Women's Views on News |
| Sexism and bullying in cycling? Posted: 04 May 2016 01:25 PM PDT
With less than 100 days to go until the Olympics in Brazil's capital, Rio de Janero, British Cycling has been forced to deny that it is in crisis following claims of sexism and bullying. British Cycling is the national governing body for cycling in Great Britain. Shane Sutton,the technical director of British Cycling, resigned last week after cyclist Jess Varnish claimed that he had made sexist remarks following her failure to make the team for Rio 2016, and six-time Paralympic gold medallist Darren Kenny said that Sutton had referred to para-cyclists as "gimps" and "wobblies". According to world, European and Commonwealth Games medal-winner Varnish, Sutton told her that she was "too old" (despite her only being 25) and had a "fat arse", and suggested she "go and have a baby". Varnish also spoke of a "culture of fear" within the organisation, which, she says, has prevented staff speaking out about sexism for fear of losing their jobs – something all too common for women in far too many industries. Since speaking out, Varnish has been supported by fellow cyclists Nicole Cooke and Victoria Pendleton, both former Olympic champions. She also released a statement on her website in which she wrote, "I have been contacted by other riders both present and past, to say that they have experienced similar behaviour at British Cycling." In an article for The Guardian following Varnish's claims, Cooke criticised the "world of elite cycling where sexism is by design", in which male cyclists and their races are considered to be far more important than the women's. According to Cooke, these issues are not confined to cycling: "hypocrisy and double standards in respect to gender are ingrained in cycling and many other sports but this is hidden in reports of events." Cooke also reiterated what Varnish said about a culture of fear, claiming that women are faced with the choice of speaking out and consequently having their dreams destroyed and "years of hard work wasted", or having to "put up with it and hope." As Cooke pointed out, the focus on the men's performance and events sends out the message that "women are not only second-class citizens", but that "their achievements don't count either." Sutton has rejected all of the "specific claims" made against him, and says that he resigned because the accusations were becoming "a distraction" for athletes ahead of this summer's Olympic games, and did so "in the best interests of British Cycling." British Cycling has responded to the allegations by launching an investigation into Sutton's behaviour and a review of the performance programme, following claims that the organisation is run like a "tyranny". Chief Executive Ian Drake denied that the organisation is in crisis and told the BBC, "we have to get the independent review right and there is no point having a system where people feel they are not in a supportive environment and potentially not being given a duty of care." British Cycling chief Bob Howden added that the claims were "extremely disturbing" and said "we will not shy away from taking whatever action is necessary." While other female cyclists have come out and said that they've never experienced sexism or bullying within the organisation or from Sutton, male cyclist and double Olympic champion Geraint Thomas acknowledged that the sport does have a problem: "the inequality issues won't finish with Shane's resignation/investigation – there is a problem with inequality in cycling as a whole that needs to be addressed." Sadly, some have dismissed Varnish's claims as a case of 'sour grapes', but the cyclist says that she spoke out because she felt she had nothing left to lose and is standing by all of her allegations. Clearly, there is a still a long way to go in making sure that all sports offer a level playing field for men and women, but bringing the issue to light and forcing organisations to tackle it head on is a good place to start. We wish Jess Varnish all the best in her quest to "change the culture at British Cycling and their treatment of women" and hope to see her competing again in the future.  |
| Advertisements: inquiry announced Posted: 04 May 2016 12:51 PM PDT
In recent years, there has been increasing political and public debate on equality issues. The objectification and sexualisation of women in advertisements, presenting an idealised or unrealistic body image, the mocking of women and men in non-stereotypical roles, the reinforcement of stereotyped views of gender roles, and gender-specific marketing to children are all issues that have gained considerable public interest. And the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced that it wants to find out more about these them. Consequently, the group will be doing three things: examining evidence on gender stereotyping in advertisements, seeking views from a range of stakeholders, and commissioning its own research into public opinion. At this stage, ASA said, it is 'being open-minded' about what stakeholders and research tell it about gender stereotyping in advertisements and the impact of such advertising, and will shape the project as it moves forward. In particular, ASA is keen for people and organisations to send in any research they have on this issue. Evidence can be sent here. The project will then report on whether ASA is getting it right on gender stereotyping in advertisements. And if the evidence suggests a change in regulation is merited ASA will set out the best way to achieve it. The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK's independent regulator of advertising and covers all media. It applies the Advertising Codes, which are written by the Committees of Advertising Practice, and its work includes acting on complaints and proactively checking the media to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements. Earlier this month, the Guardian reported, the ASA banned a Gucci advertisement for ‘irresponsibly’ featuring an "unhealthily thin" model. And in February, the watchdog banned a campaign featuring girls taking slimming pills to lose weight for a beach holiday after 200 complaints that it promoted an unhealthy body image among young women. The chief executive of the ASA, Guy Parker, said: "We're serious about making sure we're alive to changing attitudes and behaviours. "That's why we've already been taking action to ban ads that we believe reinforce gender stereotypes and are likely to cause serious and widespread offence, or harm. "And that's also why we want to engage further with a wide range of stakeholders on the effect of gender stereotyping on society, including through our 'call for evidence'," he continued. "I look forward to hearing from stakeholders as this important work progresses." So do we.  |
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