29 November 2006

Bishop: God is a feminist

Here’s some news that puts yesterday’s announcement that the next French president could be a women’s rights advocate into the shade somewhat: God is a feminist. Or so says South African bishop Israel Malele. Malele is due to give a… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 29 November 2006

Royal the feminist?

Segolene Royal, the woman who is likely to stand as the French Socialist party’s candidate for president in the upcoming elections, has linked her ascendancy to feminism. The Telegraph, no doubt to further shock its readership about this strong, left-wing… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 29 November 2006

Taliban kills for teaching girls

A teacher in Afghanistan was disemboweled and then torn apart with his legs tied to motorbikes because he taught female students, the Independent reports today. Since 46-year-old Mohammed Halim’s death, the female director of education in the area has received… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 29 November 2006

28 November 2006

October comments published

Comments received during October have been published. There were loads!… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 28 November 2006

Another abortion related story

Another abortion related story on The Guardian site tonight, revealing perhaps a more positive slant on the current debate, depending rather on how you look at it…… Read more...

Posted by Barbara Felix at 28 November 2006

26 November 2006

c.1000 women Reclaim the Night in central London

This year’s Reclaim the Night march was a huge success, attracting an estimated 1000 women to central London to protest against sexual violence. It’s a massive achievement in itself that the march has grown so fast since the first… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 26 November 2006

24 November 2006

Women Take Action Against Rape: Event in Bristol This Saturday

Every day, an average of 30 women contact Bristol organisations seeking help for rape/sexual abuse and, last year, there were 225 rapes and 727 other sexual assaults reported to the police in the area. Despite this, Bristol has no rape… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 24 November 2006

22 November 2006

Sweden has most empowered women

Sweden has the smallest gender gap in the world, according to a World Economic Forum report. The UK doesn’t do too badly either, coming in 9th behind a list of mostly Nordic countries. Overall, the EU 15 comes in second… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 November 2006

Video games bridge gender toy divide

Asked what toys they want for Christmas, US boys and girls both opted for computer game consoles such as the Nintendo DS, in a list otherwise dominated by gender-specific toys such as Barbie for girls and “cars” for boys. Wonderland… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 November 2006

Ditto named NME's coolest

Beth Ditto from The Gossip has been named the coolest person in rock by NME, a Guardian blogger reports. Beth is a fire-breathing icon of rock’n’roll non-conformity. With a voice like Tina Turner gargling ball bearings, a mega-watt stage… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 November 2006

Time to sign up for diversity

With all the intolerance and extremism brewing in Europe at the moment - such as the Dutch government’s decision to ban the burqa in public places - now is a good time for a show of solidarity for true European… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 November 2006

21 November 2006

Hitachi sued for demoting transsexual

A transwoman who was demoted after undergoing sex-change surgery is suing Hitachi Data Systems for £500,000. The Guardian reports that Jessica Bussert accepted a transfer to the firm’s Buckinghamshire office because she thought the environment would be more conducive to… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 21 November 2006

Sisterwife speaks

A ‘sisterwife’ - or woman in a polygamous marriage - sets out what life is like as just one of a number of women married to the same man in the Guardian today. It’s a truely fascinating account, for example… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 21 November 2006

South Africa legalises same-sex marriage

South Africa has become one of a handful of countries to legalise same-sex marriage. Putting a bit of a dampener on that excellent news, however, the Independent carries a worrying report today about the prevalence of homophobia in Africa. Partly… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 21 November 2006

19 November 2006

Comments August & September

Readers’ comments from August and September have been published…. Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 November 2006

27th Carnival of Feminists

The 27th Carnival of Feminists is up now. Still as brilliant as ever - still a genius idea - still proving feminism is alive and kicking. Yay!… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 November 2006

Fiver received with thanks!

A very belated thanks to Natasha of Feminish, who a few months ago sent me a fiver for The F Word in order to prove the point about putting your money where your mouth is when it comes to supporting… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 November 2006

Regender

For a laugh, I just ran www.thefword.org.uk though regender.com, a website translation programme that automatically identifies all gendered words in any webpage and swaps them round. So, “men” become “women” and vice-versa. It’s a trip into a freaky parallel universe… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 November 2006

18 November 2006

Review of 'Backlash' Event, London

‘Backlash: The Hidden War on Women in the UK’ - 1st Nov 2006, London Glencora Bailey reports on a thought-provoking film and speaker event organised by the Women’s Resource Centre, in November in London…. Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 18 November 2006

17 November 2006

New Articles & Review

The Food of Love? When a man insists on paying for all your meals, what’s the real motive? Claire McGowan examines why she fights for the right to pay her own way. War of Words “Feminism”; “Slut”; “Bitch”: all powerful… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 17 November 2006

