bernstein, Tom of Finland, George Grosz, Margaret Harrison, Mike Kuchar, Cary Kwok, Antonio Lopez and Marlene McCarty. Comedy: Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Until 25 August: Nadia Kamil in Wide Open Beavers! at The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, 28 York Place, Edinburgh, from 3.30pm Welsh-Iraqi, self-professed weirdo Nadia Kamil, dispatches her debut solo show. It will have: jokes, characters, songs, a warm feeling of bonhomie, the c-bomb, and, possibly, a dancing chorus of puppet Mary Wollstonecrafts. It won’t have: live exposed vaginas. Exhibitions: Until 3 November: Women in the Workhouse at The Workhouse, Upton Road, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0PT Drawing on oral history archives, the exhibition focuses on the involvement of women in the workhouses in a range of areas, through testimonies including those of a former Matron, nurse, seamstress, hairdresser, cook and inmate, all of which help to provide an insight into the changing nature of workhouse life. Artefacts, correspondence and photographs show the often harsh reality of women’s lives during a period of great social change. Women also played an important role in bringing about change within the workhouse system through their involvement as social reformers and Guardians. The exhibition is brought up to date with current staff reflecting on their roles on what The Workhouse means to them. See website for admission prices. Film: ‘Wadjda’: This landmark film was written and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour. It was shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and is the first feature-length movie made by a female Saudi director. The plot revolves around a young girl’s resolute determination to become the owner of a beautiful green bicycle – an item which society and her own mother perceives as dangerous to her virtue. Screenings around the country, including: 20 August: Aberdeen 19-22 August: Cardiff 19/20 August: Henley 20/21 August: Newcastle upon Tyne Sport: 24 August: Leeds Roller Dolls Presents: Roller Derby 101 at Futsal Arena, Millshaw Park Ind. Estate, Leeds from 12-6pm Want to know where you can learn where the game is at and how to take advantage? Then come along to LRD’s Roller Derby 101 session and take away a wealth of knowledge and loads of skills and drills to your team. Aimed at intermediate skaters, this boot camp will be made up of mini workshops that cover all areas of roller derby. We aim to send you off with a well-rounded idea of where you and your league are at, and the next steps to build on your existing success. Tickets £35 Talks: 22 August: ‘Bend Over I’ll Drive: Sex and the Stereotype’ with Marlene McCarty at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), The Mall, London SW1Y from 6.45pm In the context of the exhibition ‘Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper), artist Marlene McCarty presents her work, touching upon elements of identity politics, queer theory, evolution, feminism, anthropology, and exploring the inherent controversies and limitations of representing sex and sexuality. Tickets cost £11/9 including booking 23 August: Shirt Tales with Ironing at The Shirt Factory, City Factory, Patrick Street, Derry, Londonderry from 3pm ‘Shirt Tales with Ironing’ is an interactive storytelling performance devised by well-known actor, radio producer, and story teller Nuala Hayes. ‘Shirts and shirt-making have featured in stories and folklore since we cast off our animal skins and emerged from the cave,’ she says. ‘The spinning, the weaving and the sewing was the job of women and the shirt was first created for the comfort of the bed. When shirt making became industrialised it was the women again who worked in the factories – to put shirts on the backs of men and food on the table. It’s hard to separate a shirt from a story, from the ‘Happy Man’s Shirt’, to the story of how a simple shirt brought down a government.’ Tickets are free. Theatre: Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Until 25 August: Crying Out Loud presents La Poème at 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh from 7.45pm. Joyously strange, with great femininity and bestiality. An intense play where Jeanne Mordoj – a ventriloquist, juggler and contortionist – delves deeper into her reflections on femininity, exploring both the infinitely gracious and the monstrous, each potentially present within the other. Jeanne Mordoj is a stubborn feminist. Not a fury in battle, but mischievous and unshakable. Until 26 August: Nirbhaya at the Assembly Hall, Mound Place, Edinburgh, from 4-5.30pm. The play tells the story of medical student Jyoti Singh Pandey, who was savagely raped and killed on a bus in Delhi last year, with interweaving real testimony about sexual violence from Indian actresses. "One of the most powerful pieces of theatre I've ever seen", according to a five-star review by The Telegraph's critic, Laura Barnett. The Stage judged it to be "one of those wonderfully compelling, if hard to watch, shows that could well turn into a force for change". Tickets £14.  |
