Blog posts from January 2006
Survey prompts calls for abortion restrictions
by Jess McCabe // 29 January 2006, 19:53
Deary me. Today is not a good day for statistics. After learning that nearly half of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals fear to tell their co-workers about their sexuality, and that most men don't want to go out with a...
Men don't fancy funny women, says study
by Jess McCabe // 29 January 2006, 19:40
What are you looking for in a potential girlfriend or boyfriend? One of the most cliched answers to that question must be "a sense of humour". But the majority of straight men are not looking for a funny woman: they...
49% fear to come out at work
by Jess McCabe // 29 January 2006, 19:27
As the debate rages on about the manner in which Lib Dem leadership candidate and party chairman Simon Hughes came out (or was forced out), a new study reveals that 49% of gay people in Britain are too scared to...
Sarah Waters
by Jess McCabe // 28 January 2006, 10:03
Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, Affinity) has a new book out, set in London during the blitz. The bumph about The Night Watch: This is the story of four Londoners - three women and a young man with a...
One in five big employers pays women less
by Jess McCabe // 27 January 2006, 12:40
Nearly one in five of Britain's biggest employers pay women less than men, the Equal Opportunities Commission has revealed. Of 870 employers who voluntarily carried out equal pay audits, 16 per cent found they were illegally paying men more than...
Quote of the Day
by Lynne Miles // 24 January 2006, 13:40
from Mind The Gap via Volsunga: When the feminist revolution is done, when every girl is raised to have high self- esteem and empowered by society to say "No", when all young people receive proper sex education, when everyone has...
Nominate a Woman for an Honour
by Lynne Miles // 23 January 2006, 12:19
The government are today launching a campaign to correct the imbalance between male and female honour nominations. The UK Honour System website says that just 37% of honours are bestowed upon women "not because women achieve less than men [...]...
Poor women suffer more because of lack of census data
by Jess McCabe // 21 January 2006, 18:33
Women around the world are being put at further risk from poverty, because developing countries are not collecting the basic census information that allows aid workers to galvinise to help them, according to a United Nations report. If this data...
US women celebrate 33 years of abortion rights
by Jess McCabe // 20 January 2006, 15:51
33 years after Roe v Wade legalised abortion in the United States, activists are rallying to defend a woman's right to choose. Although it seems almost unthinkable, women in the US are genuinely facing the possibility that the right to...
Rape prosecution of prostitutes' clients "long overdue"
by Lynne Miles // 20 January 2006, 12:12
The lead article of this week's New Statesman picks up the debate on prostitution with an attack on the men who use prostitutes. Joan Smith applauds the stance of being tough on the men who buy sex, and advocates we...
Mixed Responses to the Prostitution Strategy
by Lynne Miles // 18 January 2006, 17:47
Responses have been mixed to the prostitution strategy published yesterday by the government. Some are disappointed by the decision not to introduce \x91tolerance zones\x92 such as have been adopted in other countries to help street prostitutes to be safer, others...
Eminem remarries....the same woman
by Louise Livesey // 17 January 2006, 17:08
Eminem has remarried his ex-wife, Kim Mathers. Why should we care? Because this is the same Kim Mather's he represented so crudely in his songs. Why would a woman return to such a man (jokes about his money aside)? One...
Government Publish Prostitution Consultation Results
by Louise Livesey // 17 January 2006, 16:59
The Government have at last published the strategy in response to their recent "Paying the Price" consultation on prostitution. In they say they will not be establishing toleration zones for street prostitution, the report states that the government will "reject...
Interview with an Anti-Feminist
by Jess McCabe // 17 January 2006, 14:13
So if you took an anti-feminist pundit out for lunch who believes the gender pay gap and domestic violence epidemic have been exaggerated, and denies that feminism helped her own high-profile career, what would you ask her? Salon's Rebecca Traister...
Blachet becomes Chile's first female president
by Jess McCabe // 16 January 2006, 14:06
Chile elected its first female president yesterday. Michelle Bachelet, "a Socialist, a doctor and a former political prisoner and exile" triumphed at the polls at the expense of conservative businessman Sebasti\xE1n Pi\xF1era. Bachelet defied critics, who argued that Chile's men...
School expels girl for kissing girls
by Jess McCabe // 15 January 2006, 20:28
A private school in America has expelled a teenage girl for kissing two other female students during sleep overs. Jessica Bradley was in the ninth grade (by my reakoning that makes her 15, but I could be wrong? American readers?)...
Observer Woman Disappoints
by Jess McCabe // 15 January 2006, 14:07
Like any other good middle class, left-wing Briton, I know there is only really one newspaper out there for me. The Guardian, of course. And on Sundays, the Observer. Refuge of crossiant munching liberals and socialists lost in the wrong...
