Women's Views on News |
- This year’s 16 Days campaign
- Talking about women and transport
- Lily Allen’s comeback video
- Exibition: Barriers to Freedom
- Talking about older women – at last
| Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:05 AM PST
The theme for this year's 16 Days Campaign of activism against gender violence, which runs from from 25 November-10 December, is ‘From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women’. The campaign advocates for awareness and action on the multi-faceted intersections of gender-based violence and militarism and to highlight the connection between the struggle for economic and social rights and ending gender-based violence. The theme focuses on militarism as a creation and normalisation of a culture of fear that is supported by the use or threat of violence, or aggression, as well as military intervention in response to political and social disputes or to enforce economic and political interests. Militarism is a system of structural violence that infringes upon the human rights and human dignity, safety, and security of women, men, and children in nearly every country and region of the world. The impact of militarism can be seen in the way national budgets are allocated for health services, education, and public spaces versus military budgets; in legislation and policies that marginalize women and minorities; in discriminatory policies and acts enforced or condoned by state authorities; and in military response versus diplomacy to political and social issues. This campaign emphasises that women's rights are human rights, and acknowledges the role of patriarchal systems that embody harmful traditions and legal policies that normalise violence against women, and deny women their right to a life of dignity. The 16 Days Campaign will focus on three priority areas while underlining the intersections of economic and social rights with militarism and gender-based violence: 1. Violence Perpetrated by State Actors: State actors use the threat or act of violence to maintain or attain power. They claim a need to protect state security by unleashing violence on those deemed a threat; and they sexually and physically assault Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs), protestors, and dissenters fighting for political, economic, social, and sexual rights. Police, judges, and prosecutors harass women victimised by gender-based violence into silence. In some places, women are punished for the sexual violence committed against them. The prevalence of State impunity for crimes against its peoples, those of other countries, and stateless peoples is a grave challenge to ending gender-based violence and militarism and achieving the realisation of women's human rights. States are tasked with due diligence – to respect, protect, and promote the human rights of all people. Still, women and girls throughout the world continue to be denied access to economic and social rights (the right to work, education, food, and water for example), while Women Human Rights Defenders who advocate for these human rights are harassed, assaulted, or killed by state sanctioned authorities. Seen as transgressors of sexual and gender norms and the traditional "private" space assigned to them in their communities and countries, Women Human Rights Defenders remain targets of State violence and imprisonment. In Egypt, during recent protests Women Human Rights Defenders endured harassment as well as sexual and physical assault at the hands of male protestors, soldiers, and police, and were forced to have virginity tests while imprisoned. In Honduras, transgender Women Human Rights Defenders face economic, political, and social discrimination, and extrajudicial killings perpetrated or condoned by State authorities. In Iran, Women Human Rights Defenders are routinely targeted by the State, a State which often claims that these women are a threat to the moral order of society or are working with subversive elements against the integrity of the State. Women Human Rights Defenders, especially indigenous women, are fighting and dying to protect the forests, waters, and lands that are pivotal to their communities' economic and social well-being. They are fighting to keep ancestral lands from theft or destructive use by the State and private sector, and curb human rights abuses of wind, mining, water, logging industries, and of factory labour. 2. Domestic Violence and the Role of Small Arms: Domestic violence continues to occur in every region of the world, with the majority of the world's women experiencing violence inflicted by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Statistics show that having a gun in the home increases the risk of someone being murdered by 41 per cent, while for women in the context of domestic/intimate partner violence, the risk is increased by 272 per cent. The proliferation of small arms, which include guns, machetes and knives, increases the threat of injury or death for women and children and normalises acts of violence. Many countries have instituted legislation and reforms to combat domestic/intimate partner violence, but the implementation of protection and services for survivors of violence, and stronger reforms against the proliferation of small arms have yet to be fully realised. Economic dependence and exploitation is a contributing factor to why women remain in domestic violence situations. Women's economic independence is imperative to empowerment over their lives and enjoyment of human rights. 