Blog posts from April 2010
Farewell from Education For Choice
by Education For Choice // 30 April 2010, 17:30
I’ve lobbied my MP, I’ve waved placards, I’ve donated money. I’ve argued with my friends, my colleagues, with strangers. I’ve shouted into a megaphone. On one memorable occasion I carried a flaming torch around Bloomsbury. I’ll go a long way...
Sounds and Silents
by Jess McCabe // 30 April 2010, 16:37
See classic silent films accompanied with "contemporary and experimental" live music at the latest Birds Eye View programme in London, Sounds and Silents. There's also a chance to attend a panel discussion on the gender gap in the music...
What does the election mean for reproductive rights?
by Education For Choice // 30 April 2010, 11:32
Is there a straightforward answer to this? Not really. There’s certainly no consensus in the EFC office about how anyone should vote, because the future of reproductive rights in this country (obviously only one of the many things we care...
Stop Rape Now
by Jess McCabe // 30 April 2010, 10:15
In a symbolic gesture that sexual violence is unacceptable, UN is calling on people world-over to upload photos, with arms crossed, to its Stop Rape Now map. The UN campaign is particularly focused on conflict-related rape: United Nations Action...
Women Speak Out
by Jess McCabe // 29 April 2010, 23:18
Two feminists are travelling up and down England, to meet women and discuss what issues affect them. Michelle (an F-Word contributor) and Jessica are inspired by the Girldrive project, which saw Nona Willis Aronowitz and Emma Bee Bernstein roadtrip across...
Quick shout out to Women's Web, and other news
by Jess McCabe // 29 April 2010, 22:46
Feminist blogger Aparna V. Singh from Apu's World has launched a magazine aimed at Indian women, Women's Web. This recent feature about the challenging facing Indian women who relocate overseas because of their spouse's job includes this quote from an...
Abortion: A Polish Perspective
by Education For Choice // 29 April 2010, 11:52
I was 12 years old when the abortion law in Poland was severely restricted. At that time I was not aware that the politicians were deciding about the lives of thousands of women, including mine. Later I read that thousands...
Feminist economics: Harman commits to publish impact of future budgets on women
by Jess McCabe // 28 April 2010, 20:12
UPDATE: Fawcett have posted a podcast of the full hustings event. Harriet Harman has committed future Labour governments to publish information on how the Budget will affect women. At Fawcett's hustings this week with the most senior woman from the...
West Yorkshire Police seek rape victims' views
by Philippa Willitts // 28 April 2010, 19:36
A link to a survey for people in West Yorkshire who have been raped,
Campaign against Tory plans for marriage tax break heats up
by Jess McCabe // 28 April 2010, 12:00
Don't Judge My Family is campaigning against Tory plans for a marriage tax break. By profiling families which would be rejected by the Tory party as ineligible for their £5 a week tax break - and which ones would get...
How Britain is sending a woman to her death, and what you can do about it
by Guest Blogger // 27 April 2010, 22:38
In this guest post, Shreen Ayob sets out the situation facing Bita Ghaedi and how to help stop the UK government's dangerous plan to deport her An oft used excuse for apathy is confusion, unknown facts and vague issues. This...
Silence Does NOT Equal Consent
by Philippa Willitts // 26 April 2010, 19:27
Philippa talks about consent and how women can react to sexual violence, compared to how juries and others expect us to react.
Crisis Pregnancy Centres: Counselling or Coercion?
by Education For Choice // 26 April 2010, 14:24
What has Austin, Texas done for you lately? Okay, if you’re a music fan, a lot, but whether or not you made it to the SXSW festival this year, you can thank them for being the second major US city...
New feature: The case for all-women shortlists
by Jess McCabe // 26 April 2010, 10:26
Whatever the verdict of the General Election, women’s representation in the Commons will inch forward at best. Ros Ball argues that all parties must adopt all-women shortlists Who would have thought in the 21st century that having a pleasant wife...
New feature: Women of the punk era
by Jess McCabe // 26 April 2010, 09:19
Cazz Blase interviews women of British 1970s punk on the music - and the politics, in part three of her series Gina Birch was on an art foundation course in Nottingham when she first encountered what would become known as...
Burning bras and caricatures: the difficult relationship between women's magazines and feminism
by Holly Combe // 23 April 2010, 23:59
I was waiting for a bus from Victoria coach station a couple of weeks ago when I spotted an interesting looking headline on the cover of the April edition of Company magazine. It read Saturday Night sexism: don't let...
Un arranging the arranged Marriage
by Shiha Kaur // 23 April 2010, 12:30
There is one thing that I do that people think contradict my feminist beliefs. I call myself Miss, rather than Ms. It is mostly for practical reasons, as I share my initial with my grandmother who lives in the same...
