Women's Views on News |
- Report looks at the sandwich generation
- No more page 3 at work
- Another victory for toys campaign
- Rape Crisis and Reveal campaign together
- Online and offline abuse are equal crimes
| Report looks at the sandwich generation Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:45 AM PDT
Balancing care responsibilities and work is becoming increasingly difficult, particularly for older women: a 'sandwich generation' is emerging, whose members are caught between providing care for both grandchildren and elderly parents, often while continuing to earn and pursue their career. A recent report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) provides an overview of the trends in work and caregiving that are impacting on the lives of older women today. While focused on their position and experiences in the workplace, and the influence that the economic crisis has had on their lives, it also examines the inequalities that underlie the way that older women are – or rather, are not – represented in politics, business and the media. Finally, it considers how more progressive policies on parental leave and flexible working, and innovative reciprocal time-banking schemes, could enable older women (and men) to balance a longer and a more fulfilling working life with better-supported caring responsibilities. Among this report's key findings are that: Older women of this 'sandwich generation' are more likely than men to have given up work as a result of their greater caring responsibilities; this disparity is particularly acute for older women on low incomes. Working grandmothers who provide informal childcare for their grandchildren are likely to be younger, in work, and belong to low-income households: 66 per cent of grandmothers who provide between 10–19 hours of childcare a week earn less than £25,999, compared to 25 per cent who earn £44,000 or more. The labour market position of older women in general has greatly improved over the past 25 years, with a dramatic rise in their employment rate. The recession had a mixed impact: while their employment rates have improved, unemployment – particularly long-term unemployment – has increased. Mothers aged over 45 are at the vanguard of the rising number of 'maternal breadwinners' (working single mothers, and working mothers who earn as much as or more than their partner). The increasing number of older women in work, combined with an ageing population, means that serious 'care gaps' are emerging in the UK – particularly in childcare. But despite significant changes, some things have remained the same. Women are still the nation's carers, with many balancing care responsibilities and work throughout their lives. This can have significant implications for work opportunities, incomes and pensions. The over-representation of women as carers contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence relative to men. The Equality Act 2010 protects employees from discrimination on a number of grounds, including sex and age. However, although there is provision in this legislation to simultaneously tackle age and gender-based discrimination, the government has not enacted the relevant clause on tackling dual discrimination, and seems unlikely to do so. In terms of both representation and attainment, the gaps between older women and other demographic groups are even more glaring than they are between women and men in general – and this is true when observing politics, the media and other areas of public life. This report provides an overview of the trends that impact upon older women. It follows a line of argument that makes it clear that individuals, families and wider society could all benefit from improvements to the visibility, position and profile of older women. To read the full report, click here.  |
| Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:13 AM PDT
From the No More Page 3 campaign. We have lost count of the number of stories we've heard from supporters made to uncomfortable in their workplace owing to the images on Page 3 of The Sun newspaper. Nurses treating patients who are commenting on a young woman's breasts, teachers having to cut images of naked women out of newspapers before art class, a woman who sits daily in the staffroom as a man shows Page 3 to the men present and says, 'would you do that?', a young woman working in a bar who has her breasts compared to those on Page 3. Often the people experiencing the discomfort feel unsure or scared to speak out about it. They assume they should talk directly to the person reading the paper but fear they will be told they're overreacting. However, seeing these images at work actually constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace. Your employer won't want you to feel uncomfortable in this way and they should respect your feelings if you bring the issue to their attention. If they don't, they are breaking the law. We understand that sometimes these subjects are difficult to phrase, so we've drafted a letter as a template to work with that you could send to your employer. It has been looked at by a lawyer, so everything in the letter is present and correct in terms of the law – you have the law on your side! Dear XXX I am writing you this letter to inform you that I believe that the presence of The Sun newspaper in the office constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace. During my time with the company, there have been several occasions when colleagues have been reading The Sun and have exposed Page 3 to myself and others. [Or insert a more detailed description of your experience] These colleagues would not be allowed to have a poster of a naked woman on their wall and/or access pornographic images online. However, I