Women's Views on News |
- A woman wins the Nobel literature prize
- A guide to the 2014 European elections
- The vagaries of athletics lottery funding
| A woman wins the Nobel literature prize Posted: 24 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT
First awarded in 1901, the Nobel Prize for Literature is given to an individual who produces – in the words of the late Alfred Nobel himself 'in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction'. The potential vagaries of 'ideal direction' aside, the Nobel Prize has become known colloquially for its emphasis on quality, social impact and artistic excellence. Munro becomes one of only 13 women to have been awarded the Nobel Prize for literature its 112 year history. The prize has been given to 110 individuals, thus female writers have only received it 14 per cent of the time. The prize is awarded by The Swedish Academy, and the result was announced in a press release on October 10. Speaking after making the announcement, Peter Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, acknowledged that ‘no one has better deconstructed [..] romantic love' than Alice Munro and referred to her as “the master of the contemporary short story’. Alice Munro, born in and currently living in Canada, is a powerful writer who produces ‘accessible, moving stories’ that are ‘set in her native Canada, in small, provincial towns like the one she grew up in and explore human relationships through everyday, ordinary events’. Munro won the Man Booker International prize in 2009. That prize “seeks to recognise a living author who has contributed significantly to world literature and to highlight the author’s continued creativity’. Book collections written by Munro include ‘The view from Castle Rock’; ‘Too much happiness’; ‘My Mistress’s Sparrow is dead’; and ‘Dear Life’. Munro said that she ‘hasn’t gotten over the delight yet’ and believes that the award will raise the profile of the short story in general. Unfortunately Munro is not scheduled to attend the awards ceremony due to ill health. The decision to award the Nobel Prize for Literature to Munro has been widely praised and it is thought that she will be a popular choice.  |
| A guide to the 2014 European elections Posted: 24 Oct 2013 04:05 AM PDT
Whispers on the political grapevine have alerted me to the European Parliament elections of 2014, though I confess I was woefully ignorant of the most basic information. So, in a bid to educate myself, and to inspire women to get involved, I have produced this article. This should give the curious enough time to do further research and the give the enthused plenty of scope to get involved. What is the election about? Next May all 27 of the European Union (EU) member states will elect representatives to the European Parliament. A full list of member states can be found here. The United Kingdom will be voting for 72 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). They are drawn from 12 electoral regions, with each region electing between 3 and 10 MEPs. There are 766 MEPs in total. Crucially, the European Parliament has the power to 'approve, amend or reject' new European laws. It is one of seven institutions that make up the European Union, and has a particular role in scrutinising the European Union Commission. It has powers in number of areas like animal rights, consumer affairs, the environment, international trade, regional economic development and working conditions. Overall it ensures that the European Union maintains and upholds democratic principles. When is the election? Voting in the UK takes place on Thursday 22 May. To see which region you live in and the number of MEPs representing you, follow this link. MEPs serve five-year terms, and can be re-elected for further terms. Where can I find out about candidates running for the European Parliament? Most candidates for the European Parliament come from the established political parties. So far the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) have announced candidates. Independent candidates also run, and will be added to the European Parliament website. Which candidates seem most interested in furthering women's rights in the EU? Ivana Bartoletti – Labour candidate, London. Ivana is the Deputy Director of the Fabian Women's Network (FWN). The network aims to inspire women to get involved in politics and bring about social change. Barloletti has also been elected to the Labour Women's Network national committee. Bartoletti says she believes in placing women at the centre of Europe, and that greater equality can lead to economic recovery and prosperity. She adds that she will stringently support women rights, and powerfully represent women's interests at EU level if elected. MEP Jean Lambert – Green Party candidate, London. Jean works to promote social inclusion, and has an interest in human rights and equality. Find out more about her past work and future pledges here. How can the gender equality agenda be best represented in the Europe? Thirty-three per cent of UK MEPs elected at the last election in 2009 were female. Approximately one third of all MEPs are women. Although the proportion of female MEPs in the European Parliament has gradually increased since 1979 it is still vitally important to get behind female candidates who can reflect the interests of women in their region, and male candidates who support gender equality. This is acutely important since the European Parliament has the final say on individuals elected to serve on the European Union Commission. The European Union Commission is composed of one member from each member state. Commissioners are nominated by member state governments and ratified by the European Parliament. The European Union Commission drafts legislation and puts laws forward to the European Parliament for approval, amendment or rejection. Legislation on gender