Blog posts from July 2009
Non-feminist 'more hostile' towards men than feminists, study finds
by Jess McCabe // 31 July 2009, 17:26
One of the hoary stereotypes about feminists is that we are 'man-haters'. I suspect that most feminists are more likely to roll their eyes at this sort of thing - I find it hard to take too seriously, although of...
Shadow a councillor with Operation Black Vote
by Jess McCabe // 31 July 2009, 14:01
In a bid to increase the representation of black and ethnic minority women in politics, Operation Black Vote are taking applications for a shadow-a-councillor scheme: We are looking for fifty BAME women to shadow high level councillors for a minimum...
Government misses UN deadline to report on discrimination against women
by Jess McCabe // 31 July 2009, 13:38
UPDATE: In the comments (see below) WRC says: In response to this press release, the Government Equalities Office has informed us that they submitted their report to the UN yesterday. We look forward to seeing the report to see what...
Fourth Plinth rape protest
by Catherine Redfern // 31 July 2009, 11:42
Fawcett Society supporter Jules raised awareness of the rape conviction rate on the Fourth Plinth this morning. See photos here. Photo used with permission....
WWC Gender Pay Gap Review Falls Short.
by Laura // 30 July 2009, 09:37
The Women and Work Commission has published a review (pdf) of the Government's 2006 action plan (pdf) on closing the gender pay gap and improving opportunities for women in the workplace. It notes that the overall gender pay gap (including...
New Forum for Feminist Parents
by Catherine Redfern // 29 July 2009, 10:05
The creators of the Mothers for Women's Lib blog have set up a new forum for feminist parents. It's at http://feministmums.forumotion.com It was created by the same people who bring you the Mothers For Women's Lib blog ... to...
Lancashire Police Rape Campaign targets perpetators, not victims
by Catherine Redfern // 28 July 2009, 12:28
Lancashire Constabulary have begun a campaign to try to reduce instances of rape, called Operation Focus. This includes short DVD which will be played in town centres on large screens as well as posters and bluetooth messages, and a radio...
Opportunity to Vote for Your Top Ten Favourite Blogs
by Holly Combe // 27 July 2009, 20:59
The Total Politics site has more here: The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2009-10, which will be published in September... The rules are simple. 1. You must vote for...
Feminist art 'the most important artistic movement since World War II'
by Jess McCabe // 27 July 2009, 15:50
This Washington Post article from the archives makes the case that the feminist art movement - particularly from the 1960s to '70s and in the US - was the most important since WW2. "Wack!" has the same mix of media...
Clarkson and the Top Gear boys strike again.
by Laura // 27 July 2009, 11:24
I've just sent off an extremely irritated complaint to the BBC about Top Gear. I love driving and usually enjoy the show - I do think the team are fun to watch and Clarkson does generally keep his right-wing dickishness...
Killing of Sister George re-visited
by Guest Blogger // 27 July 2009, 00:02
Queer feminist film festival Club des Femmes organised a screening of The Killing of Sister George during Pride. Here, co-curator Sarah Wood reflects on how the film fares more than 40 years since its release Watching The Killing of Sister...
Hackney Million Mothers March, 23 August
by Jess McCabe // 26 July 2009, 18:02
Starts 2.30pm from Bradbury Street, London N16 8JN What is The Hackney Million Mothers March? Hackney mothers have come together to hold a Million Mother March in Hackney to celebrate our children and young people and stand up against the...
June's comments, up now!
by Jess McCabe // 26 July 2009, 17:44
The latest batch of comments on features and reviews are online!...
Ladyfest Edinburgh 25-27 September 2009
by Catherine Redfern // 26 July 2009, 14:47
Ladyfest Edinburgh is taking place on 25-27th September this year. For details, check out the following websites: http://www.myspace.com/ladyfestedinburgh http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7816432651 http://www.ladyfestedinburgh.com/ [not updated with new dates as yet] From the myspace page: 25th - 27th September 2009 Ladyfest Edinburgh is...
EA games invites convention attendees to sexually harass 'booth babes'
by Jess McCabe // 25 July 2009, 18:05
To promote a game called Dante's Inferno, Electronic Arts decided to hold a competition at Comic-Con: (male) attendees were encouraged to "commit acts of lust" with so-called "booth babes", for a chance to win "a sinful night with two hot...
Because I am a Girl - Campaign
by Catherine Redfern // 24 July 2009, 12:28
A new campaign has been launched by the charity Plan UK called Because I am a Girl. Girls around the world are getting a raw deal. In some countries, a girl is seen as a burden and female babies are...
Friday round-up!
by Jess McCabe // 24 July 2009, 11:39
Birmingham Fems yesterday held a fundraiser, Veg Out Against Violence. brand new feminist gave a speech about why the group is organising a Reclaim the Night march this year, which she's posted on her blog: As some of you will...
