Women's Views on News |
- Film project: Mothers Against The Odds
- A Barbie to get girls into business?
- MP speaks out against racism in NI
- On a soapbox for women in science
| Film project: Mothers Against The Odds Posted: 02 Jul 2014 07:15 AM PDT
‘Mothers Against The Odds’ is a ground-breaking documentary film that sheds light on one of the great unresolved scandals against women in modern Irish history. A scandal which only came to light for filmmakers Anne Daly and Ronan Tynan when they sought to compare the experiences of mothers in Ireland and Kenya. Why were some Irish mothers subjected to a brutal procedure when they sought to give birth with shocking life-long consequences? Why were their pelvic bones sundered during childbirth, without their permission, through a horrendously cruel procedure even compared by some to female genital mutilation (FGM)? In confronting these questions this film reveals with compelling insight into how unimaginable cruelty can be inflicted on women and girls when their rights are not respected. Filmmakers Anne Daly and Ronan Tynan were inspired to make their film documentary 'Mothers Against The Odds' available free on-line after the remains of almost 800 babies and children were found at a so-called 'mother and baby home' in Tuam, Co. Galway. The documentary, filmed in Ireland and Kenya, compares the experience of mothers in both parts of the world, and while it does not deal with the notorious 'mother and baby homes' it does look at the kind of Ireland that gave rise to such institutions where unmarried mothers were condemned. The documentary covers Ireland's so-called symphysiotomy scandal where the pelvises of mothers were broken during childbirth as part of some grotesque experiment and often without their permission. Hackney-based councillor Sally Mulready will launch this initiative in the Muxima Cafe in London on 3 July. Mulready is an internationally successful campaigner for the 'Magdalene's' in Ireland – young unmarried mothers condemned to the church-run 'Magdalene Laundries' to have their babies, which were then taken from them and given up for adoption. Councillor Mulready has helped secure compensation for thousands of women forced to endure like in these laundries and is a highly respected figure in both Ireland and the UK. Daly and Tynan expected few surprises when they set out to make Mothers Against the Odds. Mothers in Kenya had a very high risk of dying during childbirth, and Ireland was, according to the statistics, one of the safest places in the world to give birth. However, their experience in Kenya, and the questions raised there, opened their eyes to the all but hidden histories of a number Irish mothers who were forced to endure a level of cruelty, up to recent times, that was both shocking and incomprehensible – and totally at odds with their initial expectations. In fact, Kenya brought into sharp focus a very compelling story in Ireland, which remains a very controversial and still unresolved part of Irish history. Observing the treatment of many Kenyan mothers today helped Daly and Tynan to understand how some Irish mothers, in former decades, found themselves at the receiving end, during child birth, of treatment that, in any other context, might even be considered as a form of torture. How could a medical procedure, symphysiotomy, which one leading obstetrician described as 'from the Dark Ages', be performed on some Irish mothers, when they went into hospital to have their babies, without their consent, and which in so many cases literally destroyed their lives? In a so-called ‘Western country’, how could that operation be performed without these mothers even being informed? All the more shocking when Caesarean sections were almost routine in Irish hospitals at the time if problems during birth arose. Talking to mothers in Kenya going through different, but very similar experiences, to those endured by Irish mothers in former decades, offered insights that make this documentary really compelling. Irish and Kenyan mothers share a common bond that resonates in a very moving way. In explaining why women can be so vulnerable, one Kenyan midwife in the film was adamant that the reason is simple and very clear: "Women are treated the same as children, they should not speak…." Women are second-class citizens in a real sense in sections of Kenyan society. They are perceived to be of value certainly, but only in the sense that they can be 'traded like assets'. The Irish mothers who were forced to endure a symphysiotomy without their permission had that procedure carried out in what would have been described as quite 'modern' maternity hospitals. But how were they selected for what turned out for many of them to be a "barbaric" option? The all but hidden histories of some Irish mothers show that they were treated, like many Kenyan women are today, as people who "should not speak," and simply accept what is done to them for their own good – with horrific consequences as we now know in many cases. What remains shocking about the Irish experience is that the "modern" option – the Caesarean section – was available for mothers in Irish hospitals at the time, and many were able to avail of that operation when things went wrong. Therefore, why were any mothers – the actual number is unknown but growing as new cases are still coming to light – subjected to symphysiotomies, a procedure which involved fracturing the pelvis, and meant in almost all cases a life time of pain and suffering, without their consent? Filming in Kenya today allowed the filmmakers to show how easily such cruelty could