3. Sexual Violence During and After Conflict: Violent conflict increases the vulnerability of women and girls, where rape, sexual slavery, mutilation, forced impregnation, and forced "marriage" occur against them at a higher rate than during times of relative peace. Vulnerability rises especially for women and girls who are collecting water or firewood, tending to fields, living in refugee or internally displaced camps, or in areas overrun with fighting between militias or state military. Sexual violence, in its various forms, is used as a weapon to instil fear and maintain power over communities by armed militias and State authorities. Soldiers, as well as mandated peacekeepers, have been guilty of abusing or raping women and girls in refugee camps. Local women who work or live near military bases experience sexual violence at the hands of foreign troops stationed in the area. Many women continue to feel the effects of their abuse in psychological, physical, and social terms after the official end of violent conflict. Most cultures and traditions stigmatise and punish women who have been sexually violated; after experiencing sexual violence, instead of support, they often face being ostracised by their families and communities. In places where there are competing power structures, women and girls are also vulnerable to being bartered or traded to settle disputes, to pay off debts, or improve social, political, and business relations. As always, the 16 Days Campaign encourages you to participate, and to focus on areas that are most relevant to your specific context. Consider how you can engage with your government and community to challenge and change in positive terms the structures that perpetuate gender-based violence. The Center for Women's Global Leadership has developed materials for the 2013 Take Action Kit (TAK), which contain resources to help support activities during the 16 Days Campaign. Visit our website to download the Take Action Kit materials or to request hard copy. Join us on Facebook or Twitter: #16days; @16DaysCampaign; @CWGLRutgers To check out events in the UK click here.  |
| Talking about women and transport Posted: 22 Nov 2013 06:59 AM PST
A ‘Women and Transport’ session put on by the Parliamentary Outreach team earlier this week featured four women speakers who either work in the transport industry or have ties to it. It was attended by over 50 people, mainly women who worked in or were affiliated with the transport industry, and it took place at the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London. After a welcome from Labour MP Louise Ellman, chair of the House of Commons Transport Committee – and who confirmed that there was still in imbalance of women within the transport industry – Alison Munro, chief executive of the somewhat controversial HS2 (high speed rail network) took the stand. As the meeting was focusing on women in transport, the controversy over HS2 was not mentioned. Instead Munro outlined how jobs in the transport industry can look off-putting to women, and she told us, that when she started she was often the only woman in the room. However, she went on to say that HS2 is currently offering graduate opportunities, career advice and tremendous opportunities for women. Despite this, Munro did say that the industry needed to start attracting women from school age on, for as 'transport touches our lives in many ways', Munro felt that women's involvement was essential in shaping an inclusive transport network. Next up was Sheila Holden, the – first woman – president of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT). For her, transport is a fundamental reality of everyone’s lives, and so is much more than 'just infrastructure'. She outlined how she felt that women have specific transport needs, and that women are needed in the industry in order to bring specific perspectives to the table. Apparently the UK has the lowest number of women engineers in the European Union, and it is only in the last 15-25 years that this country has begun to think more holistically about transport in terms of multi-modal journeys. Holden also told us how when she applied to become a chartered engineer, there had only been one other woman who had taken the course and she was told this woman ‘failed the course’. She also told us how, when she she applied for a transport job several years ago, she sat through the interview but was then told that the job was only open to men. Camilla Ween, the president of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) – an organisation which focuses on advancing women in transportation – then took the stand and talked about the support her organisation offers to women, including advice, mentoring and support, confidence building and access to networks. WTS also runs workshops and seminars to encourage women's involvement in the transport sector. For Ween, adequate maternity leave arrangements are a key area which needs to change if women are to make significant inroads in redressing the gender balance in the industry, as women often do not return to work because of the inflexible working patterns. She also pointed out that organisations that do practice flexible working pattern have reported a 76 per cent improvement in retention of staff and an increase in the quality of the work carried out. Moving on from this, Ween talked about how important the transition points – where people are changing from one transport mode to another – within transport networks are. She also wondered if the transport network was welcoming to women in terms of design and felt that poor design can make travelling much more complicated than it needs to be. The most obvious problems (among many) related to women travelling on public transport with children and lone travellers finding themselves waiting at or exiting badly lit railway stations. The final speaker was Val Shawcross CBE, chair of the Greater London Assembly’s Transport Committee. Shawcross pointed out that there was a very successful lobbying group for car users and that the cycling lobby was having an impact, but that pedestrians and bus users were often simply not heard. This is exacerbated by the media’s lack of focus on these two groups – possibly because they, especially pedestrians, offer