Women under-represented, reading the Orange shortlist
by Jess McCabe // 23 April 2010, 10:11
Women are drastically under-represented in bookshops, galleries, theatres, lecture series, Bidisha says in The Guardian, making the case in her usual fantastic style. Events organisers, editors in broadcasting and the media, radio and TV producers, commissioners and jurors. They are...
The Election Is A Comin'
by Philippa Willitts // 21 April 2010, 21:46
Philippa points to various online resources to help us research the possibilities of the upcoming General Election.
Urgent fundraising message from Abortion Support Network
by Jess McCabe // 21 April 2010, 19:55
Abortion Support Network seeking funds to help a young teenage girl who's travel to the UK to access an abortion has been thwarted by the volcano transport chaos. (The network is a volunteer-run London group which provides women traveling from...
The Tricycle puts on mammoth Women, Power & Politics season
by Jess McCabe // 21 April 2010, 11:48
Whatever the outcome of this election, the percentage of women MPs is likely to merely inch upwards, according to the Centre for Women and Democracy. The topical Tricycle in London has commissioned 12 plays in response to the issue of...
Calling Leeds-based Feminists
by Lynne Miles // 21 April 2010, 11:03
We have received the following email from Rosie - all those who are interested in getting together should get in touch via Facebook or turn up to the inaugural meeting: There is some very exciting work to establish a Leeds...
Yarl's Wood hunger strikers sue government
by Jess McCabe // 20 April 2010, 19:10
Four women from the Yarl's Wood hunger strike have launched legal action against the Home Office, reports Women's eNews. The case is likely to be heard in March: "Over 70 women were locked for several hours in a hot, airless...
Nawal El Saadawi interviewed
by Jess McCabe // 19 April 2010, 20:03
Egyptian radical feminist Nawal El Saadawi was interviewed by the Guardian last week. I've only read Memoirs from the Women's Prison, which charts her 1981 imprisonment for 'crimes against the State'. So I am probably coming at her all backwards,...
Theatre as a tool for survivors of sexual assault and rape?
by Jess McCabe // 19 April 2010, 10:48
A theatre company in Norwich has launched to work "with and for" survivors of sexual assault and rape, and their friends and families. The Theatre Empowerment Company has an under-construction website, which says its main aims are: To engage with...
Poland's women leaders - not forgotten
by Guest Blogger // 18 April 2010, 22:30
Jan Grabski writes from Poland about some of the country’s most high profile women leaders who were lost in the plane crash last week. The tragic plane crash that killed the Polish president Lech Kaczyński and 95 other prominent Polish...
"We Need the Women Back at Work"
by Catherine Redfern // 18 April 2010, 17:31
David Cameron's tax break for married couples idea is pushing the idea that it's better for one parent to stay at home full-time to look after the kids (hm, I wonder which parent that would be?). This of course, ignores...
Ruined, Almeida Theatre, London
by Jess McCabe // 17 April 2010, 11:27
If you're able to go and see Ruined, do. On until 5 June at the Almeida Theatre in London: A small mining town deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Mama Nadi’s bar her rules apply. No arguments, no...
Message in a bottle
by Helen G // 16 April 2010, 14:01
There's an interesting article on the CNN International site about a recently-completed project "that asked transgender, transsexual and questioning people to create a message they wanted others to know". Overall, iReporters wanted the world to hear their voices, their stories,...
March comments on features and reviews, up now!
by Jess McCabe // 15 April 2010, 11:53
Comments on features and reviews for March are up now and ready for your delectation. Lots of responses poured in this month to S's piece on vulvar vestibulitis. Me and Charlotte's review of the Women documentaries also drew a fair...
First Cadburys then EFC - another foreign takeover?
by Education For Choice // 14 April 2010, 14:58
Seventy five per cent of the workforce at EFC are not British citizens (admittedly there are only four of us). Does it matter? No - you pick the best people for the job and we’ve got a brilliant team here....
G(irls)20
by Jess McCabe // 14 April 2010, 11:07
One young woman from each G20 country will meet in Toronto, 10 days before the G20 summit, with the aim of drawing more attention to girls' and women's interests and contributions. The girls will submit to the G20 "tangible ideas...
Sikhism - A Feminist Religion?
by Shiha Kaur // 13 April 2010, 17:23
As you may have gathered from my name, I am a Sikh. A principle of Sikhism not to engage in missionary work and by writing this blog post I would like to make it clear from the outset that I...
Happy Birthday Wendy
by Education For Choice // 13 April 2010, 10:01
Wendy Savage is a Patron of Education For Choice and had a big birthday yesterday (it’s not for me to say how big, but let’s just say it’s a few years since she officially retired). I’d like everyone to raise...
