Women's Views on News |
| Sexual harassment part of everyday life for girls Posted: 11 Dec 2014 04:27 AM PST
The Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2014 was carried out by Girlguiding UK and surveying 1,400 girls and young women between the ages of 11 and 21. It revealed that almost 60 per cent of the respondents experienced sexual harassment at school, college or work in the last year, while 20 per cent received unwanted touching. Only 39 per cent of girls and young women aged 13-21 reported that their sex and relationships education at school was good enough, while 74 per cent of girls and young women aged 11-21 believed that it should be obligatory to teach about sex and relationships in schools, including issues around consent and what constitutes sexual harassment. Most tellingly, 85 per cent of those aged 11-21 said they had experienced sexism in some form in their lives – mostly in public arenas such as in the media, social media, schools and colleges, and other public places. Respondents also felt frustrated by media reinforcement of negative attitudes, with 58 per cent feeling that when a woman is attacked or raped the media often blames her behaviour or appearance. These incidences of harassment, poor sex education and negative stereotypes have a strong correlation with girls' and young women's self-esteem and wellbeing, something which was also assessed by the survey. Three in four girls and young women (11-21) reported knowing peers who self-harmed or suffered from depression, while two thirds said they knew someone with an eating disorder. These 2014 findings build upon the findings of earlier surveys, and Girlguiding UK has warned that experiences of sexual harassment are being seen as just 'a normal aspect of being a girl'. Emma Cooper, a member of Girlguiding's youth panel Advocate, said: "I think most adults wouldn't realise young girls experience sexual harassment at school. It's so widespread, but people don't know about it." One of the biggest problems is that teachers often mishandle sexual harassment occurring in schools: 61 per cent of secondary school pupils (11-16) reported that teachers or staff sometimes or always played down sexual harassment as just a 'bit of banter' or 'boys mucking around'. "The government has a responsibility to make sure schools take a stricter line, and that's why we're asking them to introduce guidelines for dealing with sexual bullying and harassment in schools as part of our Girls Matter campaign. "If teachers had a framework to work within, it would improve the problem." Cooper said. "Girlguiding's latest research paints a disquieting picture of a society that too often normalises sexual harassment," said Chief Guide Gill Slocombe. "As the leading charity for girls and young women, Girlguiding passionately believes girls should be allowed to live in a safe, fair and equal society that lets them fulfil their potential. “We need the support of decision makers to make this a reality and make sure no girls fall victim to everyday violence and abuse," she added. However, this survey did also reveal that girls and young women are speaking out more. In a departure from previous surveys, the 2014 Girls Attitudes Survey also asked girls and young women how the challenges they face could be overcome. They found that overwhelmingly girls and young women reported that they supported campaigns such as the Everyday Sexism project and the No More Page 3 campaign, which suggests that they are aware of their right to equality and expect better from their society. Respondents called for better education, that society stop subjecting girls and young women to double standards, less focus on appearance, less belittling of girls and young women who stand up for themselves and less sexualisation and objectification of women in the media. For as one respondent said: "In this day and age, everyday sexism needs to be stamped out for ever."  |
| Letter to EU ministers on three directives Posted: 11 Dec 2014 12:33 AM PST
The European Women's Lobby has been urging EU Ministers to push forward the Maternity Leave, Women on Boards and EU Equal Treatment Directives The Council of the European Union (EU) will be discussing the Maternity Leave Directive, the Women on Boards Directive and the EU Directive on Equal Treatment on 11 December. In a letter sent to the 28 Permanent Representations to the EU, the European Women's Lobby has called on EU Ministers to take action to unblock the negotiations of these crucial Directives for women's rights and gender equality. The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) of the EU will disucss three crucial topics for women's rights and gender equality: The Women on Boards Directive and The EU Equal Treatment Directive The European Women's Lobby letter to the Permanent Representations of the 28 Member States to urge them to push forward these issues: RE: European Women's Lobby concerns regarding EPSCO Council meeting on 11 December: Maternity Leave Directive, Women on Boards Directive, and Equal Treatment Directive Your Excellency, We are writing to you from the European Women's Lobby, the largest umbrella organisation of women's