| Sports round-up: 11 – 18 August Posted: 19 Aug 2013 03:00 AM PDT
Athletics: Women led the way for Team GB at this week's IAAF Athletics World Championships in Moscow, winning four of Britain's six medals. The star of the show was team captain Christine Ohuruogu, who regained her 400m world title on August 12, before bringing home the 4x400m relay team to a bronze on August 17. Ohuruogu claimed her gold by the tightest of margins: her new British record of 49.41 seconds was just four thousandths of a second faster than defending champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana. Next up, Tiffany Porter, who won bronze in a very strong field in the 100m hurdles on August 17. Porter, who had set a season's best of 12.63 in her semi-final, was beaten only by Olympic champion Sally Pearson and American Brianna Rollins, who is third in the all time list. Just minutes after Porter's race, Britain's women lined up for the 4x400m relay. Jamaica's disqualification and a weakened USA team meant that Britain had high expectations. With Perri Shakes-Drayton already on the plane home, the team comprising Eilidh Child, Shana Cox, Margaret Adeoye and Ohuruogu took their chance to claim the bronze medal. Britain were left one medal short of their target of six after the men’s 4x100m relay team were disqualified for a faulty changeover. However, the women’s 4x100m team had no such bad luck. Dina Asher-Smith, Ashleigh Nelson, Annabelle Lewis and Hayley Jones had already returned to their hotel after a disappointing fourth place finish when it was announced that the third-placed French team had been disqualified, also for a faulty changeover. Britain were therefore promoted to the bronze medal position. 17 year old Asher-Smith said: “It means so much to us. I’m over the moon, it’s such a shock.” Swimming: It has also been an exceptional week for British women in the pool. At the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, the women of Team GB came away with no less than eleven gold medals and three world records. Ellie Simmonds started off the gold rush on August 12, taking the top spot in the S6 400m freestyle, 20 seconds ahead of her nearest challenger. The same day, Jessica-Jane Applegate set a world record to claim gold in the S14 200m freestyle. Also on the opening day, Steph Millward won the S9 100m freestyle, with Amy Marren taking silver. Marren did not have to wait long for her own taste of victory. On August 13, the day before her 15th birthday, she won gold in the SM9 200m individual medley. Marren had been disqualified in the heats, but was reinstated after she appealed. Simmonds was back on top of the podium on August 15, breaking her own world record to win the SM6 200m individual medley. The same day, Marren, Millward, Susie Rodgers and Claire Cashmore triumphed in the 4x100m freestyle 34pt relay. Marren added one more gold to her tally on August 17, winning the S9 100m butterfly with a new British record. 17 year-old Hannah Russell also took gold, in the S12 200m backstroke. The final day of the championships brought yet more success. Simmonds took her third gold medal, in the S6 100m freestyle, while Millward triumphed in the S9 100m backstroke. In the final race, the 4x100m 34pt medley relay, Team GB won gold in a world record time of 4.46.21 to finish the championships in style. In total, Britain won 55 medals, including 18 golds. Golf: Europe have retained the Solheim Cup in an historic 18-10 victory. It is the first time Europe had retained the trophy in its 23 year history, and their first win on US soil. On the final day on August 18, Europe needed just 3.5 points to win. Britain’s Charley Hull set the tone for the day with a win over Paula Creamer. Ties from Anna Nordqvist and Catriona Matthews, and wins from Carlota Ciganda and Caroline Hedwall secured the win. Sweden’s Hedwall is the first player in the tournament’s history to win all five of her matches. 