Women's Views on News |
- Tweet for two per cent
- Events: 30 September – 6 October
- Sports round-up: 23 – 29 September
- Fancy dress for kids ‘sexy’?
| Posted: 30 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT
The It Takes Two campaign is calling on all reproductive health product companies – but starting with condom companies – to take the lead in supporting increased access for contraceptive services around the world by donating 2 percent of profits from products sold to family planning initiatives. Global Citizens have already rallied together, and over 1000 Global Citizens tweeted at Durex, ONE Condoms, Trojan, and Lifestyles to join the Two Percent Industry Pledge. And ONE Condoms has just emailed us to say that they may sign on to commit a percentage of sales profit to fund critical family planning initiatives! The Female Health Company and WomanCare Global have also made commitments. Our campaign manager is meeting with ONE Condoms this week and we want to be sure that their Twitter account is flooded with messages of support from Global Citizens. We also need to keep the pressure on the major condom companies. Please join us, and ask condom companies to support access to contraception for girls and women by tweeting at Durex, Trojan and Lifestyles to join the Two Percent Industry Pledge. Why? In the developing world 222 million girls and women to have an unmet need for contraception, family planning services and information. Giving women and girls access to contraceptives is transformational – families become healthier, better educated, and wealthier. When women have access to contraceptives they are able to plan their lives, stay in school, and escape poverty. Every dollar spent on family planning can save governments up to USD6 on health, housing, water, and other public services. For companies participating in the Two Percent Industry Pledge, the 2 percent will go towards advocacy efforts to increase access to contraceptives for an additional 120 million women around the world, enabling them to plan their fertility, so they can plan their lives. The funds raised through this campaign will go to It Takes Two or other family planning initiatives that will build on the momentum from the London Summit on Family Planning held in July 2012 where USD2.6 billion was pledged to reduce the unmet need for contraception. By taking a strong stand and calling for other private sector organizations to join in making pledges towards family planning, the reproductive health product industry will give world leaders a clear mandate to increase global investment for family planning and encourage progress on FP2020 commitments. Join us in calling on all reproductive health product companies – starting with condom companies – to donate 2 percent of profits from products sold to family planning efforts that can help reduce the global unmet need for family planning services and information. Ask condom companies to support access to contraception for girls and women by tweeting at Durex, Trojan and Lifestyles and asking them to join the pledge. Join us in enabling 222 million women to plan their lives. Join the Two Percent Industry Pledge. It Takes Two inspires and motivates young men and women in both developed and developing countries to take action in support of improving access to family planning services and information.  |
| Events: 30 September – 6 October Posted: 30 Sep 2013 04:50 AM PDT
Bristol: 1 October: Rape Crisis benefit and Vision of Trees live launch at Mr. Wolf's Bristol, 33 St Stephen's Street, Bristol. Hysterical Injury launch their latest single "Vision of Trees" in a benefit for Bristol Rape Crisis, with support from Annette Berlin and Drunken Butterfly. 3 October: Meet Bristol's women leaders at City Hall, College Green, Bristol from 11am-1pm or 6-8pm The Bristol Women's Commission and Bristol Women's Voice have teamed up to host an event which seeks to encourage more women to become Councillors by offering the opportunity to go and meet those women that are already working within Bristol City Council. Glasgow: Every Thursday until 17 October: Read, Relax, Recharge at Glasgow Women's Library, 23 Landressy Street, Glasgow from 12-2pm Are you a book lover? Or maybe you want to get back into reading again after a long break and don't know where to start? This friendly read-aloud group, led by Magi Gibson and Librarian Wendy Kirk, offers the perfect chance to relax and recharge for a couple of hours. Bring along your lunch and explore stories and poems by a range of amazing women writers from around the world, all washed down with lots of tea and friendly