business little or no profit margin. As an example she pointed out who gets the road space if traffic smoothing is needed and how this tends not to be pedestrians: it is much more likely that traffic lights will be adjusted to make pedestrians wait longer. Alarmingly, she also reported that there has been a 15 per cent rise in pedestrian accidents in London. Returning to public transport users, she outlined what hostile environments buses and trains can be to those who need to travel in a wheelchair, have buggies, or are older users, because of overcrowding. In short, she felt that there is a lack of route planning and coherent ticketing policies and not enough consultation with women. The session was followed by questions from the floor. One of these was whether positive discrimination is needed to up the numbers of women. The panel did not think this was a good idea as they wanted to be appointed because of their talent rather than their gender and advocated targets and awareness raising instead. The obvious – but not voiced – rebuttal to this is that men are already appointed for their gender, and it is about time women had the same privilege. Another audience member asked how attractive can jobs in the industry be if there are no existing roles models, and one suggestion was that the transport industry develop an employment index for women at work, similar to the one that Stonewall uses to track employment of the most gay-friendly workplaces. Another question concerned how to make the links stronger between health and public transport, and apparently the London transport system TfL has now appointed a public health psychologist to work with its employees. Finally, again relating to health, the feeling was that there is a need to improve walking and cycling options to make it easier for these to be part of an active life and that the design of roads and pavements needed to focus on making it as easy as possible for these activities to take place. The comments at the session reflected some of the issues that have informed Metpex (MEasurement Tool to determine the quality of Passenger EXperience), an EU research project led by Coventry University, which is aiming to develop and evaluate a standardised tool to measure passenger experience across whole journeys. The results of this research will be used to help policy makers provide inclusive, passenger-oriented integrated transport systems that are accessible by everybody. At the time of writing, those of us working on Metpex are considering which variables to include in the tool. Part of my role is to ensure that equality and diversity issues are taken into account, for example by including variables relating to class, race, age, disability and gender. Meanwhile, this was an interesting session and it was good to see that the gender imbalance is recognised as an issue by the transport industry. We can only hope that more women get involved. As a Research Fellow at Coventry University, part of Jane Osmond’s remit is research into integrated transport solutions within the Integrated Transport and Logistics group. As such she was asked to attend this ‘Women and Transport’ session put on by the Parliamentary Outreach team.  |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2013 06:18 AM PST
If you are a human who has access to an internet connection – which seems likely given that you are currently reading this – then last week you probably noticed several things: people still like cats, Jennifer Lawrence has had a haircut, and Lily Allen has released a new music video. The video for ‘Hard Out Here’ opens with Allen lying on a plastic surgeon's operating table while being told that she has ‘let herself go’, and goes on to parody a host of sexist music video tropes, aiming some balloon-shaped digs at Robin Thicke along the way. But the video has also been accused of being racist for its use of twerking by scantily clad black dancers. Here two writers present opposing sides of the argument. Hard Out Here: A bold parody of music industry sexism by Ruby Guyatt In a blog Allen has defended the video for Hard Out Here, stating that the dancers were chosen for their ability rather than their race. She adds that: 'The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture. It has nothing to do with race, at all.' Much of the criticism of the video ignores the simple fact that, while four of the dancers are black, three (plus Lily) are not. As Jameela Jamil has pointed out, the video also features a non-black dancer being photographed in her underwear, a white dancer being spanked on all fours, and a black dancer sharing 'tips' with a non-black dancer. Furthermore, as Allen has stated online and several of the dancers have themselves reiterated on Twitter, the women in the video were hired for their dancing ability, not because of their race. While acknowledging that some elements of the video are problematic, Guardian commentator Ellie Mae O'Hagan argues that Allen should not be expected to represent all feminism. I am inclined to agree. Lily Allen is a popstar, and as such has never claimed to be a spokeswoman for intersectional feminism. I think it is a shame that Allen does not take the opportunity to address the twin problems of cultural appropriation and white objectification of black bodies in music videos, but I do not think that she should have to do so in order to avoid accusations of racism. Hard Out Here may not be perfect, but it is a bold parody of sexism in the music industry – a problem that Allen has now made impossible to ignore. Lily, you disappoint me by Heather Kennedy I’ve watched Lily’s Allen infamous comeback video Hard Out Here twice now and winced my way through it each time. You don’t need a PhD in cultural theory to see how this uses de-humanising stereotypes and plays into the convention of white women flaunting their power and autonomy over their Black