Bishop: God is a feminist

By Jess McCabe | 29 November 2006, 17:31

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…

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Royal the feminist?

By Jess McCabe | 29 November 2006, 08:52

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…

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Taliban kills for teaching girls

By Jess McCabe | 29 November 2006, 08:44

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…

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October comments published

By Catherine Redfern | 28 November 2006, 23:34

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

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Another abortion related story

By Barbara Felix | 28 November 2006, 17:03

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……

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c.1000 women Reclaim the Night in central London

By Catherine Redfern | 26 November 2006, 16:52

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…

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Women Take Action Against Rape: Event in Bristol This Saturday

By Holly Combe | 24 November 2006, 14:01

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…

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Sweden has most empowered women

By Jess McCabe | 22 November 2006, 21:09

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…

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Video games bridge gender toy divide

By Jess McCabe | 22 November 2006, 17:09

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…

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Ditto named NME's coolest

By Jess McCabe | 22 November 2006, 16:01

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…

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Time to sign up for diversity

By Jess McCabe | 22 November 2006, 14:26

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…

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Hitachi sued for demoting transsexual

By Jess McCabe | 21 November 2006, 22:27

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…

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Sisterwife speaks

By Jess McCabe | 21 November 2006, 21:56

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…

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South Africa legalises same-sex marriage

By Jess McCabe | 21 November 2006, 19:24

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…

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Comments August & September

By Catherine Redfern | 19 November 2006, 18:47

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

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27th Carnival of Feminists

By Catherine Redfern | 19 November 2006, 13:08

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!…

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Fiver received with thanks!

By Catherine Redfern | 19 November 2006, 12:59

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…

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Regender

By Catherine Redfern | 19 November 2006, 12:30

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…

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Review of 'Backlash' Event, London

By Catherine Redfern | 18 November 2006, 15:38

‘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….

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New Articles & Review

By Catherine Redfern | 17 November 2006, 17:34

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…

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Drug rape over-hyped, says report

By Jess McCabe | 16 November 2006, 22:30

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…

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Stripper takes down blogging "john"

By Jess McCabe | 16 November 2006, 20:25

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…

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Subtext Issue 2 Out Now

By Jess McCabe | 15 November 2006, 23:52

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…

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Feminists from around the bloc

By Jess McCabe | 13 November 2006, 23:50

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…

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Bristol Domestic Abuse Forum Launches Campaign

By Holly Combe | 13 November 2006, 20:05

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…

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How to avoid becoming the tea lady

By Jess McCabe | 13 November 2006, 15:56

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….

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Dutch seek to ban the veil

By Jess McCabe | 11 November 2006, 16:41

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…

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Emergency meeting on women jailed for accusing men of rape

By Jess McCabe | 10 November 2006, 15:41

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…

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Veil issue goes to courts

By Jess McCabe | 10 November 2006, 08:43

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…

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Reality TV women become tribal wives

By Jess McCabe | 10 November 2006, 08:32

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…

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Woman takes top House job

By Jess McCabe | 8 November 2006, 07:30

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…

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Zimbabwe women set free

By Jess McCabe | 7 November 2006, 23:10

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…

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Rape law crisis

By Jess McCabe | 7 November 2006, 22:39

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…

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Polish women take to streets for abortion rights

By Jess McCabe | 6 November 2006, 08:15

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…

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Women at top earn less, work more - IoD

By Jess McCabe | 2 November 2006, 14:42

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…

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First US case of genital mutilation

By Jess McCabe | 2 November 2006, 06:46

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…

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Afghan women still suffering - Womankind Worldwide

By Jess McCabe | 1 November 2006, 23:59

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…

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MPs see off attempt to restrict abortion

By Jess McCabe | 1 November 2006, 03:21

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…

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