Sunday Magazine Watch
by Jess McCabe // 13 January 2006, 21:25
Extra: This Sunday the Observer is launching a new women's magazine. Check out the first cover here. The lead feature looks to be about body hair - how will they manage the subject matter?...
Have you been raped without knowing it?
by Jess McCabe // 13 January 2006, 17:00
As The Happy Feminist points out, this seems like a stupid question at first. But she uses her experience as an attorney to put forward three case studies where women thought they had not been raped even though they had...
Tabloids reveal colours once again as Kelly totters
by Jess McCabe // 13 January 2006, 13:08
Is Ruth Kelly a good Education Secretary? Perhaps not. But the right wing press have chosen push the idea that the reason she's failed is that she's spending too much time with her children. Kelly is famous for refusing to...
Gloria Steinem interview
by Jess McCabe // 11 January 2006, 15:23
Alternet runs an excellent interview with Gloria Steinem today. What is Gloria Steinem's advice to young women these days? To do "whatever they fucking well please," America's foremost feminist said, stabbing into poached eggs at a brunch-mobbed diner on a...
Sexism influences country's population
by Catherine Redfern // 9 January 2006, 22:32
The BBC reports that sexism has caused the loss of "10m female births in India" in the past 20 years. "Researchers in India and Canada for the Lancet journal said prenatal selection and selective abortion was causing the loss of...
Women would rather lose weight than up intelligence
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2006, 20:35
19 out of 20 British women would prefer to have a smaller waistline than a higher IQ, according to a survey published by tescodiets.com. From the Independent's story: From a wish list that included never having money worries again, dating...
Mexican women's rights activist dies
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2006, 20:12
Comandante Ramona died of kidney failure near San Cristobal in southern Mexico last week, on the road to hospital. If the average member of the public has ever heard of the Zapatistas, the guerilla 'army' of Indian rights activists occuping...
Norway legislates for women in the boardroom
by Lynne Miles // 9 January 2006, 10:58
The Norwegian government has introduced a system of sanctions for the 500 companies listed on its stock exchange if they do not install female members on their board. The directive came into force on January 1st this year, and possible...
Ladyfest Cardiff 2006
by Catherine Redfern // 5 January 2006, 22:06
Planning is now going ahead for Ladyfest Cardiff in 2006, and the ladies are hoping to hear from volunteers to help organise it and people willing to perform. If Mind the Gap is anything to go by, Cardiff is the...
Golf clubs to be hit by anti-discrimination directive
by Jess McCabe // 5 January 2006, 17:06
Golf clubs, at least if Hollywood is to believed, are a bastion of the Old-Boy network. So three cheers for the EU for bringing into law a directive aimed at making it illegal to discrimate on the basis of gender...
Only 200 years to go before equal representation in Parliament!
by Jess McCabe // 5 January 2006, 14:47
It will take two centuries before British women achieve equal levels of representation in the political sphere, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission. I don't know about you, but I can't wait that long! It will take only 20 years...
Ball Breaking Women - anywhere?
by Lynne Miles // 5 January 2006, 14:46
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) published a report today which estimates that it will take 200 years for women to achieve equal power to men. It confirms the continued existence of the 'glass ceiling' for women in business, politics, more...
2006 Bloggies - vote now!
by Lynne Miles // 5 January 2006, 13:49
In a shameless piece of self-promotion, I'd like to draw your attention to the existence of the Sixth Annual Weblog Awards - the Oscars of the weblogging world. If anyone cared to vote for us in any of the numerous...
Daily Mail strikes again
by Jess McCabe // 4 January 2006, 12:14
The Daily Mail is at it again with an article on LGBT history month \x96 which includes recommendations for schools to teach pupils about gay and lesbian figures in history. The actual proposals are very sensible \x96 get kids to...
In defence of political correctness
by Jess McCabe // 3 January 2006, 16:49
Political correctness is "harming society" according to a new book written by Anthony Browne for right-wing think-tank Civitas, the BBC reports today. You might be surprised to learn that discouraging outright racism, sexism and homophobia is harmful. Indeed, it may...
Immigration officials caught "selling" visas for sex
by Jess McCabe // 3 January 2006, 15:58
Immigration officials have been operating a "sex for visas" scam at one of the country's busiest immigration centres, according to a 23 year old whistleblower who left the service in disgust at the practice, the Sun reports. Leaving aside their...
Women urged back to kitchen by US columnists!
by Jess McCabe // 3 January 2006, 15:28
It sometimes seems like our friends across the pond are so overendowed with rightwing columnists that not a day goes by without me reading at least ten seperate deconstructions of their latest printed atrocities. As such it is no surprise...
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