16 November 2006

Drug rape over-hyped, says report

A study by the Association of Chief Police Officers claiming that drug rapes are not as common as thought has provoked a storm of controversy. The study assessed 120 cases of sexual assault - of which police initially thought 12… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 16 November 2006

Stripper takes down blogging "john"

Seattle has voted against a measure which would have effectively made it illegal for “patrons” to touch women at strip clubs. Twisty at I Blame the Patriarchy has dealt with this issue very thoroughly, but her post brought up an… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 16 November 2006

15 November 2006

Subtext Issue 2 Out Now

The second issue of new feminist magazine Subtext hits the streets today. In an email alert sent today, Subtext promises the issue will include articles on lads mags, the gender gap in education and female desire. They are also holding… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 15 November 2006

13 November 2006

Feminists from around the bloc

The latest issue of central and eastern European zine Plotki is about feminism, and offers some interesting insights. Such as why feminism is trendy in Warsaw but not Berlin; homophobia within the Croatian feminist community; and a Swedish punk… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 13 November 2006

Bristol Domestic Abuse Forum Launches Campaign

A new campaign encouraging men to reject domestic abuse against women is being launched in Bristol. The posters feature the message “Domestic Abuse There’s No Excuse” and show a series of passport images of men and the text: “We don’t… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 13 November 2006

How to avoid becoming the tea lady

True story. Two weeks into a new job, I was asked by my boss to make him a cup of coffee. As I hadn’t been employed as his personal assistant, I was, to put it mildly, both surprised and offended…. Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 13 November 2006

11 November 2006

Dutch seek to ban the veil

The Dutch government has said it will ban women from wearing the niqab and the burka in public, the Guardian reports. With Dutch elections coming up on the 22 November, the incumbent right-leaning coalition says it will look for ways… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 11 November 2006

10 November 2006

Emergency meeting on women jailed for accusing men of rape

Earlier this week, I posted about the recent spate of cases where the aquittal of a man accused of rape has been quickly followed by the prosecution of the alleged victim. Justice for Women and Eaves are going to hold… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 10 November 2006

Veil issue goes to courts

Solicitors and legal advisers will now be able to wear the niqab, or full veil covering the face, in court. New guidance has been issued after a legal adviser in an immigration case refused to remove her niqab when asked… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 10 November 2006

Reality TV women become tribal wives

Another day, another dodgy exercise in reality TV. This time the BBC is sending six British women to become second wives to tribesmen in Papua New Guinea, Greenland, Africa and Northern Mongolia. Tribe members will be interviewed each week to… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 10 November 2006

8 November 2006

Woman takes top House job

It looks like the Democrats have won back control of the House of Representatives, making Nancy Pelosi the first female Speaker of the House. According to a report in the Guardian, the high-profile San Franciscan can be credited with a… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 8 November 2006

7 November 2006

Zimbabwe women set free

One hundred and eighty women who were imprisoned after taking part in a protest have been freed by a judge in Zimbabwe. When the judge announced his ruling, some of the women started to celebrate but were warned they could… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 7 November 2006

Rape law crisis

A woman has been jailed for falsely accusing her ex-husband of raping her. A month before, a Labour peer named another woman who falsely accused a man of raping her - overthrowing the traditional protection of anonymity for sexual assault… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 7 November 2006

6 November 2006

Polish women take to streets for abortion rights

Around 300 Polish women demonstrated on the streets of Warsaw, calling for a relaxation on the country’s abortion ban. Today Online reports that, while pro-choice organisations are calling for abortion to be legalised, the ultra-right faction in Parliament is calling… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 6 November 2006

2 November 2006

Women at top earn less, work more - IoD

Top female executives still earn one-fifth less than their male colleagues, despite working longer hours, according to a report by the Institute of Directors. The IoD reports that the pay gap at the top of the corporate ladder has shrunk… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 2 November 2006

First US case of genital mutilation

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Georgia court, after cutting off his daughter’s clitoris with scissors, according to the BBC. In the first case of its kind in the US: Khalid Adem, an Ethiopian… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 2 November 2006

1 November 2006

Afghan women still suffering - Womankind Worldwide

Women in Afghanistan are little better off than they were before the fall of the Taliban, according to the latest report giving evidence on how regime change has failed to prevent “honour” killings, forced marriage and burqa-wearing. The Independent says… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 1 November 2006

MPs see off attempt to restrict abortion

MPs have rebuffed an attempt to reduce the time limit on abortions from 24 to 21 weeks and enforce a 10 day “cooling off” period for all terminations, the BBC reports. Conservative MP Nadine Dorries introduced a Ten Minute Rule… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 1 November 2006