Women's Views on News |
| Posted: 17 Oct 2013 07:42 AM PDT
Launched in 2006 Change.org bills itself as 'the world's petition platform'. But what impact does this online forum have on feminist campaigns? And can it truly create enough momentum to help achieve worldwide gender equality? Change.org is an online petition and campaigning website that allows people to create petitions, get them advertised widely and gather huge numbers of signatures. The ensuing high volume of responses have prompted organisations, companies and governments to review or change their policies. After a groundswell of interest the company said that it now has over 45 million members from 196 countries throughout the world. But it is not just about petition-signing. Change.org’s founder and CEO, Ben Rattray, says he is managing a new type of company that is primarily focussed on having a social impact and aims to have long-term relevancy, while not being shaped by the non-profit sector and preserving an interest in revenue and finance generation. For as Rattray explains on the Change.org blog: 'some social problems are more effectively addressed through companies rather than non profits' since 'being a company gives us greater access to investment capital than is available to non-profits'. And Rattray has said that he will never take the company public, never sell it, and that will always ensure who is in control of its mission by keeping it in the hands of the founders and core team. However, critics of the business side of the site point out that it is being profit-making, through selling the email addresses of those who sign the petitions. They also say that sponsored campaigns, i.e. campaigns that are paid for, go against the original purpose of promoting social change. Critics also suggest that Change.org simply encourages lazy involvement in political, cultural and social issues and allows those signing the petitions to enjoy a sense of righteousness without having exerted more than a finger tapping modicum of commitment. However, allegations that Change.org has had no practical impact appear to be unfounded; its successes are highlighted on the website in the victories section and through publications reporting on the petitions’ aims and themes in local or nationwide media. Recent campaigns that have seen victorious outcomes for the feminist activists using the site. These include the 'Bank of England: keep a woman on English banknotes' campaign instigated by Caroline Criado-Perez. Criado-Perez founded The Women's Room, a database of women experts compiled as a response to media weighting on male experts. She then launched the ‘keep a woman on English banknotes’ campaign after the Bank of England announced that it would replace the only female currently on banknotes – reformer Elizabeth Fry – with Winston Churchill. In July, after gathering over 36,000 signatures, the Bank of England assured her that Jane Austen would appear on the new £10 notes, and that the bank would reconsider how it chose figures for the banknotes. Criado-Perez reported that Bank of England officials told her that their decision was a direct result of the campaign. Rape Crisis South London (Rasasc) also used Change.org successfully. They petitioned the UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron over a loophole in legislation that allowed depictions of rape to appear on pornographic websites as long as these videos were uploaded to websites from outside the UK. In July of this year, after gathering nearly 73,000 signatures, Rasasc revealed that David Cameron had unveiled plans to bring in measures to tackle internet pornography. Thanking those who signed the petition, Rasasc said: 'Given that the Government’s position in April was that they would explicitly not be amending the law, your support has made all the difference in making this change possible'. In 2012 Ryanair felt the impact of Change.org when a member of the company’s cabin crew launched a petition to stop the airline's sexist advertising campaign featuring women in underwear and the slogan 'Red hot deals and cabin crew'. After the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the ads the crew member who began the petition wrote: 'Ryanair have frequently been guilty of sexist advertising in the past, but after today they know they can't get away with objectifying their female staff to advertise their services'. Allison Gofman, writing on 'democratic online news platform' PolicyMic, defends online petitions, pointing out that they ‘encourage simple, tangible action on issues that people care about'. She said: 'To argue that simplicity encourages triviality undermines the basic principle of democracy, that people have a right to their voice.” And she pointed out that making the political system more complex only serves to disenfranchise more people and be no help at all. Change.org itself has acknowledged that the most successful petitions are followed up by offline action, saying that if overnight success is not achieved online then conferences, meetings and other actions can ensure campaigns are promoted widely. Online campaigns, social media outlets and petitions can also help women operating in strongly patriarchal societies to instigate change; the Japanese Olympic football team’s flight plans are one of the better known examples. Whatever its business model, Change.org – and other virtual hosts – can be praised for promoting feminism by facilitating changes that tackle symptoms of violence against women and thus highlight the root causes of cultural misogyny.  |
| Posted: 17 Oct 2013 04:41 AM PDT