Miss England protest, London
by Catherine Redfern // 24 July 2009, 10:32
Reports on Monday evening's protest against the Miss England beauty pageant are now up at Mind the Gap: London Student Feminists and Soloman's Mindfield. Many people stopped to talk and join in. Got some really good contacts from young...
New refuge for domestic abuse victims in Glasgow
by Catherine Redfern // 24 July 2009, 09:49
From (the excellent) Womensgrid news blog: The £1.8m purpose built facility, run by Drumchapel Women’s Aid, offers secure accommodation for up to eight women and sixteen children at any one time. The facility is part of the Scottish government’s £10m...
New feature: Calendar girls
by Jess McCabe // 23 July 2009, 18:02
Molly Lavender considers a slew of calendars which reduce women to body parts Ah, January. Time for New Year's resolutions, turning over a new leaf and so on. Time also, perhaps, for hanging up calendars. Actors, sporting heroes, comedians: it...
New review: Body of Work
by Jess McCabe // 23 July 2009, 17:56
Gemma Sharpe reviews a retrospective of feminist video art As part of this year’s London Short Film Festival, queer feminist film club Club Des Femmes put on a programme called ‘Body of Work’ at the ICA. The programme collected six...
Rachel Maddow - no access to abortion in 87% of US counties
by Jess McCabe // 22 July 2009, 21:13
Via AlterNet and @HumanFolly...
Three Counties Feature on Name Change
by Holly Combe // 22 July 2009, 21:12
Why does the tradition for a woman to change her name after marriage still persist? I briefly contributed to a discussion on this issue with Luke Ashmead on BBC Three Counties radio last week and, on listening again, was...
Women's preference for curves is nothing to be happy about
by Lola Adesioye // 22 July 2009, 17:24
A new study by a food company has shown that British women now prefer to be curvy than thin. Apparently Kate Moss’ physique is much less desirable than that of Kate Winslet or Nigella Lawson. Laura Bryant, from the company...
Why rape jokes aren't harmless fun.
by Laura // 22 July 2009, 15:13
Reader KJB linked to this truly brilliant post in the on-going comments thread under Ellie Levenson's guest post. In it, Harriet Jacobs thoroughly elucidates just why telling rape jokes is not funny and why so many people, men especially, cannot...
Nottingham council withdraws funding to Roshni women's centre
by Jess McCabe // 22 July 2009, 14:59
Nottingham City Council is threatening to withdraw funding from Roshni, the only specialist organisation that supports South Asian women victims of domestic, sexual violence and forced marriage in Nottingham. Roshni has put together a petition, which will be presented to...
Curriculum Reform Consultation
by Laura // 22 July 2009, 09:44
Womankind Worldwide is encouraging people to respond to the government's curriculum reform consultation on Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE). A recent review recommends that this be made a compulsory part of the curriculum, while indicating that parents would...
New feature: The woman engineer: are we really that incompetent?
by Jess McCabe // 21 July 2009, 18:13
What is really holding back women in engineering, and stopping girls from aspiring to careers in applied sciences? Wisrutta Atthakor investigates Women are rubbish at driving, women are rubbish at sports, women are rubbish at martial arts, women are rubbish...
New feature: Coherent feminism doesn’t stop at Afghani women
by Jess McCabe // 21 July 2009, 18:11
Should all Muslim women boycott the burqa because some women are forced to wear it? Myriam Francois-Cerrah argues not Commenting on French president Nicolas Sarkozy's intention to ban the burka in The Guardian, Rahila Gupta argued that because women elsewhere...
Boris caught by the wheel, questioned on Rape Crisis funding
by Jess McCabe // 20 July 2009, 15:28
The-sauce has a report from today's protest outside City Hall, calling for London mayor Boris Johnson to keep his election pledge to fully fund three additional rape crisis centres and continue funding the capital's only existing centre. Clare Solomon, a...
Lego, 1981
by Jess McCabe // 19 July 2009, 12:31
This ad for lego came out in 1981. Would the same ad be produced today? As Sociological Images says: I’ve seen other ads from the ’70s and ’80s, particularly for Tonka trucks, that show girls like this-in clothes that...
Cheap sex for the saddle sore: Berlin brothel offers cyclists discount
by Guest Blogger // 19 July 2009, 12:13
In this guest post, Charlotte Cooper considers a German brothel that is offering a 'green' discount for punters who arrive by public transport or bike "Release the puns" must have been the call to journalists when news was delivered that...
Domestic violence accounts for one in four suspects in custody in Glasgow
by Jess McCabe // 18 July 2009, 11:35
One in four suspects held in custody in Glasgow are under investigation for domestic violence, The Herald reports. This statistic drives home yet again how everyday domestic violence really is. The domestic abuse unit, the first of its kind in...