be performed on vulnerable Irish mothers, without their consent, in former decades. Kenyan women have to submit to the prevailing demands of traditional culture, religion and the "superior" status of their husbands – a very conservative type of society, not unlike that which prevailed in Ireland up until very recently in historical terms. Indeed, a very good indication of just how hard it has been to free all women in Ireland from medical procedures performed for religious rather than for health reasons, is provided by the fact that the last symphysiotomies were performed in Ireland in the early 1980s. The screening of Mothers Against the Odds on 3 July – at the Muxima Café, 618 Roman Road, London E3 2RW – will be followed by a Q & A with the film's makers Anne Daly and Ronan Tynan. Click here to see the trailer. Trigger Warning. This event is free, but booking is essential. Please email us to book.  |
| A Barbie to get girls into business? Posted: 02 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT
Mattel has launched a new Barbie doll complete with a LinkedIn page and an ‘unapologetic’ hashtag. Dressed in a knee-length, hot pink, fitted shift dress and armed with a smartphone, tablet and designer-style briefcase, Mattel’s latest incarnation for its plastic icon is as an independent business-leader. ‘Entrepreneur Barbie’ was launched last week and looks more legally blonde than startup CEO, but she has already succeeded in driving plenty of column-inches for the faltering toy manufacturer based on the inspirational role she is set to play in encouraging young girls to branch out in business. After a career spanning 55 years and 150 different jobs, it’s no wonder she needed to set up on her own. Who was going to take that CV seriously? From the stereotypical ballerina, air stewardess and fashion model to the high-flying business exec, astronaut or racing-car driver, Barbie has strived to show young girls that anything is possible if you can do it in a candy-coloured outfit. And it is all about the accessories – a smartphone and tablet have equipped her with the skills to break through the ‘plastic ceiling’ and made her an entrepreneur. Not to mention the glam necklace and cool clutch, as described by Mattel. Delve into Entrepreneur Barbie’s back story, however, and it looks less than compelling. On LinkedIn her new business is the ‘Dream Incubator’; Barbie is effectively a consultant. (Yawn – I’m sure we all have at least one friend who is a ‘consultant’ and who really knows what they do? Try explaining it to a six-year old). She claims to be ‘helping girls around the world play out their imagination, try on different careers, and explore the world around them’ and the company tagline is ‘If You Can Dream It, You Can Be It!’ The launch is also backed in the USA by a social media campaign using the hashtag #unapologetic – the same one used by Mattel when Barbie appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue – and has been bolstered by a real-life network of female entrepreneurs keen to voice their support for the doll. The ‘Chief Inspiration Officers’, or CIOs as they have been crowned by the toy manufacturer, include Reshma Saujani, founder of the non-profit Girls Who Code; Deborah Jackson, founder of micro-funding site Plum Alley and Gina Rudan, founder of leadership training company Genuine Insights. "You can't be what you can't see," claimed Reshma Saujani of Girls Who Code, an organisation working to close the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors. "Unfortunately we live in a culture where girls are bombarded with images of male coders and engineers that just don't look like them. Then we want them to pursue careers in tech! "We have to change popular culture and start showing more women, more cool, dynamic, creative women, in these roles." Belinda Parmar, chief executive of Lady Geek, which aims to encourage more women into tech, is not so sure. "I've never met an entrepreneur who matches her iPad to her outfit; this Barbie must have graduated from the Paris Hilton Business School. "I'd like to see her wearing a hoodie, frantically coding her next app while she drinks too many Americanos in a Hoxton cafe," she said. "Whilst Entrepreneur Barbie is less pernicious that the [Teen Talk] Barbie which says 'maths class is tough', brands like Mattel have missed an opportunity to create products that unashamedly celebrate real ambition amongst girls." Earlier this year a study carried out by Oregon State University and the University of California claimed that playing with Barbie dolls could restrict girls' career choices; in the study, those girls who played with the dolls said they could do fewer jobs than boys. With the LinkedIn page dispensing saccharin-coated career advice and a social media campaign backed by actual women in business, the concept is clearly set up as more of a PR-stunt than inspiration for five year-old girls who have just figured out how to use scissors and are contemplating a career as a Barbie hair stylist. Entrepreneur Barbie may be jumping on the female empowerment bandwangon, and her company is unlikely to do much to help girls understand what entrepreneurs actually do, but at least it is an improvement on her countless incarnations as a princess, right?  |
| MP speaks out against racism in NI Posted: 02 Jul 2014 03:25 AM PDT
