29 October 2006

Judging a book by its cover

Jessica Valenti from Feministing is about to publish her first book. Although the only thing revealed so far is its cover, Full Frontal Feminism has already provoked a storm of contraversy in the blogosphere. A number of commenters on Feministing… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 29 October 2006

28 October 2006

Hurrah for musicians with something to say

There’s a good interview piece with The Gossip in todays Guardian which, amongst other things, discusses the dearth of musicians prepared to have a solid opinion on, well, anything really…… Read more...

Posted by Jane Eyre at 28 October 2006

27 October 2006

Happy Anniversary

The Guardian is running a G2 special on abortion rights today, to celebrate the 39th anniversary of its legalisation. Zoe Williams opens with a belting piece: So it boils down to this: for those of us with the cash, abortion… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 27 October 2006

Killed for speaking out - women in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia

Women who speak out to defend their rights in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia are becoming the target of violent reprisals, according to a senior official from the UN Fund for Women. As reported in the International Herald Tribune, UNIFEM executive… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 27 October 2006

26 October 2006

Only Rapists Can Prevent Rape

In view of Julie Bindel’s admission that she would not go to the police if she was raped, it seems an appropriate time to reprint this meme: A lot has been said about how to prevent rape. Women should learn… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 26 October 2006

25 October 2006

Tory advisors blame family breakdowns, crime on black women

Black women are responsible for the high numbers of young black men in jail, because their independence from men sends out the wrong message, according to advisors to David Cameron. The BBC reports that a number of organisations that advise… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 25 October 2006

22 October 2006

I promise you, feminists snuggle

AlterNet is one of my favourite sources of progressive commentary, as regular readers will know. So how disappointing that they chose to republish this article, which revisits the tired old notion that feminism and love relationships do not co-exist. Christina… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 October 2006

20 October 2006

Putin caught joking about Israeli rapes

Russian president Vladamir Putin has been caught out joking about how virile the Israeli president is, following accusations that Moshe Katsav raped female members of his staff. The BBC reports that Putin was overheard making the joke by a journalist,… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 20 October 2006

Venezuelan women's rights activists to speak in London

Venezuela has been undergoing radical social changes since Hugo Chavez came to power, and women have been some of the prime beneficiaries. On October 28, leading representatives from women’s rights groups will be coming to London to speak at a… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 20 October 2006

19 October 2006

The Veil Mark 2

I’ve had some interesting feedback emails on my round-up of opinion pieces concerning the Muslim veil. The first was concerned that I seemed to be coming down on the side of the veil-as-personal-choice contingent, and felt that feminists should just… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 19 October 2006

16 October 2006

Feminist Fightback Conference on 21 October

The Feminist Fightback conference will be taking place on 21 October at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London. (Nearest tube stops are Russell Square, Euston and Goodge Street.) This is is a one day activist conference,… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 16 October 2006

Israeli president may face rape charges

Israeli president Moshe Katsav could be charged with multiple sexual assaults, including rape, the Independent reports. The police have issued a statement recommending that Katsav should be charged, but the final decision rests with the country’s attorney general. He could… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 16 October 2006

Ex-chief of HP details sexism in Silicon Valley

A former Hewlett-Packard CEO has described the obstacles she faced as a woman trying to climb the corporate ladder, after years of denying the existence of the glass ceiling. Maureen Dowd reports on Carly Fiorina’s autobiography, which reveals how she… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 16 October 2006

15 October 2006

Dove film exposes model manipulations

Dove has put online a short film showing the process of turning a model, with blemishes, etc, into a flawless, but impossible billboard image. Part of Dove’s controversial Campaign for Real Beauty, the technique the film employs is hardly new,… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 15 October 2006

Government backtracks on gay rights law

A law which would ban anyone providing goods and services from discriminating on the grounds of sexuality is in danger of being watered down because of pressure from faith groups, according to the Observer. The proposed legislation would prevent, for… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 15 October 2006

14 October 2006

Feminist blogger sells out to porn industry

Ampersand, the male feminist behind the massively-popular site Alas, a blog has sold his domain name to a porn website. Although the blog continues on, with no change of content, the domain name amptoons.com is now owned by a porn… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 14 October 2006