chat. A small donation of £2 (or whatever you can afford) is requested, to cover the costs of running the group, but free places are also available. Click here to register your interest or contact the library for more information. London: 30 September: Stonewall Comedy Gala Presents…Girls' Night Out at Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, London, WC1H from 7.30pm Kerry Godliman, Zoe Lyons and Francesca Martinez, are among the fabulously funny all-female line up who are supporting Stonewall for this special one-off night. Joining them on the evening are Jen Brister (MC), Hannah Gadsby, Angie McEvoy, Leisa Rea, Suzi Ruffell and Rosie Wilby. Tickets £25/£15 2 October: Tracking the Gender Politics of the Millennium Developent Goals: from the Millennium Declaration to the post-MDG consultations at the Old Theatre, Old Building, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London, WC2A, from 6.30pm The Millennium Declaration, signed by over 180 world leaders at the start of the new millennium, committed the international community to targeted achievements on a number of goals by 2015. Along with poverty reduction and human development, these goals included gender equality and women's empowerment. Now, as we draw close to 2015, there have been worldwide consultations on what will replace the MDG agenda. This lecture will focus on the gender politics of this process: the gender text, and sub-text, the goals themselves, the extent to which gender advocates and activists were involved in the formulation of the goals, how the goals relate to previous gender-related commitments of the internal community, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the Vienna Declaration on human rights and what has been achieved so far. It will conclude by examining how feminist organisations are seeking to influence the post-MDG agenda. This event is free and open to all with no ticket required, but entry in on a first come, first served basis. 2 October: Mind Games: The science of sexism at The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS from 7pm The number of female politicians in Britain is decreasing, teenage girls are suffering increased violence from boyfriends, and the pay gap between men and women over the age of 30 shows no sign of equalizing. Some claim that inequality and sexism are on the increase. But where does sexism come from? Claudia Hammond chairs an expert panel discussion. Tickets: £12/£8/£6 2 October: Kate Adie: Womens' role in World War I at the National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London at 7pm When World War I broke out in 1914, women emerged from their domestic lives whilst a generation of men went off to fight. They began to occupy important roles in transport, policing, munitions and even politics. Join Kate Adie as she explains how the First World War began the seismic shift towards equal rights, and explores what these women achieved for future generations. Tickets £10. 3 October: Open meeting and discussion with Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All-India Progressive Women’s Association at the DLT Lecture Theatre (Room G2) SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG at 7pm What does the anti-rape movement which arose from the protests of December 2012 mean for struggles against sexual and gender violence across India? 4 October: A Feeling for Things: The work of Jane Bennett at Birkbeck, 30 Russell Square, London WC1B from 6pm The work of Jane Bennett, the political theorist over the last decade has consistently drawn attention to and had a feeling for things, for the inorganic, and for the agency or quasi-agency of nonhuman actants. This first of a two-day event makes the writing of Jane Bennett a vibrant matter for discussion across the fields of philosophy, psychosocial studies, political theory, cultural studies, literary theory, visual theory and performance studies among others. In particular, the focus will be on how Bennett's explorations of vitalism, anthropocentrism, agency, biopolitics and new materialisms contribute to the emerging and fraught conversations between feminist and queer theory, Object Oriented Ontology and Speculative Realism. This event is free, but registration is essential. 5 October: A Feeling for Things: A conversation around the work of Jane Bennett at Birkbeck Main Building, 30 Russell Square, London, WC1B from 10am-5pm This second of a two-day event will discuss the intersections between Jane Bennett's political thought and feminist/queer theory featuring responses from Eileen Joy, João Florêncio, Jussi Parikka, Nigel Clark, Milla Tiainen, Lisa Baraitser and Michael O'Rourke. Tickets: £40/ £20 Birkbeck Staff and all students. 