17 year old Hull, who only turned professional this year, summed up the mood. “I gave myself high hope and I just wanted to prove people wrong,” she told BBC Sport. “I’m 17 and people were wondering if I could perform under the pressure but I go out and enjoy it, which takes care of the pressure. “Before the match I just thought ‘bring it’ because I beat her on Saturday and I’d try to do it again.” Cricket: England settled for a draw with Australia in the only test match of the women's Ashes, which concluded on August 14. England were chasing a target of 249 from 45 overs at Wormsley, and reached 93 for 2 before hands were shaken just after 5pm. The draw earns each team two points ahead of the first of three one day internationals, which takes place at Lord’s on August 20. Hockey: England's women made a strong start at the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Belgium on August 17, beating Spain 3-0 in their opening match. Hannah Macleod, Lily Owsley and captain Kate Walsh provided the goals in an attacking performance. However, England failed to capitalise on the win, slipping to a 2-1 loss against Germany in their second match on August 18. England have not won a European title since 1991, but following Team GB's bronze medal at London 2102, they are aiming for the top spot. Meanwhile, Scotland lost both of their opening matches. An own goal from goalkeeper Amy Gibson led to a 1-0 loss against Germany on August 17. They went on to lose 2-1 to Spain on August 18. England and Scotland, who are both playing in pool B, will now play each other on August 20. Sailing: Olympic silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark were unable to defend their world title at the 470 World Championships in La Rochelle this weekend. A year on from winning the world title in Barcelona, Mills and Clark failed even to make the final, finishing in twelfth position in qualifying.  |
| Protest discrimination in fashion houses Posted: 19 Aug 2013 01:09 AM PDT
Model Iman is calling for a consumer boycott of fashion brands in protest at the lack of black models being employed to promote them on. She wants a return to 1960s-style direct action to hit brands in the pocket, as she believes there is more discrimination now than when she first started out on the catwalk in the 1980s. “It feels to me like the times need a real hard line drawn like in the Sixties, by saying if you don’t use black models, then we boycott,” she told Vogue UK recently. “If you engage the social media, trust me, it will hurt them in their pockets. If you take it out there, they will feel the uproar.” The New York Times reported that of all the models working for New York Fashion Week only six per cent were black. And the discrimination is only exacerbated by skin colours being marketed as fashion trends, argues Poorna Bell, lifestyle editor of Huffington Post UK "Can we please stop referring to skin colour as a fashion accessory?" Bell asked. "For a brown woman living in modern day Britain, being told that pale skin is ‘in’ is like being shown to the door of the clubhouse and being asked to leave." This autumn, pale white complexions are being touted as a fashion trend, branded as the ‘Downton Abbey effect’. And in India, thousands of women feel under pressure to bleach themselves to a fairer skin colour to avoid discrimination and become more “attractive”. An organisation called Women of Worth has launched the Dark is Beautiful campaign to draw attention to this practice and combat prejudice based on skin colour. Jezebel, which has been documenting prejudice against black women in fashion, agreed with Iman that little progress has been made. In an editorial Dodai Stewart says the absence of black models has a big impact on how society values and views women who are not white. Stewart said: "Fashion is about desired aesthetics, visual beauty. “And when global brands – designers and magazines with worldwide influence – celebrate, and therefore elevate only white beauty, the trickle-down effect is that women of colour are not seen as beautiful, that women of colour are not deemed worthwhile." Beginning at Fashion Week in September, Bethann Hardison, a former model and agent, is organising a social media campaign to bring public scrutiny to specific designers who do not use black models. She wants to make consumers aware of the designers who do not embrace minorities on the runway, and said, "I wonder if that [campaign] would make them have second thoughts about buying the shoes, the accessories and the bags." She said that the seemingly indifferent responses among companies to complaints of tokenism and lookism have become too insulting and destructive to ignore. Glamour magazine is also supporting Iman and raising support via Twitter. And Twitter user @CherieNoelle wrote: ‘If I boycotted every label that didn't use black models on catwalk I'd probably be naked’. To which Iman replied: ‘Better naked’.  |
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