Chinese recycling tycoon is world's richest woman

If all the predictions are right, and China is going to be the superpower of the 21st century, it is probably a very good sign that its richest citizen is a woman, and she made her money through a recycling… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 14 October 2006

CA abortion rights hamstrung by poor provision

Even in the solidly pro-choice state of California, women struggle to access abortions because of a dearth of providers and the cost of the procedure, according to a report in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Although NARAL Pro-Choice America gives… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 14 October 2006

13 October 2006

MPs and Peers call for action on trafficking

A House of Lords/House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights has published a report calling for more to be done to tackle the problem of human trafficking for prostitution, described as \x93one of the most serious human rights issues… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 13 October 2006

12 October 2006

The Veil Question

Public debate has become heated this week, following comments made by Jack Straw in his local newspaper column that he is made uncomfortable by his female Muslim constituents wearing the niqab (veil covering the face), and asks them whether they… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 12 October 2006

10 October 2006

PRO-CHOICE WEEK OF ACTION: 23 \x96 29 October 2006

The following info was received from Abortion Rights. —— PRO-CHOICE WEEK OF ACTION: 23 \x96 29 October 2006 It\x92s time the pro-choice majority was heard! Abortion Rights is launching a national \x91pro-choice week of action\x92 to raise awareness and encourage… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 10 October 2006

Why Not Feminism?

Why Not Feminism? Emma Cosh suggests some reasons why young women shy away from feminism, despite supporting and believing in equality. Feminism today, she argues, involves not just changing the law, but changing the very way we think and… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 10 October 2006

MEPs call for action on equal pay after maternity leave

Two socialist MEPs have called on the European Commission to intervene in the Cadman case in the European Court of Justice, which concluded that employers can pay women who take maternity leave less than their co-workers. According to EUObserver, Hungarian… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 10 October 2006

6 October 2006

HPV Vaccination Programme Makes Further Progress

Last month, the European Commission licenced Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent HPV infection, for use in girls and women aged 9 to 26. It has now been reported in the national news that the Lancet Medical Journal has… Read more...

Posted by Holly Combe at 6 October 2006

4 October 2006

Confusion over court ruling

Yesterday’s news that the European Court of Justice overturned a ruling which would have given considerable ammunition to women who come back to work after a child-related career break to find they are paid less than male colleagues dominated the… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 4 October 2006

3 October 2006

European court undermines effort to close wage gap

A UK court ruling that employers cannot pay male workers more than their female counterparts because they have not had to take career breaks has been overturned by the European Court of Justice. As EUObserver reports, UK health inspector Bernadette… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 3 October 2006

Female bouncers on the up

The number of female bouncers at clubs is on the rise, according to research by the Economic and Social Research Council. The Independent reports on the phenomenon, which is partly explained by legislation allowing the authorities to withhold a venue’s… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 3 October 2006

2 October 2006

Uncovering The Internet Art Revolution

Uncovering The Internet Art Revolution It’s free, fantastic, and you don’t even have to leave your own home! Whilst some campaigners focus on getting more female artists into mainstream galleries and museums, Sarah Parry encourages us to open up… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 2 October 2006

Britain's board rooms still dominated by men

Women are still shut out of the board rooms of the biggest companies in the UK, according to a report by Deloitte. A tiny 3% of executive directors are women, and there has been no improvement at all over the… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 2 October 2006

Tories oppose Cameron policy on female candidates

Only 6% of Tory party members support David Cameron’s policy on increasing the number of female electoral candidates and candidates from ethnic minorities. The figure came to light in a poll of members undertaken by the Independent, which revealed widespread… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 2 October 2006

1 October 2006

Women go 'super-skinny' on Channel 4 documentary

Six female journalists are to starve themselves until they can fit into size 2 clothing for a Channel 4 documentary. Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero will screen early next year according to the Herald Tribune. “This documentary will… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 1 October 2006

Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence You’re female, successful, single, and prefer your life that way. So why are you still seen as an object of pity? Abby O’Reilly argues that women are still put under immense pressure by friends, family, and… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 1 October 2006