associations in the European Union, working to promote women's rights and equality between women and men. We call for your attention regarding the upcoming EPSCO meeting on 11th December 2014, particularly focussing on three of the topics on the agenda, namely: the Maternity Leave Directive, the Women on Boards Directive and the EU Directive on Equal Treatment. It is in the interest of all European citizens to have a socially and economically sustainable society where all people have equal rights – regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, religion or economic or cultural status. We call upon you and the relevant ministers to take the following arguments into consideration when entering negotiations on Thursday. Maternity Leave Directive Due to austerity measures (with cuts in public spending) and a lack of provisions such as childcare facilities and other institutional tools, we are witnessing a failure to cope with the current limited maternity leave period. This leads to more women being forced out of the labour market or obliged to work fewer hours, thereby affecting their career opportunities, increasing gender pay gaps and – in the long term – increasing gender pension gaps. It also affects women's abilities to accumulate social protection rights, which leaves women more dependent on the (typically male) breadwinner. The European Union is obligated to promote equal rights and social cohesion for both women and men and the current lack of maternity rights for women in Europe undermines that obligation. The future of sustainable demographics in Europe depends on maternity rights that create incentives for women and men to have children and to change the pattern of the current "top heavy" population pyramid. If you are committed to meeting the Europe 2020 target on Employment, a new maternity leave directive with full pay and 20 weeks' leave needs to be put in place without further delay. Women on Boards Directive Following the proposal of women on boards legislation by the Commission in 2012 and its adoption with a vast majority of the votes in the Parliament in 2013, the people of the EU are waiting – ever more impatiently – for the approval of the Directive relating to women on company boards in the Council. The directive is a further step by the EU to increase the proportion of women in boardrooms for three reasons: Firstly, there is an overwhelming case of justice: parity in decision-making is a basic human right because it is essential that the opinions, needs and wishes of both women and men are taken into account at all levels of decision-making, as the decisions made affect the day-to-day lives of women and men across the EU. Secondly, a wide range of studies have pointed out the strong economic case for increasing the proportion of women on company boards. Finally, self-regulation as a means of achieving parity is simply not effective. Where self-regulation and voluntary targets have been introduced, progress – if there has even been any – has been painfully slow. Concrete and comprehensive measures are necessary in order to bring about real gender equality in decision-making – and we unreservedly call on the Council to approve such measures. EU Directive on equal treatment Six years after the Commission's proposal for new legislation on equal treatment, the Horizontal Directive is still stuck in negotiations at the Member State level, due to strong resistance from a few countries. The Directive is needed as discrimination is still affecting the everyday life and rights of EU citizens. In particular, in spite of efforts at the European level to mainstream gender and diversity, there is a lack of legal remedies on multiple and intersectional discrimination against women. All EU governments must show unanimous leadership on equality and adopt a strong anti-discrimination Directive with a broad scope of application. By stalling its adoption, they maintain existing barriers to accessing goods and services, they prevent EU inhabitants from contributing to Europe's growth as citizens, consumers and volunteers and they create obstacles for businesses and service providers. Both the Maternity Leave Directive and the Women on Boards Directive have been voted for by the directly and democratically elected European Parliament and these democratic decisions should be respected. In the case of the Directive on equal treatment, the Lisbon Treaty clearly provides the legal basis for this piece of legislation. The Directive is absolutely indispensable to respect the rights enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. We strongly urge you and the ministers concerned to take this into account before going into the negotiations at the EPSCO council meeting. These directives are not only necessary for women's equal rights but also constitute a social and economic investment for an inclusive and progressive Europe. Gender equality in society is good for growth, sustainability and the wellbeing of all human beings. Viviane Teitelbaum (President of the European Women's Lobby) and Joanna Maycock (Secretary General of the European Women's Lobby)
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