Blog posts from October 2006
Judging a book by its cover
By Jess McCabe | 29 October 2006, 06:53
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…
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Hurrah for musicians with something to say
By Barbara Felix | 28 October 2006, 17:19
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……
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Happy Anniversary
By Lynne Miles | 27 October 2006, 16:21
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…
Killed for speaking out - women in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia
By Jess McCabe | 27 October 2006, 08:58
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…
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Only Rapists Can Prevent Rape
By Jess McCabe | 26 October 2006, 07:20
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…
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Tory advisors blame family breakdowns, crime on black women
By Jess McCabe | 25 October 2006, 02:12
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…
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I promise you, feminists snuggle
By Jess McCabe | 22 October 2006, 01:34
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…
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Putin caught joking about Israeli rapes
By Jess McCabe | 20 October 2006, 18:08
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,…
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Venezuelan women's rights activists to speak in London
By Jess McCabe | 20 October 2006, 06:04
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…
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The Veil Mark 2
By Lynne Miles | 19 October 2006, 11:18
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…
Feminist Fightback Conference on 21 October
By Holly Combe | 16 October 2006, 13:03
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,…
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Israeli president may face rape charges
By Jess McCabe | 16 October 2006, 06:04
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…
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Ex-chief of HP details sexism in Silicon Valley
By Jess McCabe | 16 October 2006, 05:38
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…
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Dove film exposes model manipulations
By Jess McCabe | 15 October 2006, 14:22
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,…
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Government backtracks on gay rights law
By Jess McCabe | 15 October 2006, 04:32
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…
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Feminist blogger sells out to porn industry
By Jess McCabe | 14 October 2006, 23:14
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…
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Chinese recycling tycoon is world's richest woman
By Jess McCabe | 14 October 2006, 04:24
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…
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CA abortion rights hamstrung by poor provision
By Jess McCabe | 14 October 2006, 03:23
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…
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MPs and Peers call for action on trafficking
By Lynne Miles | 13 October 2006, 09:46
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…
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The Veil Question
By Lynne Miles | 12 October 2006, 17:34
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…
PRO-CHOICE WEEK OF ACTION: 23 \x96 29 October 2006
By Catherine Redfern | 10 October 2006, 23:21
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…
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Why Not Feminism?
By Catherine Redfern | 10 October 2006, 23:05
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…
MEPs call for action on equal pay after maternity leave
By Jess McCabe | 10 October 2006, 22:51
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…
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HPV Vaccination Programme Makes Further Progress
By Holly Combe | 6 October 2006, 16:17
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…
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Confusion over court ruling
By Jess McCabe | 4 October 2006, 22:28
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…
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European court undermines effort to close wage gap
By Jess McCabe | 3 October 2006, 22:07
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…
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Female bouncers on the up
By Jess McCabe | 3 October 2006, 09:03
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…
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Uncovering The Internet Art Revolution
By Catherine Redfern | 2 October 2006, 22:59
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…
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Britain's board rooms still dominated by men
By Jess McCabe | 2 October 2006, 08:45
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…
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Tories oppose Cameron policy on female candidates
By Jess McCabe | 2 October 2006, 08:33
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…
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Women go 'super-skinny' on Channel 4 documentary
By Jess McCabe | 1 October 2006, 22:33
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…
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Declaration of Independence
By Catherine Redfern | 1 October 2006, 18:28
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…
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