am still subjected to pornographic images on a daily basis due to [insert here details of how the Sun has been visible]. I find these images are deeply upsetting and hurtful. I believe that the portrayal of women as purely sexual objects feeds into a culture in which women are no longer valued for their contribution to the organisation but for their looks and perceived sexual availability. I do not believe that the culture promoted by Page 3 is consistent with the values of this organisation and its diversity/equal opportunities/anti-harassment policy/general ethos of equality [Delete as appropriate]. I would appreciate your response as to how this could be best handled. I would be more than happy to discuss this with you further. Yours sincerely X If you need further advice or support in respect of any such harassment issues arising at work, or on the template letter above, you can contact us at and we will direct you to a friendly legal advisor who will be able to assist you with a free, confidential, no-obligations chat.  |
| Another victory for toys campaign Posted: 12 Sep 2013 07:03 AM PDT
From the Let Toys Be Toys campaign. Toy retail giant Toys "R" Us has just committed to being more inclusive in its marketing of toys to girls and boys. This was announced follows a meeting recently between Toys "R" Us UK board members and Let Toys Be Toys, the consumer campaign group representing thousands of shoppers who are concerned by the influence on children of sexist stereotypes that are still widely used in the toy industry. The move by Toys "R" Us marks a major change in the UK's toy sales landscape. Managing director of Toys "R" Us Roger McLaughlan said, "We very much enjoyed meeting Let Toys Be Toys. We will work with the Let Toys Be Toys team to ensure we develop the best plan for our customers." Toys "R" Us confirmed last week that they would draw up a set of principles for in-store signage meaning that, in the long-term, explicit references to gender will be removed and images will show boys and girls enjoying the same toys. And they promised to start by looking at the way toys are represented in their upcoming Christmas catalogue. This is not the first time Toys "R" Us has been praised for adopting an inclusive approach. Following complaints from school children in Sweden, the Swedish Toys "R" Us franchisee, Top Toy catalogue, set out to move away from sexist stereotypes, and contained photographs of boys and girls in non-traditional roles. The changes promised by Toys "R" Us follow in the footsteps of similar commitments from several other major retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots, The Entertainer and TK Maxx. All have agreed to banish 'girls' and 'boys' signs from their aisles following intervention by Let Toys Be Toys. Megan Perryman, Let Toys Be Toys campaigner, said: "We're delighted to be working so closely with a major toy retailer and believe that there is much common ground here. "Even in 2013, boys and girls are still growing up being told that certain toys are 'for' them, while others are not. "This is not only confusing but extremely limiting, as it strongly shapes their ideas about who they are and who they can go on to become. "We look forward to seeing Toys "R" Us lead the way to a more inclusive future for boys and girls." To sign the Let Toys Be Toys petition, asking retailers in the UK and Ireland to remove gender labels and to organise toys by theme and function, click here.  |
| Rape Crisis and Reveal campaign together Posted: 12 Sep 2013 04:53 AM PDT
A third of women believe there are varying degrees of rape, according to new figures. The same proportion also think if a woman does not fight back, then she cannot have experienced rape. One quarter of the 1,000 women surveyed wrongly thought if someone was drunk it could not be classed as rape, while 60 per cent thought it did not count if a woman does not say no. And sixteen per cent of the women who responded said they had been forced to have sex, however over three quarters of them did not report it to police. Reasons they gave for not speaking up included fear they would not be believed, worry about lack of legal support and doubt over whether the prosecution would be successful. Yvonne Treynor from Rape Crisis told Newsbeat: “[Rape] isn’t about sex, it's about power and control.” The general public believe certain myths, Treynor continued: “There is no such thing as a varying degree of rape. It’s going to affect women in exactly the same way. “Rape is rape. Rape is the most horrendous thing that could ever happen to a woman or man.” Last week Rape Crisis South London and Reveal magazine launched a campaign to call on the government to provide more funding for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs). Treynor is working with the campaign, which is calling on the government to provide funding for more independent female advisors to support victims through the legal process. Only15 per cent of those who are raped or seriously sexually assaulted choose to pursue criminal justice. Reasons women give for their reluctance to come forward include a fear of not being believed, shame and self-blame, and a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system. ‘We know that where women want to report to the police, the specialist support and information provided by an ISVA can address these concerns and prove life-changing’, Rape Crisis explained, ‘yet not all of the 49 member Rape Crisis Centres across England and Wales are able to provide or sustain ISVA services because their resources are limited’. In February 2013, figures released by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice estimated that 95,000 rapes occur in the UK each year – yet only 15,670 are reported and just 1,070 rapists are convicted. In response, Reveal magazine launched its Report Every Rape campaign, through which numerous women have bravely shared their stories, unraveling myths about rape, the reasons they did not report their attack and the cruel effects of this crime. Those who do report rape may face what becomes a harrowing ordeal of going to court. The support of a specially trained Independent Sexual Violence Advisor at this time is crucial. Currently there are around 180 ISVAs and they are greatly overstretched. A petition set up by Rape Crisis and Reveal is calling upon the government to increase the funding for more ISVAs to encourage more rape victims to seek justice. Click here to sign.  |
