30 August 2005

Poll shows women more hostile to abortions than men

A survey conducted by well-respected online pollsters YouGov has found that only 27% of UK adults (and only 19% of women) believe that the current legal limit for abortion - 24 weeks \x96 is appropriate. 30% of people (and 35%… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 30 August 2005

28 August 2005

US withdraws funding from abstinance programme

Common sense and common knowledge have finally won out over abstinance programmes in the United States - or at least one programme, the ‘Silver Ring Thing’, as the Feminist Majority Foundation reports. The Silver Ring Thing is a religious organisation… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 28 August 2005

Indian guerillas kidnapping rural women, forcing them into porn

Guerilla fighters in the north east of India have long been known to kidnap tribal women from remote areas. But in a new twist on this practice, the National Liberation Front of Tripura are now known to be forcing them… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 28 August 2005

27 August 2005

Men smarter than women?!

It takes a certain type of person to dedicate their career to proving one gender is brainier than the other. And, following on from headlines claiming ‘It’s official, men are smarter than women’, now we know exactly what type of… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 27 August 2005

23 August 2005

Women's rights in China, India

China is revisiting its 13 year old legislation on gender equality, it emerged today. While this can only be a good thing in a country which still lacks legal protection against domestic abuse, the wording of this announcement is a… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 23 August 2005

Voyeurism and misuse of office

Four security workers employed by Sefton council have appeared in court on charges of voyeurism and misconduct of office, following allegations that they manipulated security cameras to spy on a woman in her own home. One man has pleaded guilty… Read more...

Posted by Barbara Felix at 23 August 2005

18 August 2005

Still a Buerk

Michael Buerk was on the Today programme this morning, trying to set the record straight on what he actually said. He didn\x92t do much to convince me that he\x92s been misrepresented, to be honest. Listen for yourselves here. Just to… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 18 August 2005

17 August 2005

Who's Crying Now?

Yesterday\x92s T2 covers another story, terribly important and individually upsetting for those concerned, both alleged victim and alleged attacker but horribly familiar to those unconnected with them. The tale is told from the point of view of a father. His… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 17 August 2005

16 August 2005

Michael Buerk shows himself as a real….

Apparently Michael Buerk has filmed a programme for Channel 5 arguing women have taken over the world and the gender balance has shifted too far in their favour (see the BBC for more coverage). Buerk’s accusations include that men now… Read more...

Posted by Louise Livesey at 16 August 2005

14 August 2005

The Editors of Bliss Magazine are hypocrites

Whilst doing some research on body image amongst girls and teenagers, I found this report on the BBC site from January which states that four in ten teenage girls have considered plastic surgery, only 8% were happy with their bodies… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 14 August 2005

The Machismo Advocates are at it Again

There’s an interesting article by Harry Mount, in Friday’s Telegraph, about a forthcoming book on the future of men in society. However, despite the synopsis of the book sounding promisingly progressive, Mount’s article unfortunately reveals itself to be just another… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 14 August 2005

Feminist play re-tells Ramayana

Hema Ramakrishna has published a feminist re-telling of the Ramayana, the Times of India reports. The play, Sanctuary, is in English, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to track down anyone selling it online. Rama is an avatar, or incarnation,… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 14 August 2005

13 August 2005

Women stand for council election in Pakistan - but do they risk safety for a facade of democracy?

The president (and military ruler) of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, is not generally known for his commitment to human rights, let alone women’s rights. So it will be, perhaps, little surprise to anyone that although he reserved a third of all… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 13 August 2005

10 August 2005

Fat Isn't Phat

Sixties style pop band, The Magic Numbers, reputedly walked out of their debut appearance on ‘Top Of The Pops’ after a presenter referred to them as ‘Fat’ Guest presenter Richard Bacon is reported to have introduced the band by saying… Read more...

Posted by Barbara Felix at 10 August 2005

8 August 2005

More 'Stupidity Myth' news

Whilst I’m on the subject of prevailing theories about men, if you heard anything about the University of Sheffield study, which, as The Mirror puts it, proves that “men’s brains simply aren’t designed to listen to women’s voices”, you must… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 8 August 2005

Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Gendergeek has an excellent post on recent research on the prevalence of date rape drugs, which found that there were fewer doing the rounds than were originally thought. The research has sparked comments about women’s “responsiblity” when it comes to… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 8 August 2005

7 August 2005

Nick Ferrari Gets Precious About Marriage

Liberal views don’t seem to be very fashionable right now. The backlash against so-called “political correctness” continues to give self-righteous shock-jocks a much-needed window of credibility and yet it seems there are some issues where even the most vehement rebels… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 7 August 2005

3 August 2005

"Women's Brains Blown by Orgasms"

It has recently been reported that much of the female brain is deactivated by orgasm. Dr Gert Holstege from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands studied 13 women and 11 men and found that the only element of a… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 3 August 2005

2 August 2005

Scarlet too Rude for Newsagents

I’m pissed off. The only newsagent in my area to ever stock the women’s sex magazine Scarlet has now permanently taken it off the shelves due to complaints from customers. I’ve been told by the manager that the problem was… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 2 August 2005