Women's Views on News |
- Women in engineering celebration
- Calls for visa review for domestic workers
- Help stop FGM in the UK
- Getting women into politics for 2015
| Women in engineering celebration Posted: 20 Jun 2014 08:10 AM PDT Girls often don’t realise that engineering careers are suitable for them. On 23 June the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) celebrates its 95th anniversary as a charity supporting and inspiring women in engineering and allied sciences. A membership organisation for women engineers, its aims are to support and represent its individual and corporate members, to promote the education of engineering, and to help engineering companies to become more gender diverse. WES launched its inaugural National Women in Engineering Day (NWED) to celebrate this anniversary. Details of this conference - Women in Engineering: The Challenge – and taking place in London on 23 June, can be found here. It aims to draw attention to the work that women do in engineering and to showcase the great engineering careers that are available to girls. Over 70 events will be taking place nationwide and more than 200 schools celebrating the day. WES is also delivering a schools outreach activity to draw attention to the pioneering work of our women engineers by replicating the aircraft wing building activity that took place during World War I. Magnificent Women (and their flying machines) also aims to bring the stories of our pioneering women to life, and to deliver careers education to girls who often don’t realise that engineering careers are suitable for them. This is an activity that one of WES’s past presidents, Amy Johnson, would have been proud of. Dawn Bonfield, executive vice president, and who works as a volunteer for WES said: “I am really proud to be working for an organisation which has done so much to represent women in an industry where it has taken a lot of determination to succeed in the past. “I am optimistic now, though, that this is changing, and we have seen so much progress lately in recognising the importance of gender diversity to organisations that I am confident that things will continue to improve. “There is still a lot of work to do – especially in getting engineering to be understood and recognised by young girls as a valuable career, and in retaining women at the top end of their careers. “WES will continue to work towards the implementation of the improvements that we believe are necessary to make this change. Please join us if you believe that you can support our work.” The First World War transformed women’s role in relation to work, and more critically engineering. Previously there had been a ban on women working as engineers, backed by powerful organisations like the Amalgamated Engineering Union. The Munitions Act of 1915 meant women were drafted in their thousands to play a key role working in munitions and aircraft building factories and to fill labour shortages, and in 1919 the Sex Disqualification Act made it illegal to exclude women from jobs on the basis of their gender. When the war finished, however, the Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act forced women to leave their war time roles, turning the clock backwards. This was the point at which the Women Engineering Society formed, “to enable technical women to meet, correspond….and facilitate the exchange of ideas …respecting the interests of technical women”. Its magazine “The Woman Engineer” was crucial in allowing scientific and technical papers by women to be published, as these were not allowed in the scientific journals of the day. The journal is still in print today, but thankfully its role in publishing technical papers is no longer needed. WES held its first International conference in 1925, and WES is celebrating today on its 95th anniversary with another conference, Women in Engineering: The Challenge, taking place at IMechE in London. Another milestone in getting women into the workplace in significant numbers was the work done by the WES and its offshoot the Electrical Association for Women (EAW) to encourage women to use electrical appliances in the home. The use of washing machines and vacuum cleaners gave women more time, and allowed them to get jobs outside the home in greater numbers. WES still has the teatowels, dusters and ‘pinnies’ made to encourage women to use electricity in its archive, as can be seen from the teatowel pictured, teaching women how to wire a plug. Today WES is still an influential membership organisations which supports women engineers, and campaigns for more diversity in engineering. It welcomes partnerships with organisations who take this agenda seriously, and who want to ensure that we do not spend another 95 years with an unbalanced workforce.  |
| Calls for visa review for domestic workers Posted: 20 Jun 2014 06:09 AM PDT Domestic workers entering the UK have become in effect modern slaves. Migrant domestic workers and their supporters gathered at Old Palace Yard, Westminster, on 15 June to demonstrate against the government's changes to the domestic workers visa. They then handed a petition and postcards with 10,000 signatures to Downing Street on 16 June asking David Cameron to end slavery for domestic migrant workers in the UK, and calling for the reinstatement of the Overseas Domestic Worker visa. Migrant domestic workers are foreign national women and men who are brought to the UK by their employers for the purposes of working in their private household. This definition includes people working full-time as housekeepers, maids, cooks, nannies, elder carers, as well as chauffeurs and security staff. The Overseas Domestic Worker visa, later formalised into the Immigration Rules, granted migrant domestic workers some fundamental protection and formally recognised them as workers with rights under UK employment law, including the right to take legal action against their employers. But despite strong opposition from many individuals, organisations, charities and unions, in April 2012 the government abolished the rights of domestic workers to change employer once they were in the UK. Under