New review: Demystifying the ‘feminine’
by Jess McCabe // 12 April 2010, 19:46
Seven artists explore femininity and domesticity in At Home at the Rollo Gallery. Itala Attieh has more Thanks to a friend who suggested we go, I celebrated International Women's Day by seeing the At Home exhibition (23 February-23 April) at...
Storm in a Teacup update
by Helen G // 12 April 2010, 12:09
Further to Jess' post last month about the launch of Storm in a Teacup, the London-based collective set up with the aim of promoting women in the arts, we've received this update via their Facebook group page: Following the huge...
Interviewed!
by Catherine Redfern // 10 April 2010, 14:30
There's an interview with me up at Grassroots Feminism. I was interviewed by Red Chidgey, who asked me about setting up The F Word, my book with Kristin Aune, how co-writing works practically, and forms of activism. Read the full...
A mini round-up
by Jess McCabe // 8 April 2010, 19:21
On the news that Tory party leader David Cameron supports cutting the time limit on abortion, Liberal Conspiracy have posted a thorough breakdown of the numbers, and what a swing towards the Tories could do for women's abortion access in...
Working in abortion education and outreach in the U.K. and the U.S. - What’s the Diff?
by Education For Choice // 8 April 2010, 14:28
Jennifer is a Trainer and Project Coordinator at Education For Choice, which is guest blogging all this month. My teenage years were spent in the Midwestern American city of Milwaukee. I keenly felt the effects of a lack of sex...
Equality Bill passed as Parliament draws to close
by Helen G // 8 April 2010, 10:04
Via People Management: The equality bill has been passed before the dissolution of Parliament and will come into effect from October. The bill, originally put forward by deputy Labour leader and equalities minister Harriet Harman, combines existing anti-discrimination legislation into...
New Leeds Rape Crisis helpline launches
by Laura // 7 April 2010, 20:41
Support After Rape & Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL) supports women and girls who have been affected by sexual violence at any time in their lives, promoting their needs and working towards the elimination of sexual violence. For the past year...
Rape and more rape
by Lynne Miles // 7 April 2010, 18:44
Two quick stories I've been meaning to bring up: Three men in Newham are thought to be the first to be arrested under the new Clause 13, which criminalises men who pay for sex with trafficked sex workers. Although this...
Could you be The F-Word's first picture researcher/editor?
by Jess McCabe // 6 April 2010, 20:35
We are in the middle of redesigning The F-Word (more exciting info on this very soon!). Images and photos are going to become a lot more important for The F-Word 'magazine' section - our features and reviews. At the moment,...
Election called: What About Women?
by Lynne Miles // 6 April 2010, 17:28
Well as you'll no doubt have heard, the election was called today and will be held on May 6th as expected. In the run up to the big day, Fawcett have been doing some really interesting campaigning tracking the policies...
Reading, Writing . . . Anti-Choice Rhetoric?
by Education For Choice // 6 April 2010, 13:13
Kate Gilbert is Projects Manager at Education For Choice, the organisation guest blogging all this month. “We’re not going back in there.” The students standing in front of me, 16 and terrified, have just been subjected to a presentation by...
It's full of stars...
by Helen G // 5 April 2010, 14:12
Nice to see a technical field where women are in the spotlight - and over 30. Today, 5 April, the Space Shuttle Discovery successfully blasted off into orbit and in the process set a record for the most women in...
How the closure of the BBC Asian Network will affect British-Asian Women
by Shiha Kaur // 1 April 2010, 19:31
The BBC’s decision to close 6 Music and the Asian Network has been widely reported in the media. In my first post as April’s guest blogger, I would like to explore how the decision to close Asian Network will affect...
Baroness Kinnock talks shop
by zohra moosa // 1 April 2010, 17:42
Update: If your MP hasn't already done so, you can get them to show their support for the new role by asking them to sign EDM 1121, tabled by Jo Swinson MP. Originally posted on ActionAid's blog. Follows on from...
Example from: "Mama Says Good Girls Marry Doctors"
by Piyali Bhattacharya // 1 April 2010, 15:18
My partner-in-publishing, Josephine, has been writing to you all for some time now about our project called "Mama Says Good Girls Marry Doctors" (http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2010/03/are_you_a_good). She has told you how it was born, what it is meant to be, and...
Welcome to our April guest bloggers!
by Laura // 1 April 2010, 07:25
I'm pleased to introduce our guest bloggers for this month. First up is Shiha Kaur: Shiha Kaur comes from a British-Asian background. She worries about the lack of feminists from her community and the social pressures and demands inflicted on...
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