equality or violence against women is more likely to be promoted, supported and passed if the European Union Commission and Parliament are composed of more women and those from a diverse range of backgrounds. To function as a democracy more of us must engage with, and hold the European Union to account. The European Parliament is important as it acts as a check on the EU and tends to limit its ability to implement arbitrary legislation, or legislation that is against women’s interests. The decisions of the European Parliament have a direct impact on each member state as European Union laws are binding and must be implemented at national level. So voting in the European elections can affect what happens across Europe. Further information: Further information is available at the European Union website; the European Parliament website; the United Kingdom European Parliament website election documents and materials. The National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (NAWO) will be running a youth event discussing the European Parliament elections and gender equality and how individuals can get involved and influence decision making. Find out more here. For an overview of gender equality and the European Union, read this article, which appeared in WVoN earlier this year. And don’t forget to register to vote!  |
| The vagaries of athletics lottery funding Posted: 24 Oct 2013 04:00 AM PDT
When the athletics lottery funding for 2013-14 was announced last week, there were some high profile casualties. Former world champion Phillips Idowu was just one of the big names to miss out on funding. Idowu has gone through some well-publicised problems since his triple-jump world championship triumph in Berlin in 2009. He suffered injury, took a break from the sport and consequently missed this year's world championships in Moscow in August. In addition to this, earlier this month he was convicted for drink driving and subsequently given a two-year driving ban. Other well-known athletes to have lost their funding include middle distance runners Lisa Dobriskey and Jenny Meadows. Dobriskey, who won silver in the 1500m at the Berlin games in 2009, but pulled out of the Moscow games through injury, is particularly disappointed. “I still believe I have the potential to medal in 2016. With or without the support of British Athletics, that is still going to be my aim,” she told the BBC. Also missing out are triple-jumper Yamile Aldama, pole-vaulter Steve Lewis, and long distance runners Jo Pavey and Julia Bleasdale. There are now two levels of funding: top-level "podium" funding and second layer "podium potential" funding. There is also separate funding for the relay. According to UK Athletics (UKA), only "genuine medal contenders" can receive funding. So, they obviously don't see Idowu, Dobriskey, Meadows, Turner, etc., as even "contenders". UKA admits that the criteria for allocating funding have narrowed; they used to be on "likelihood to make a final". Now it seems that this is not good enough – only the gold, silver and bronze count. Long jumper Chris Tomlinson , often accused of failing to live up to his potential, has managed to retain his funding. He is one of the lucky ones. He is not sanguine about it, however. "Individual cases are different but, from my experience over a decade, UK Sport keep moving the goalposts to make things even harder,” he said. The change in criteria has seen the group given top-level funding drop to just 22. There are 16 on relay funding. Currently 44 athletes are on the "podium potential" programme. There are 25 Paraylmpic athletes on podium funding, with two on the relay programme and 23 on podium potential. Of course, although some have lost out, there have also been winners. The women's 4 x 100m relay team have been rewarded for their Moscow bronze with new relay funding. There can be no doubt about their improvement. They failed to even qualify for the 2012 Olympics and this is a just reward for that improvement. Ashleigh Nelson, Annabelle Lewis, Hayley Jones, Dina Lewis-Asher and Anyika Onuora all make it on to the programme for relay funding. The biggest name to miss out on the Paralympic side is Shelly Woods. Although she won silver in the London 2012 wheelchair marathon, she has since been through illness and injury which caused her to pull out of the world championships this year. She is set to appeal the decision. On the positive side 16 year-old Sophie Hahn, who won the T38 100m world championship title in Lyon, is set to get podium funding for the first time. Unfortunately there does seem to be a theme here. Many of the cut athletes have suffered illness or injury in their careers, which has meant them missing out in a major championship. However, where UKA could have issued a positive message of encouragement, backing them so they can win again, it has pulled their funding. The message seems to be, "Don't get injured because we won't support you – you've had your chance." Obviously there are always others waiting in the wings, which is good news. Others will deserve their opportunity, but surely that is what the "Podium Potential" level is for. More established athletes looking to rebuild their careers may find themselves prematurely on the scrap heap. It is a fact of life that not every athlete who deserves funding will get it. We have to recognise that the amount of funding is finite. But, as the criteria for qualification keep changing, there will be more and more frustrated athletes wondering just what they have done to count themselves out of the running. Could athletes even try to hide injuries to avoid losing their funding? The UKA website makes interesting reading for anyone wanting more information on how funding is allocated along with the complete list of funded athletes. Click here for details.  |
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