the ensuing Tied Domestic Worker visa, implemented by this government, domestic workers entering the UK have become in effect modern slaves. They are 'tied' to the one employer – the one who brings them here – making them much more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse and preventing enforcement of the employment rights they are supposed to be entitled to. This effectively traps them with that employer, and they will have to return either to their country or that of their employer within six months. There is a real danger that domestic workers will be – and indeed have been – driven underground as many employers enslave, abuse or exploit them. Because the current system allows them to do so. They now have no redress if they are abused and exploited and have to live with the added fear of deportation if they do speak out. They are now not allowed the same rights and privileges we all enjoy. Marissa Begonia, chair of Justice 4 Domestic Workers (J4DW), said: "The trauma of repetitive abuse of migrant domestic workers on the Tied Domestic Worker visa with no access to justice is inhuman. "For this government to facilitate and tolerate slavery in the UK is an unforgivable crime "This government must end the abuse, exploitation and slavery of the already vulnerable migrant domestic workers. "It's time to restore domestic workers' rights." J4DW is campaigning for the retention of the domestic worker visa and for the government to sign and ratify the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Convention 189 "Decent work for domestic workers". The ILO Convention was passed in June 2011. The UK government, having committed to supporting a convention 'in principle', refused to vote to pass the convention. The government abstained – along with the Sudan, El Salvador and Malaysia. The only other EU country to abstain was the Czech Republic Kate Roberts, community advocate for Kalayaan, said: "Given this government's stated commitment to combating slavery in the UK we are dismayed at its rejection of the important recommendations of the Joint Committee for the draft Modern Slavery Bill to reinstate the original visa and corresponding rights "Two years since domestic workers were tied to their employers the evidence is clear; that these workers are far more likely to be abused and enslaved than those who are not tied and are effectively imprisoned in these conditions by the current immigration rules. "With this knowledge it is unforgivable to maintain the tied visa which must be replaced urgently with the original Overseas Domestic Worker visa, a system proven to work well and to allow migrant domestic workers a chance for justice." And Diana Holland, Unite the Union's assistant general secretary, said: "It had taken many years of campaigning to get some of the most vulnerable workers in our society the same rights and privileges that everyone should be able to count on, but this government has demolished these vital achievements. "Justice for migrant domestic workers cannot be swept under the carpet by this government. "They have reintroduced modern day slavery and Unite and others are absolutely committed to ending it and reinstating the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa."  |
| Posted: 20 Jun 2014 05:15 AM PDT Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been attracting a lot of press lately following the announcement of the first prosecutions for FGM in the UK. Around the world about 140 million girls and women have been subjected to this horrific practice which involves part or all of a woman's external genitalia being removed. This ‘removing’ – or cutting out – is usually carried out by an unqualified person usually with crude instruments and is not necessarily carried out in a sterile environment. It is easy to think of this as something that happens in ‘undeveloped’ societies, but every year approximately 20,000 girls are at risk of FGM in the UK. However, because FGM is illegal in the UK the true extent of the practice is not known. Procedures are carried out in secret, or the girl will be taken abroad during school holidays to have the operation performed and avoid detection. It is important to realise that FGM is a cultural practice as opposed to being strictly geographic in nature. In many countries where it is practised there are sections of society that do not endorse it, and as the borders of the world have opened up it has spread to countries that have no history of it. The reasons for carrying out FGM varies from group to group but can include tradition; religious/spiritual beliefs; the misguided belief that it is more hygienic; supressing female sexual desire; to preserve virginity before marriage; or social acceptance – in that many women who undergo FGM report that it makes them feel accepted in their community. The simple fact is that FGM has no benefits at all to women. But does carry with it a diverse range of risks both at the time of the procedure and after, such as: Pain and shock; Heavy bleeding from the area; Infection, both from the instruments used and poor aftercare; Damage to other areas such as the urethra and bowel; Chronic vaginal and abdominal pain; Persistent urine infections; Kidney impairment and failure; Cyst formation; Pain or lack of pleasure during sex; Increased chance of death during childbirth, as well as increased risk of the child dying during or shortly after birth; and a range of psychological problems. FGM in the UK is a real problem and one that needs to be tackled in the same way as elsewhere around the world, through education, child protection and legislation. And it is vital that women of all ages understand that FGM has negative, and often severe, consequences. Sadly, older women play an integral role in performing the cutting and also in applying pressure on younger girls to accept the practice. Boys and men also need to be educated as they are often able to affect more change in their communities. The children’s charity Plan believes that FGM is a global problem that requires a co-ordinated global solution, and that because the beliefs and traditions that are used to justify FGM cross borders, we won't end FGM in the UK without ending it abroad. Plan considers FGM a violation of girls' rights, and have joined other organisations and individuals that have worked on the issue over recent years. And Plan believes that right now we are on the tipping point of making real progress in the fight to end FGM. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, will highlight the issue at a major event he is hosting in July to tackle FGM and early forced marriage both in the UK and worldwide. This means we have a unique opportunity to educate people about and raise awareness of FGM globally and create the critical shift in the perception of girls, regarding their rights and their roles in society worldwide – which will help to eradicate FGM. To find out more about FGM in the UK and around the world, and to help end this barbaric practice, click here. If you think you are in immediate danger of being cut or of being taken abroad for this to happen you can call the police (dial 999). You can also speak to the NPSCC's confidential free helpline on 0800 028 3550.  |
| Getting women into politics for 2015 Posted: 20 Jun 2014 01:28 AM PDT
By Maya Goodfellow. Trying to affect lasting change in Westminster can feel like the political equivalent of Groundhog Day. After citing statistics and offering anecdotal evidence to convince people of your case, you start to think you've made progress. That is until you find yourself having the same argument you had a year ago and you realise, the debate has begun all over again. At times, this is what the movement for gender equality can feel like. Of course, I'm being unfair, many women (and some men) have fought incredibly hard and made huge gains to put the right the gender imbalance in society. But the recent dispute in Cynon Valley – where the local party is in open revolt against the NEC's decision to use an all-women shortlist (AWS) to replace outgoing MP Ann Clwyd – is a reminder that there's still a long way to go. Thankfully, the central party have said they won't overturn their decision, so it looks like they'll still use an AWS for the selection process. I'm not breathing a sign of relief because I'm in favour of Labour HQ overriding local members' wishes – usually I'd call for the opposite; devolving significant powers to local people. In this instance though, Labour are right to enforce the decision because when it comes to the Commons, without AWS, most women wouldn't get a look in. The counter-argument to using AWS, which we've heard from constituents in Cynon Valley, is that choosing a parliamentary candidate should just be about considering who's the best person for the job. This logic is fundamentally flawed because its advocates don't recognise that we live in a system that encourages us to see competence as synonymous with conventional masculinity. And so women are always at a disadvantage. There's no shortage of evidence to support this. Britain's record of female representation in Parliament is abysmal – between 1918 and 2013 only 8 per cent of our MPs have been women. For those who think gender discrimination (including the subconscious kind) is an issue consigned to the past, stats for the upcoming election tell a different story. In February it emerged that out of 106 of Labour's parliamentary candidates in key target seats, 57 of the candidates are women. A figure to celebrate, surely. But of these an overwhelming 51 were selected from all-women shortlists, meaning that in the 55 places where open shortlists were used, a mere 6 female candidates triumphed, in comparison to 49 men. Of course, a woman may not have run in each of these places but if that were the case, you'd have to ask why. Put in terms of percentages, in these integral seats only 11 per cent of candidates drawn from open selection were women, a figure worryingly close to the 8 per cent of women who've made it into Parliament over the past century. The numbers show that if left unchecked little will change in terms of gender representation: we need AWS if we're ever going to get the right balance in Parliament. Yet, AWS can't be where the conversation ends. On their own, these shortlists won't unpick a structure that favours men (in particular men who conform to the stereotypical idea of masculinity) over women. That's because promoting women to positions of power doesn't make it easier for them to navigate through a masculinised (patriarchal, if you will) system. Have we already forgotten when David Cameron told Labour MP Angela Eagle to "calm down dear" or revelations sparked off by the Lord Rennard affair, in which Bridget Harris, former advisor to Nick Clegg, spoke of the "intellectual sexist culture and endemic sleazy culture of Westminster". What's more, the Fawcett Society recently found that across the country women are being driven out of local government due to sexism. The sad reality is that if women get into positions of power they're often shouted down or forced out by men, unless they conform to a masculine ideal (see: Margaret Thatcher). And it's worth noting that this also disadvantages men who don't conform to this male stereotype. To achieve true gender equality, Labour needs to argue for a fundamental overhaul of the way we do politics - one that challenges the notion that conventional masculinity is a sign of success. While the Labour Party is right to champion AWS, and they'd also be right to do the same with all-minority ethnic shortlists, they can't pat themselves on the back and think the job is done. If they're to be the party for the people – regardless of gender, race or class – Labour must start acting on the thoughts and feelings of women from all backgrounds who think that party politics isn't an effective means by which to change the world for the better. Otherwise, despite making significant progress in terms of the number of women in Parliament, they'll quickly find that the overtly masculinised, sexist world of British politics hasn't changed all that much. A version of this article appeared in Labour List.  |
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