5 October: She Grrrowls: SEX at The Gallery Café, 21 Old Ford Road, London, E2 from 7.30pm She Grrrowls showcases a range of female spoken word – including poetry, comedy and a music finale. Go along and take part in the all-inclusive open mic section, with this month's theme: SEX. Hosted by Cat Brogan, with poetry from Hannah Chutzpah and Ebele and music and comedy from Ann Domoney. Tickets: £5 Until 11 October: Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale at Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1 from 2pm and 7.30pm It is 1896 at Girton College, Cambridge, and Elizabeth Welsh is preparing for battle. Girton is the first college in Britain to admit women. The girls risk their reputations for their education. They study ferociously and match their male peers grade for grade. Yet, when the men graduate, the girls leave empty handed, with nothing but the stigma of being a 'blue stocking' – and unnatural, educated woman – to their names. They are unqualified and unmarriageable. Principal Elizabeth Welsh is determined to win the girls the right to graduate, whatever the cost Can they persuade the University? Not if the average fellow or undergraduate can prevent it. Meanwhile, Cambridge offers far more than merely educational opportunities to the Girton Girls. The battle for the vote, it seems, is the least of Elizabeth's worries. Blue Stockings follows Welsh and the Girton Girls over this tumultuous year in their fight to change the history of education. Manchester: 30 September: The Politics of Motherhood: Are the Conservatives doing enough to support women's choices? at Richter Room, Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester from 1pm This BPAS fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference will look at the politics of motherhood. Women's decisions about when they should have children, how they should have them and what they should do when they do have them seem increasingly subject to public scrutiny. What role can policymakers play in supporting women's choices and how far can they go? Speakers include Claire Perry MP, Ann Furedi, Eleanor Mills, Jennifer Howze, and Cathy Warwick. All are welcome to join and you do not need a conference pass to attend. 3 October: WTF! Presents Elf Lyons is a Pervert! At The Kings Arms, 11 Bloom Street, Manchester, from 6.30pm Presented by What The Frock! and part of the Women in Comedy UK Festival. Elf Lyons is 22 years-old, 6ft tall and a self-described pervert. Showcasing her first solo stand-up show, join Elf for an epic hour of anecdotes, erotica, library raps and facts on the London Underground. 3 October: What The Frock! in Manchester at The Kings Arms, 11 Bloom Street, Manchester from 8.30pm Part of the Women in Comedy UK Festival, join What The Frock!'s Comedy Club in Manchester with resident MC Jayde Adams, along with: Harriet Kemsley, India Macleod, Bethan Roberts, and Annabel O'Connell. Tickets: £8 Nottingham: 5 October: Get Up! East Midlands Million Women Rise Fundraiser at The Polish Centre, Clumber Avenue, off Sherwood Rise, Nottingham from 8pm Compered by Pam Burrows, this fundraising event for East Midlands Million Women Rise will feature international Folk Artist of Distinction Julie Felix and singer/songwriter Natalie Duncan. Tickets: £10/£7/£3  |
| Sports round-up: 23 – 29 September Posted: 30 Sep 2013 03:00 AM PDT Football: There was a clean sweep for the home nations this week as they started their World Cup qualifying campaigns, journeying towards Canada in 2015. England began in impressive style with a 6-0 win against Belarus in Bournemouth on 21 September. Karen Carney scored a first half hat-trick with Ellen White, Natasha Dowie and Eni Aluko also getting on the scoresheet. On 26 September they went two better with a stunning 8-0 win over Turkey at Fratton Park in Portsmouth. Another first half hat-trick, this time from Toni Duggan, plus two from Ellen White and Eni Aluko saw the hosts go in 6-0 up at half-time. Things quietened in the second half with Aluko getting a second. Substitute Natasha Dowie rounded it all off with England's eighth. In the same qualifying group as England, group 6, Wales also got off to a good start. They beat Belarus 1-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium on 26 September. Helen Ward celebrated her 50th cap in style with the winning goal. Next up in group 6 will be England v Wales in London on 26 October 26. Scotland began their group 4 campaign with a fine 2-7 win at the Faroe Islands on September 22. Rachel Corsie