The Alliance party MP for East Belfast, Naomi Long, has hit out at those behind the erection of a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) flag in her constituency. Long said the appearance of the flag off Island Street on 30 June added "an even more sinister edge" to recent race-related incidents in the city. She said she had received a number of complaints from constituents regarding the flag, and she has passed them on to the police (PSNI) for them to take action. Over the last year Northern Ireland has become one of the worst hot spots for racist crimes and race-hate-linked incidents, with stories of excrement thrown, windows and cars damaged, racist graffiti and chanting. The Guardian reported the Human Rights and Racial Equality Benchmarking Report for Northern Ireland, released last month, said there were 982 racist 'incidents' in 2013-14; there were 750 such incidents and 470 racist hate crimes the previous year. The Report also said that over the last five years 75 per cent of all the complaints made to the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland about harassment in offices, shops or factories related to racial abuse and intimidation. The authors of the Report say the region is home to only 1 per cent of all the non-EU/European economic area migrants who have come to the UK. At the end of May thousands of people took to the streets of Belfast and Londonderry to denounce the rise in xenophobic attacks in greater Belfast, all of them taking place in loyalist working class districts. The protest also criticised Northern Ireland’s first minister Peter Robinson for his support of an extreme evangelical born-again Christian pastor who described Islam as “evil” and “the spawn of the devil.” In response the PSNI has set up Operation Reiner, which is directed at loyalist organisations involved in racial violence and intimidation. "Yet again," Long said, "we see those who wish to bully anyone different from them use flags and emblems to assert dominance and control over a community. "To do so at all is to be condemned, but to put up these [KKK] flags in broad daylight shows just how brazen the culprits are. "To use flags hailing a hate group such as the KKK is sickening and lends a further menacing element to recent events. "It is essential that every right-thinking person unites against those who engage in racist, bigoted or otherwise intolerant behaviour and does so with consistency. "It is also critical," she said, "that the all-party talks this week stop ducking the issue of the use and abuse of flags and emblems for the purposes of intimidation, and face up to dealing substantively with this challenge to a shared future and to the rule of law."  |
| On a soapbox for women in science Posted: 02 Jul 2014 01:09 AM PDT
Leading female scientists took to London's South Bank on 29 June to showcase women and science. The annual event was the fourth of its kind and was run by Soapbox Science, a campaign that aims to put a stop to gender inequality by challenging perceptions and promoting female scientists. There was strong competition to speak at this year's London event, with over 40 applications received for a limited number of places. The winners stood upon upturned crates and presented their chosen topics to the general public, which ranged from nanotechnology to quantum physics. Soapbox Science was founded and is co-organised by Dr Seirian Sumner, an evolutionary biologist and behavioural ecologist specialising in social evolution and social behaviour in insects (bees, wasps and ants) and lecturer at Bristol University, and Nathalie Pettorelli, an ecologist and research fellow at the Zoological Society of London interested in global environmental change and its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services Speaking about the event, Pettorelli said: "Now in its fourth year, Soapbox Science is a platform to showcase the most eminent female scientists in the UK, and to highlight some very serious issues that we have witnessed as mid-career scientists: the disappearance of our female peers. "We cannot afford to lose any more brainpower to gender inequality, as it is unfair that women should have to accept that they are battling against all odds if they want a career in science." Female scientists are far less likely to be in the media than men, as well as less likely to be asked to review scientific papers and speak at conferences. As a consequence, there is a distinct lack of female role models within the scientific community. Coupled with the fact that science is typically regarded as a career choice for men, this can deter young women from considering a career in science and gives little confidence to women who work in the industry. Commenting on the visibility of women in science, Sumner said: "The STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] community needs visible female role models, like our speakers who are willing to engage, and share their experiences to push for implementation of new measures." Furthermore, female scientists in the early stages of their career can find it difficult to balance work and having a family as they have to move between short-term, low paid posts to gain experience. Sumner believes this needs to be and can be changed. “We hope that our event will inspire a new generation of scientists, and highlight that with a few small changes, such as career breaks, and part-time working, that the female 'brain drain' doesn't have to exist," she said. Since its conception, Soapbox Science has gained support from institutions including the British Ecological Society and the Francis Crick Institute. So far this year, events have been held in Ireland and Bristol, and more female scientists are set to take to their boxes in Swansea on 5 July and talk about their work.  |
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