Women's Views on News |
| New feminist magazine: Mary Review Posted: 24 Jun 2015 02:10 AM PDT
A 2014 study by research body Vida which aimed to reveal gender disparity in major literary publications, showed that female writers are seriously underrepresented in general interest magazines. This includes publications such as The Atlantic and The New Yorker which are perceived as the top tier of publications in terms of quality and stature. Many writers seek publication in these two magazines. They are indeed viewed as the crème de la crème of article writing, as well as being amongst the most lucrative in terms of pay. General interest magazines are intended to be read by both women and men and do not target a specific gender, which is why news that during 2014 the majority of articles in The Atlantic and The New Yorker were written by men is so concerning. Why is it that magazines which are intended to appeal to a wide audience of both women and men are publishing predominately male writers? Jillian Goodman, an editor at Fast Company, asked herself that very question. Goodman then decided to combat this by launching her very own general interest magazine, Mary Review, as a magazine written by women, but not necessarily for women. And when asked if it was a feminist magazine Goodman said ‘yes, absolutely’. Speaking to The Freelancer, Goodman said: "Without a doubt it is a feminist project, in that it is interested in what women have to say. "What I want to do with Mary is publish the same kinds of stories that you would find in The New Yorker. “We want the same breadth of offerings. It's just that all women are doing it." Goodman admitted that the editorial landscape she has witnessed through the years has had an impact on her. "The more time I've spent in the professional world and the older I've gotten, the more feminist I feel, and the more I find myself drawn to the things that women have to say." When asked why there is such a disparity between the number of women writers commissioned vs numbers of men, Goodman told Cosmopolitan "There’s always going to be a small amount of disconnect if you’re a woman pitching to a man. “I don’t think male editors at magazines like the New Yorker or the New York Review of Books necessarily think men are better writers than women. But it comes down to unconscious biases." "A lot of women pitching stories that they think are meaningful have been told their ideas are frivolous. And I think a man who gets a pitch from a female writer that he’s not jazzed about, but he assigns it anyway because he feels he needs more women writers, isn’t good either. “We need more diversity at the top, where there is decision-making power, to bring different perspectives to light." As with so many issues concerning the underrepresentation of women in different fields it does seem that the answer lies in the lack of women in senior positions of authority. But would more female editors at prestigious general interest magazines mean more female writers get commissioned? It is hard to know for sure, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. There does appear to be an appetite for Mary. Goodman decided to crowdfund the project on Kickstarter, and has since exceeded her target of USD20,000 by over USD7,000. Mary Review is due to launch online in the summer of 2015, with a print copy arriving in May 2016. The magazine will be written, designed and organised by women only and will include reported features, essays, profiles, criticism, fiction, poetry, art, and photography. According to the Mary Review website "While the lives and concerns of women will certainly be covered in Mary, they won’t be the magazine’s sole focus. Mary will be about engaging narratives, deep reporting, and great writing—by women, for everyone." However, I cannot help but question how producing a new magazine entirely written by women is doing anything to help the case of gender bias within mainstream general interest magazines. Independent magazines are in fact increasingly available on a variety of topics. However, these publications generally operate on a different playing field to major publications such as The Atlantic. What really needs to happen – and which organisations such as Vida are working towards – is for major, mainstream publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic to hire more female writers. While I can’t fault Goodman for establishing a new platform for female writers, I can't help but wonder, is publishing an independent, solely female authored magazine going to help that?  |
| Women walking for peace in Korea Posted: 24 Jun 2015 01:09 AM PDT
by Kozue Akibayashi, International President, WILPF On 24 May 2015, the International Women's Day for Peace and Disarmament, approximately 30 women from 15 countries crossed the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which serves as a buffer between North Korea and South Korea, and made a powerful call for peace in the Korean Peninsula. I was among these feminist peace activists including Gloria Steinem of the United States, two Nobel Peace Laureates, Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and others. Together, we demanded an end to war apathy and inaction and together, we demanded creative and powerful actions for peace. Unending war has become an expected way of life between North and South Korea. The international community has, too often, ignored human rights, peace, and security in the region, and instead primarily attends to the region's economic situation. Scant attention is paid to the fact that North and South Korea are yet to sign a peace treaty for the war waged over 50 years ago on the Peninsula in which millions of people were killed. This perpetuates the division of people who have suffered the effects of brutal Japanese colonial rule in the early 1900s and the succeeding aggression by Japan and occupation by the United States. Even to this day, millions of families are separated by the 38th parallel north. The idea of the peace walk was conceived by Christine Ahn, a Korean-American peace activist, upon hearing news of the 2009 flash flood in North Korea. As a result of the North Korean government opening the river gates without informing the South Korean government, six South Koreans lost their lives in the ensuing flood. Afterwards, Ahn was determined to gather women on this walk who have worked for peace and the human rights of women to reaffirm the significance of restoring dialogue, rather than dependence on force, which has ultimately led both sides towards an intensive arms race. The peace walk included a one-week-long trip full of intense experiences that I am still in the process of absorbing. Technically under armistice, militarism in both countries is profound. North Korea is a country that is often portrayed as enigmatic or incomprehensible. As a Japanese national however, I saw many legacies of the colonialism of Japan in the authoritarian state. The human rights abuses in North Korea, which we strongly condemn, need to be viewed through the lens of the consequences of a highly militarised society where the priorities of the military outweigh the basic needs of its people. Addressing the division and bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula is not only the task for North and South Korea, but a responsibility of the international community. Peace is not an abstract idea. Peace has concrete images for us to envision achieving. Uniting separated families for decades is such an image. So is building mutual understanding. By crossing the DMZ, I believe we were able to make a small step towards peace in the Korean peninsula. 4 million people died in the Korean War of 1950-53, most of them Korean civilians, and 10 million families are still separated by the DMZ. Raise your voice! Join the movement. End the apathy. Demand change. Twenty countries fought in the Korean War. Demand your government to initiate discussion on a peace treaty. Make sure UNSCR 1325 is applied in such a process. To read the final closing statement of this event, click here. Kozue Akibayashi is a feminist researcher/activist and has worked on issues of gender and peace. She is a professor at Graduate School of Global Studies, Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and is the International President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedome, WILPF.  |
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