gave the Scots the lead and they went in five up at half-time with goals from Lisa Evans, Jane Ross and two from Leanne Ross. In the second half Suzanne Lappin and Suzanne Mulvey scored again to make it 7-0. The Faroes scored two late goals from Heidi Sevdal, but there was never any chance of a more serious comeback. In their second qualifying game, Scotland thrashed Bosnia-Herzegovina 7-0 at Motherwell's Fir Park on 26 September. They went 3-0 up by half-time with goals from Lisa Evans, Leanne Ross and Kim Little. The tie was effectively over, but Scotland were not going to take it easy in the second half. Further goals from Rachel Corsie, Jane Ross and Suzanne Lappin plus an unfortunate own goal from Spahic saw a rampant Scotland side finish off in style. On the domestic front, it was billed as a thrilling winner-takes-all end to the FAWSL season on 29 September. Liverpool went into the game two points ahead of Bristol Academy and thus only needed to avoid defeat to take the title. A crowd of 2165 saw Liverpool put in an excellent performance to win the game 2-0. They took the lead through a Louise Fors penalty in the first half with a well-taken goal from Icelander Katrin Osmardottir sealing the win in the second. It was just desserts for Liverpool FC who, before the season started, invested heavily in the women's side, putting them on a professional footing only equal in Britain to that of Arsenal. It also ended Arsenal's ten year dominance of the domestic league. Netball: England completed a series whitewash against South Africa this week in three tests which saw them improve in each match. The first test, in Bath, on 23 September ended in a 49-38 win for England. The first half was tight with England going in with a two-point lead, 22-20. By the end of the game the scoreline showed a significant gap, but was somewhat flattering to England, who had to fight every step of the way. The second test at Wembley on 25 September saw England take an unassailable lead in the series, 51-33. In a much improved performance England were 29-18 up at half time and never looked liked being beaten. In an interview with the BBC, England captain Pamela Cookey said, “I’m so proud of the girls. We stamped our authority on the game." The third test on 27 Septmber at Worcester saw England triumph again taking the game 53-41 and the series 3-0. In truth, England were never troubled, but England coach Anna Mayes can still see room for improvement, “I’m disappointed we lost the last quarter. One of our objectives for the series was to win all quarters of the three games,” she said. Tennis: Britain's top female tennis players continued to struggle this week. British number one, Laura Robson, lost in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo to Ayumi Morita 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Johanna Konta beat eighth seed Lauren Davis in the International Women's Open in Ningbo, China, 6-4 4-6 6-3. This was a fine win and Konta was hoping to build on this triumph, but had to withdraw mid way through her quarter-final against Johanna Larsson with an abdominal strain. It was one set all at the time with Konta competing well, when she had to retire through injury. Heather Watson still looked out of sorts at the China Open as she lost in the first round to American Varvara Lepchenko. Watson took the first set 6-1, but then tired, losing the second 6-3 and the third by the same score. She is clearly still feeling the effects of the glandular fever she suffered earlier on in the year and it will be some time before she is back to full fitness. Cycling: Laura Trott took individual pursuit gold at the British National Track Championships this week in Manchester. She beat Dani King to claim the title with Scotland's Katie Archibald talking the bronze. Trott finished in a time of 3.34.973 with King on 3.42.355 and Archibald 3.42.008. Lizzie Armistead did not fare so well at the Road World Championships this week. Marianne Vos was unbeatable yet again as she retained her title in Tuscany. She won the 140km race in a time of three hours and 44 minutes. Sweden's Emma Johansson came in second, 15 seconds behind with Italy's Rossella Ratto in third. Armistead was the first Briton home but was way back in 19th place. Horse racing: Lady Cecil has indicated that she is going to continue to train at the Warren Place stables in Newmarket, in Suffolk; after her husband, Sir Henry Cecil, died in June, she took on a temporary licence to continue to train. The stable has had 31 winners from 131 runners since Sir Henry's death. In an interview with the BBC she said, “I have spoken to our owners and our staff and confirmed that it is my intention to carry on as trainer at Warren Place. “I have also talked to the British Horseracing Authority about plans to continue and have signed up to complete the training licence modules through the winter. “We are lucky to be able to train from such a superb location as Warren Place. It is proven over the decades as a fabulous environment where horses can thrive. I am also fortunate that Henry built up such a strong team and in Mike Marshall I have an excellent assistant."  |
| Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:06 AM PDT
Last week US retail giant Wallmart pulled a ‘naughty leopard’ Halloween costume from its shelves after parents complained it was sexualising young girls. The black and purple leopard print and lace dress with matching ears was designed for two year-olds and although the outfit itself was no more offensive than many others on the market, it was the name that drew the biggest objections. The problem is if you put ‘naughty’ in front of just about anything these days, it becomes a ‘sexy’ fancy dress costume for adult women. In fact, just google ‘fancy dress costumes for women’ and the images are pretty similar. It seems fancy dress for women today equals sexy. I’ve seen sexy soldier, sexy cowgirl, sexy geisha, sexy bear(?!) and, possibly the worst one; the sexy fireman. See it in all its glory here. I’m afraid it’s only available in sizes 8-12, because anything larger obviously can’t be ‘sexy’. You might want to compare this to the men’s fireman costume here, which looks more like, well, someone who could actually fight a fire. Women’s fancy dress costumes, from the sailor to the superhero, are all variations on a theme; a miniskirt and bustier, or the ‘wench’ look. Who’d have thought it could be adapted to so many outfits? Halloween, whatever you might think of it, is supposed to be a celebration of all things ghoulish and supernatural, and if men want to dress up they can make themselves look hideous, whereas women must still look hot. For kids, dressing up is part of growing up; you can pretend to be anything you wan to be. But if you’re buying off-the-shelf, ‘anything’ must still conform to gender stereotypes. After only a brief search online I’ve unearthed several Halloween costumes aimed at girls which are less fiendish and more fluffy (read: sickly and slightly inappropriate): The can can cutie (a bit Moulin Rouge), pumpkin princess (making ugly food pretty), captain cuteness (a pirate who would presumably prefer to steal your heart than your treasure), the sweetie devil (because even evil personified needs to look good), glamour witch (no more green skin or warts), and bad kitty (whore) vs cute kitty (the good girl). Of all the dress-up themes you can think of, Halloween really does have the potential to be the most gender-neutral; ghosts and monsters, pumpkins and cats could all be suited to little boys or little girls, but even our home-grown supermarkets are marketing blatantly gender-specific costumes that underline the damsel in distress attitude. Asda’s costumes for girls are variations on the frilly ‘wench’ dress (yes, from age three up), including the rainbow witch, cobweb witch, cat witch, light up witch and dark angel. Compare these to the boys‘ costumes of superheroes and villains. Tesco has a questionable ‘Black Swan‘ ballerina outfit which targets girls from three to 14. I’m pretty sure the film is a 15 and has some quite adult themes (sex, sexual harassment, lesbianism and possibly murder), but hey, it looks pretty and feminine, so it’s fine to dress your three-year-old as the sexually-charged opposite to Natalie Portman’s virginal white swan. Interestingly a lot of the outfits categorised by Tesco as as boys‘ could easily be marketed as unisex, but there are no gender-neutral options, as even at three years old boys must be boys and girls must be girls. Back in the 80s I remember going to our village carnival dressed as Peter Pan, accompanied by my younger sister as Mr Bump. It was a miss-match of outfits we chose ourselves, which no doubt our parents found hilarious, but we weren’t constrained by taffeta frills. In a country which has come a long way in progressing equality since I was born in the 1970s, it seems odd that boys’ and girls’ clothes are becoming more and more gender-specific, and this is accentuated in fancy dress. There are enough pressures on grown women to conform to gender stereotypes; we shouldn’t be encouraging children to do the same, particularly when they’re playing make-believe.  |
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