| Online and offline abuse are equal crimes Posted: 12 Sep 2013 01:09 AM PDT
Last week Women’s Aid held a cyber stalking and harassment conference in London, and an expert panel discussed the impact of online abuse against women across England. The conference addressed widespread concerns about rising levels of online stalking and harassment, with particular reference to its link to domestic abuse. A number of high profile women who have recently been victims of online abuse, including Caroline Criado-Perez, founder of the Women's Room, attended the conference to speak publicly about their experiences. Helen Lewis, deputy editor of the New Statesman, Stella Creasy MP, and Female Genital Mutilation campaigner Nimko Ali also spoke. Polly Neate, the chief executive of Women's Aid, chaired the discussion. The message was very clear: there simply is no distinction between online and offline abuse towards women; if it’s illegal offline then it is definitely illegal online. Women's Aid hosted this conference as part of their work to ensure the providers of services for survivors of domestic violence, the police and the government are responding appropriately to new forms of abuse online. The speeches given by the women who have been the victims of horrific rape and death threats online recently outlined an extremely poor response from the police, social media sites and the government. The conference programme began with an emotional speech from Caroline Criado-Perez, where she described in detail the appalling abuse she has received following her successful campaign challenging the Bank of England over keeping a woman’s face on the UK’s bank notes. It was an incredible speech, delivered with poignancy and courage, outlining the atrocious misogynistic attitudes she has encountered and continues to do so. You can read it here. She has received little support from Twitter’s executives, and the police have recently lost evidence she submitted to them in the form of screengrabs of abusive tweets. Unbelievably, the police considered it appropriate to ask Criado-Perez, a victim, to go through her vile tweets and collate them once again. This highlights the ignorant attitude of the UK police to online abuse and cyber stalking and harassment. If Criado-Perez had been the victim of physical abuse and the photographic evidence of her injuries had been lost, would they have considered it appropriate to ask her to go and get beaten up again in the same way they have asked her to trawl through hundreds of rape and death threats? Women’s Aid used the conference to make four calls for action on online abuse: Online stalking and harassment is a crime, and it should be recognised as such. Police forces must have policies in place to ensure they are dealing with online abuse as the law requires. Online stalking and harassment is part of a pattern of behaviour which encompasses online trolling and street harassment as well as domestic violence and femicide. Many perpetrators of domestic violence use online abuse as a way of controlling their partners. Police forces, social media platforms and others must take responsibility for stopping online abuse to address violence against women. If services are to make a difference in the long term, the government needs to stop the pincer movement of funding cuts to specialist, gender specific, holistic services for survivors of domestic violence. The police must ensure that all officers are given specialist training in domestic violence, including online abuse at the start of their careers and regular refresher training thereafter. Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid said: "Recently we have seen some shocking examples of misogynistic online abuse highlighted in the media. “At Women’s Aid we know that this is the tip of the iceberg. While many people are outraged by threats of rape and abuse, there are many women facing abuse online and in everyday life, from not only strangers but from current and former partners. “For perpetrators of domestic violence, technology can provide them with an extra tool to threaten, control and humiliate.” And of course, not all women have a public platform from which to get support and to have a voice. Many victims will be left unsupported with nowhere to turn. Stella Creasy, MP, criticised the police for treating online abuse as ‘malicious communication’ instead of as stalking and harassment. All too often women see online abuse, receive online abuse and talk about online abuse, as something which is just simply a part of our lives, something we have to accept and put up with, something that comes with the territory of 2013 and the world of social media. But women should not accept this behaviour. It is illegal. We need to #shoutback. We need to ensure abusers cannot hide behind Twitter and other social media profiles. We need to ensure we can live in a world free from fear of yet another source of violence towards women.  |
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