sisters. As blogger Batty Mamzelle argues; "Here is Lily Allen, a white (presumably feminist) woman, making a statement about her autonomy, sexual agency and self worth, while mocking the very same in black women." Responding to criticisms on her blog Allen declares "[the video] has nothing to do with race, at all." Well thanks for clearing that up. Allen has been commenting on media representations long enough to understand that good intentions aside, images have potent currency of their own. You can’t use deliberately provocative imagery to make a comment about injustice then deny all responsibility when you unwittingly endorse other structures of injustice you’re less familiar with. Especially when those structures are so bleeding obvious. Like mainstream feminism being dominated by white voices. Like the music industry amplifying a grand tradition of muted, de-humanised Black women choreographed by the desires and fetishes of other people. Look, none of us are perfect. And the learning which takes us beyond our own experience into empathy and understanding with other people is a life’s work. But it’s disappointing Allen couldn’t have taken a step back to reflect on criticisms made of her video, asking herself whether there was something she was missing. There’s not much evidence of this in the defensive, angry tone of her blog. At best Allen’s choices for this video were blunderingly ignorant, not something I can easily stomach from the self-styled ‘thinking woman’ of pop. "Don’t need to shake my arse for you cos I’ve got a brain" she sings in Hard Out Here. Shame she couldn’t engage said brain when she gave the thumbs up to near naked Black women slapping one another’s champagne drenched bum cheeks while she parades through dance sequences every bit the powerful ringmaster, engaging the viewer with a knowing smile, stylishly attired in a range of tasteful outfits. "Always trust the injustice cos it ain’t going away" Allen sings. She ain’t lying.  |
| Exibition: Barriers to Freedom Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:14 AM PST
Yvette Vanson first picked up a paintbrush in 2004, attending Putney School of Art & Design. She now paints full time and is motivated by a strong political commitment to tackling injustice, by exploring and exposing exploitation and inequality and then communicating these abuses and ways to overcome them through her work. An exhibition of her work will be showing in the Peltz Gallery, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, from 21 – 30 November. Vanson's first London exhibition at Maestro Arts from February to April this year drew on her experiences from a trip to Tar Sands, Alberta, in Canada. “The desecration of the ancient boreal forest, lands of the Cree First Nations, is catastrophic. The pollution of ancient hunting grounds and rivers is driven by the grotesque search for profits from dirty oil,” she explains. "The Cree's legal and political fight to reclaim and develop their threatened lands, along with many indigenous people throughout the world, was the subject of the exhibition, called Facing Threat". Vanson was also invited by the Centre for Law and the Humanities at Birkbeck Law School, to exhibit some of her paintings in March 2013 during the Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Law, Culture and the Humanities. Talking about her latest exhibition, Breaking the Barriers to Freedom, Vanson said: “Literal barriers to freedom – the ‘peace walls’ in Belfast; the minefield ‘wall’ in the Western Sahara; the Mexico/USA border barrier and of course the Israeli Apartheid Wall – are merely physical reflections of deeper economic, political, ecological and psychological hurdles to peace and security… “I believe speaking out is a first step to changing the seemingly impossible… “My work has always been in the creative arena. For several years I was an actress conveying meaning through the words of others; as a filmmaker for 20 years I gave voice to those whose needs and struggles were rarely articulated and reached millions of viewers in the process. “Since 2004 as a painter I endeavour to give expression to the unseen, the marginalised; to convey the depths of their privation and yet their defiance against injustice and exploitation. She is currently Honorary Research Fellow/Artist in Residence at Birkbeck, University of London, Law School. As an introduction to her present artistic work in November there will be screenings of two of her award winning documentaries at Birkbeck's Cinema at 41 Gordon Square WC1H 0PD. On November 22 at 6pm ‘The Murder of Stephen Lawrence’, a 120-minute film by Paul Greengrass, a Vanson co-production with Granada for ITV for February 1999, followed by Q&A with Yvette Vanson and Michael Mansfield. On November 28 at 6pm 'Stitching Up the NHS', a prophetic warning of the price to be paid by the nation’s health for pursuing the privatisation route. This 52-minute film was made for Channel 4 in 1989, and this showing will also be followed by Q&A with Yvette Vanson and Michael Mansfield.  |
| Talking about older women – at last Posted: 22 Nov 2013 01:09 AM PST