Real Justice?
by Guest Blogger // 17 July 2009, 22:35
In this guest post, Clare Laxton considers the Coroners and Justice Bill's impact on women who kill their partners after years of abuse. Clare is feminist campaigner, living in London and working for a sexual health charity The Coroners and...
Another round-up
by Jess McCabe // 17 July 2009, 10:28
Tesco has failed to improve pay and conditions for South African women producing fruit for the company, four years after ActionAid began its campaign on this issue: Jenny Ricks, ActionAid Campaigner said: “Tesco has increased its ethical checks in response...
Rape Crisis Protest
by Laura // 16 July 2009, 10:00
There will be a rally outside London's City Hall on Monday 20th July, 12.30 - 14.30, to protest Boris Johnson's cuts to Rape Crisis Centre funding. The organisers are demanding: The immediate establishment of a cross-government, ring-fenced Rape Crisis fund...
Women, confidence and fear of male judgement
by Laura // 15 July 2009, 18:18
Since I was a teenager I've had serious issues with being shown up in front of others. As a consistently top-of-the-class student I've always found it hard to deal with not being good at things (ah, woe is me, I...
fbomb: new US blog for teen feminists
by Laura // 15 July 2009, 17:24
fbomb is a blog written by and for teen feminists. It's based in the US, though not all the writers are American, and was set up by self-proclaimed 'proud teen feminist' Julie Zeilinger: The FBomb.org is a blog/community created for...
Feminists set off attack alarms in City Hall to protest lack of Rape Crisis funding
by Jess McCabe // 15 July 2009, 13:19
Five women snuck attack alarms into City Hall today, and set them off at just after 11.30am to protest London mayor Boris Johnson's failure to deliver on his election pledge to boost funding for Rape Crisis Centres in the capital,...
Except it's not every family, is it
by Jess McCabe // 15 July 2009, 10:27
The Tories' patronising obsession with dictating the terms of the voting public's relationships continues - a Tory think-tank report is calling for a compulsory three-month cooling off period in divorce cases, because apparently couples can't decide for themselves if they...
Protest deportation of cleaners; feminist poet among those denied artist visas to UK
by Jess McCabe // 14 July 2009, 17:41
A protest is planned in London this Friday lunchtime, in support of SOAS cleaners - nine cleaners were seized in an immigration raid shortly after they won union recognition and a pay raise to the level of the London living...
New review: The Politics of Breastfeeding
by Jess McCabe // 14 July 2009, 11:04
Karen Gregory reviews the 20th anniversary edition of The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer Why has artificial feeding become the norm in many parts of the world? Why are worldwide sales of bottles and artificial feeding products still rising,...
My kind of post-feminist
by Jess McCabe // 13 July 2009, 16:19
Feminist Webs is calling for young women to submit postcards on "what young women want", for a book which will be sent to local and national decision makers. Here are the instructions: 1. Buy or create a postcard 2. Fill...
New feature: Confessions of a brand new feminist
by Jess McCabe // 13 July 2009, 13:23
Once Anna Corbett would have laughed at the idea she’d call herself a feminist. Here she explains what changed her mind My name is Anna, I’m 22 and I’m a feminist. Six months ago, if someone told me that I...
Get involved: Leeds Reclaim the Night
by Jess McCabe // 13 July 2009, 10:39
A group in Leeds is planning a Reclaim the Night march this year, and is holding a meeting tomorrow evening for women who want to get involved. We are very excited to announce an initial planning meeting for a 2009...
Mini-review: Before Stonewall
by Jess McCabe // 12 July 2009, 11:40
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Peccadillo Pictures has re-released the 1984 documentary Before Stonewall in some cinemas and on DVD. They sent me a preview disc, which I've been meaning to watch and review for...
Fat Studies in the UK
by Jess McCabe // 10 July 2009, 15:58
Obesity Timebomb has posted an interesting interview with Corinna Tomrley, co-editor of recently-released book Fat Studies in the UK, and she has a lot to say specifically about women and fat and body image. Corinna talks about how the book...
Master Suppression Techniques - sexism in the workplace
by Jess McCabe // 10 July 2009, 11:38
If someone is outright sexist or misogynist towards you in the workplace, then it's in some ways easier to identify and deal with than the subtler undermining that can happen. F-Word commenter A Different Helen sent in a link to...
In-fighting injures feminism
by Guest Blogger // 10 July 2009, 00:46
Ellie Levenson, author of The Noughtie Girl's Guide To Feminism, wants an end to the in-fighting... One of the defining characteristics of the feminist movement, as well as other liberal movements throughout history, has been the in-fighting and internal spats...