A new Lottie doll says yes. Ada Lovelace Day 2013 – an international day celebrating the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths – saw the official launch of the Robot Girl Lottie doll and the Busy Lizzie the Robot accessory set; new additions to the innovative and award-winning 'pro girl' range of Lottie dolls launched in Autumn 2012. Robot Girl Lottie and the Busy Lizzie the Robot accessory set introduce the theme of robots via the unexpected medium of a doll – encouraging and inspiring young girls to develop an interest in robotics, and an early appreciation of Science, Maths, Technology and Engineering (STEM) in a practical, hands-on manner. And the storytelling setting helps kids aged 3 and up understand how robots work and what makes them unique. The story? Robot Girl Lottie is competing in a Science Fair and decides to build a robot that can 'get busy' doing all the household chores she dislikes. She investigates whether it is possible to build a robot using only recycled household items, including old shoes that she unearths in her messy bedroom. There are two elements here. The Robot Girl Lottie, who wears blue jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, a blue hoodie with a metallic – Marie Curie inspired - 'atomic' design on the front, a baseball cap, glasses and Converse-style trainers – and a non-Barbie/Bratz shaped figure – more or less the proportions of a nine year-old – developed by two British scientists. Lottie doesn't wear makeup, jewellery or high heels either; she can stand on her own two feet – always a useful life skill for all girls, big and small. The second part is the Busy Lizzie the Robot accessory set package which includes practical suggestions for kids to get 'hands-on' with robots – just like Lottie. The set also features a mini-biography of Erin Kennedy, Canadian robotics role-model, trailblazer and original 'Robot Grrl', and information about Kathy Ceceri, US award-winning author of 'Robotics', a fun and educational introduction to the exciting field of designing, building, and operating robots. Real-life examples of powerful, positive role models for girls to emulate. The inspiration for the set was provided by a real-life science fair project by eight year-old Allie Weber from the USA. A blog article written by Allie's mother, Kara, describing Allie's science fair project, also inspired the idea to have the Busy Lizzie robot wear 'recycled' shoes that are interchangeable with those of the Robot Girl Lottie doll. Busy Lizzie the Robot is not simply a standalone figure; it has interactive plugin elements so that the arms and headpieces are interchangeable; the fun and appeal for kids lies in mixing up the arms, headpieces and shoes so that they are miss-matched. Engineering cogs stickers are included, for more fun. To show the emphasis on “building” as a form of play, the blue, green and coral design on the front of the Busy Lizzie packaging features cogs, gears and tools. And just in case you have forgotten her story, you can download a kid's biography of Ada Lovelace here, or from the Lottie dolls Facebook page. Lottie dolls producers say that Robot Girl Lottie is seen a strong addition to the existing line up of Lottie dolls, and builds on their inspiring 'pro girl' theme: a doll that is truly appropriate for girls 3-‐9 years old; positive role modelling through play, in terms of self-image perception – and toys that meet and exceed today's parental values. Reports from 3-9 year-olds welcome.  |
| Giving politics a female perspective Posted: 17 Oct 2013 01:09 AM PDT
From 15-21 November, events up and down the country are being staged to spotlight the contribution women make to politics and explore how more women’s voices can be heard. But even before the actual week of Parliament Week, the British Youth Council, in conjunction with Parliament Week have been offering women free workshops. They run under the title "Challenge 39% – Women in Democracy", and the idea is to encourage young women under 24 to vote. In the last general election only 39 per cent of the women in this age group went to the polls. The workshops identified ways to drive change and bust a few myths. There are other events taking place throughout the country. The South London Women Artists’ project, It’s In the Bag, started on 30 September and runs until 18 November. They perform #APublicAiring – a project investigating the negative effect of sexism in our everyday lives. The first event of the Lord Speaker's visit to Yorkshire, which is part of her ongoing engagement programme throughout the country, the Lord Speaker, Baroness D’Souza, and Professor Matthew Flinders will discuss the House of Lords and its role in today's parliamentary processes in Sheffield on 14 November. Other events include a chance to hear stories of Manchester’s radical women in an evening on 15 November called Pub Walk, Women, Radical Thinkers and Drinkers, at the People’s History Museum. Also on 15 November, influential women working in Thanet will gather together for a day of inquiry into the notion of leadership, asking what can these successful women and the young people who will join them learn from each other? De Montfort University in Leicester will be running a series of blogs written by women already involved in politics. A banner workshop being held in Croydon on 16 November; create a banner based on the International Women’s Day League banner. Gender, Politics and the Life Cycle, being held in The Paul Hirst Seminar Room, 10 Gower Street, London, on 18 November, will consider how women’s political involvement varies during different periods in their lifetime. In Cardiff a workshop will also explore how more women can get engaged with democratic action. Rosemary Butler AM, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, is sponsoring this event. Natascha Engel, Labour MP for North East Derbyshire, explains why democracy matters in a blog for Parliament Week. Engel grew up in West Berlin while the Berlin Wall was still separating West from East Berlin, and says may not be so clear now in Britain to see why democracy matters. "People don't always realise it, but whether it's attending a protest or a march, joining an online campaign, signing a petition, contacting an MP, or writing to the Prime Minister, it's all politics," she said. "In an age when we're often told people are switched off by politics, it's vital we recognise the importance of having our say and celebrate our ability to effect change through politics." Click here to see the programme, or here to follow what is going on on Facebook. Or you can take part in the #ActNowChallenge to find out about, share and celebrate women in democracy. Although women have had a huge influence on the UK's democratic life for many years, few people know about the stories of those women and what they did to make a difference. The #ActNowChallenge is your opportunity to find out about the vital role women have played in democratic life – and to tell others about it. Click here to join in.  |
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