The Commission on Older Women, chaired by Labour's Deputy Leader Harriet Harman MP QC and senior Labour figures including Yvette Cooper, Shadow Minister for Equalities, alongside a wide range of senior women from business, unions, voluntary organisations and pubic life, presented their interim report recently. The report represents the views of the Commissioners and has been informed by roundtable discussions and submissions and recommendations will feed into the Labour party’s policy process. The Commission, not surprisingly, found that there was a younger age profile for females working in TV than for men, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. It also found that unemployment among women aged between 50 and 64 had increased by 41 per cent in the last two-and-half years and that grandparents had no employment rights to support them in their nowadays vital role of providing care in their families. The Commission’s consultation process will continue, but a number of ideas are already emerging around the key themes and the commission wanted to share these now, along with their interim recommendations. The idea is that this report will be a stimulus to further discussion and debate. The focus of the recommendations is on three main areas where reform is urgently needed – work, care and public life – but there are other policies which impact substantially on older women where their perspective has been overlooked, and in continuing work will the Commission hopes to address those. The women who were spoken to are not sad victims, and many are enjoying their lives and are glad that they can still contribute to their family and their work, but for too long they have been taken for granted and not listened to. The recommendations below are a to be start to changing that. The interim report recommendations are: 1. The Commission believes that employers' organisations should develop a national 'Top 100 age-friendly employers' scheme. 2. The Commission would like to see employment programmes funded by the Government demonstrating that they support older women. This could include active targeting and tailored support for older women. 3. The pay gap between men and women is wider for older women. So we want to see gender pay audits brought in, as set out in the 2010 Equality Act (Section 78). 4. Older women can face double discrimination – on the grounds of gender and of age. The Equality Act already has provisions to tackle this but they have not yet been brought into effect. The Government should do this now. 5. The Commission would like to see much better careers service support for older workers. 6. The Commission believes that employers should provide full access to training opportunities to older women. 7. Employers should show flexibility to allow for changes to working patterns as women take on caring responsibilities or move towards retirement. Changes to working hours and job redesign should be offered. 8. The Commission believes that carers often do not know their rights and do not get proper support. We would like to see public bodies actively identifying carers to offer help. 9. Public policy needs to recognise the vital contribution to the economy that older women make as carers. So flexible employment and well designed jobs are important to enable them to balance work and care and deal with issues of financial hardship or the health and well – being of carers. 10. Short – term flexibility or 'adjustment leave' would help older women workers deal with immediate caring crises and allow time to adjust to a new caring role. 11. Thought should be given to the role of grandmothers who combine work and care for their grandchildren. The Commission would like to start a public debate on whether family leave could be shared with grandparents or whether this would set back the already low take-up by fathers. 12. Other countries deploy imaginative schemes to help relieve the pressures of caring. The Commission would like to see employers consulted about schemes such as the German 'Familienpflegezeit' family caring time system which allows employees to reduce hours temporarily while smoothing pay over a longer period. 13. Systems of mutual caring, such as time – banking, can support those caring for people who do not live near them. The Commission would like to start a debate about how these might work in the UK. 14. A national standard for information services for carers should be introduced. This would greatly improve the access to information and support for older women carers. 15. The Commission believes that the broadcasting industry should establish a clear and consistent way of monitoring the number of older women they employ, including presenters and freelancers, across all broadcasting media, publish accurate data each year and develop targets. 16. The equality duty under the Equality Act applies to the BBC, and the Commission would like to see the BBC report annually on how it is being implemented in respect of older women. 17. Conferences supported with public funding should aim to have 50 per cent women speakers. The Belfast Telegraph reported that, Yvette Cooper, speaking before the Labour Women’s Conference earlier this year, said, “Labour will be looking very carefully at the proposals in this report because the generation of women who’ve broken glass ceilings and paved the way for their daughters and granddaughters deserve a better deal.” The Labour party are not only ones who have been looking at the issues ‘older women’ face recently. On the grounds that debate about age discrimination has been largely silent about gender difference and older women are, in contrast to older men, often invisible – well, absent from the media, from public discourse and from policy initiatives – London’s Birbeck College held a panel discussion and debate on the subject. Women do make up the majority of the older age groups in the UK. But there are important differences among women over 65, differences that are evident in social, economic and political status, attitudes and behaviour. Being 65 is not the same as being 82, but women are clumped together as ‘older’, and that is that. The Birbeck discussion reckoned that these differences raises a number of questions, among them ‘How do older women and men differ?’ ‘What are the differences among women?’ and ‘What, if anything, should government do about and for them?’ and ‘Why?’ Fiona MacTaggart MP, a member of The Labour Party's Commission on Older Women, Dr Rosie Campbell, Professor Joni lovenduski and Jackie Ashley of The Guardian lead a public discussion of these issues. To listen to it, click here.  |
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