More on "Stay-Home-Dads"
by Holly Combe // 9 July 2009, 23:20
Just a quick heads-up to say I took part in a Radio Five Live feature prompted by a report that there has been an 80% increase in men staying at home since April 2008. I realise we probably shouldn't be...
Feminism doesn't mean tying women to their careers
by Lola Adesioye // 9 July 2009, 15:32
Last week Sarah Palin, the previously-unknown governor of Alaska who burst onto the scene as John McCain’s running mate in the US 2008 election season, claiming to be an example of how to break through glass ceilings, unexpectedly decided to...
Introducing our new guest blogger... Lola Adesioye
by Jess McCabe // 9 July 2009, 15:28
Our newest guest blogger Lola Adesioya starts today, look out for her posts over the next few weeks! Lola is a British, New York-based writer whose area of speciality is race, politics and popular culture from a Generation Y and...
Olive Morris Memorial Breakfast in London this Sunday
by Jess McCabe // 9 July 2009, 12:30
The Remembering Olive Morris Collective is organising a breakfast in Brixton this Sunday, on the anniversary of the activist's death in 1979: On the anniversary of Olive Morris death we will convene for breakfast in a public space at the...
Offside
by Jess McCabe // 9 July 2009, 11:40
Just a quick heads up, if you get a chance to see Offside, then do. Women aren't allowed into the football stadium in Iran, and this is a documentary-style comedy about Iranian girls who dress up as boys in...
Another round-up
by Jess McCabe // 8 July 2009, 12:46
Women are up to seven times less likely to report homophobic and transphobic crime to the police than men, according to a survey by the Met. The survey, which builds upon 2002 research conducted on behalf of the Home Office,...
Reclaim the Night, Friday night, East London
by Jess McCabe // 7 July 2009, 14:35
Via womensgrid: A number of women have been attacked in the Markhouse Road / St James’s area in recent months. Let Us Join Together On A Community Walk And Show We Will Not Live In Fear Reclaim The Night E17...
Tango & Casual Sexism - Eh?
by Catherine Redfern // 7 July 2009, 12:07
Oh, hurrah! It's another 'ironic' sexism advert!* Is it? Seriously, does anyone have a clue what this is supposed to mean? (More of the same ads here). I can't decide if I should be in favour of this or...
Telegraph story twists research on men who (are prepared to) rape
by Jess McCabe // 6 July 2009, 15:49
Ben "Bad Science" Goldacre has comprehensively taken apart this horrifically victim-blaming story in the Telegraph, which ran with the entirely misleading headline: Women who dress provocatively more likely to be raped, claim scientists The story is a case study in...
Daily Mail in knee-jerk homophobic, sexist shocker!
by Jess McCabe // 6 July 2009, 15:29
How to react this rant by Melanie Phillips in today's Daily Mail? I mean, clearly it's a reaction to Pride this weekend, right? It pushed her buttons, because although she makes the concession that G(LB?) people should be "tolerated" and...
Far right threatens Anna Lo, racist attacks in Belfast
by Jess McCabe // 6 July 2009, 12:09
Anna Lo is the sole ethnic minority member of the Northern Ireland Assembly - and last week she was warned by police of threats to attack her by racist far-right groups in the region, reports the Belfast Telegraph. (Via Madam...
Women of Bletchley Park
by Jess McCabe // 6 July 2009, 00:08
The folks behind Ada Lovelace Day have another interesting event up their sleeve later this month. Women of Bletchley Park on 26 July, will look at women's contribution to the (second world) war effort at the famous site where Alan...
Southall Black Sisters boycott London committee hearing on violence against women over BNP presence
by Jess McCabe // 3 July 2009, 17:23
Southall Black Sisters and Eaves have pulled out of an evidence session, meant to feed into London mayor Boris Johnson's violence against women strategy, because the BNP member Richard Barnbrook is on the committee. In a statement posted on womensgrid,...
Round-up!
by Jess McCabe // 2 July 2009, 23:44
An Australian woman has had a criminal conviction for making a false police report of rape overturned, after the man accused of raping her was convicted of attacking another woman. Abyss2Hope has more, but I think this is the key...
Internship Opportunities at Refuge
by Laura // 2 July 2009, 15:42
Refuge is the country’s largest single provider of emergency accommodation and support to women and children escaping domestic violence. They're currently recruiting interns, and we thought some readers might be interested: Internship opportunities Refuge is looking for capable and enthusiastic...
Game competition about domestic violence
by Jess McCabe // 2 July 2009, 12:43
Regular readers will know I'm a disgruntled game-player. I love games. I just wish less of them sucked - both in the sense I wish more were playable and actually fun and in the sense that they didn't FAIL quite...
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
