Blog posts by Jess McCabe: 2006
Swedish prostitution policy failing?
By Jess McCabe | 30 December 2006, 00:06
The Swedish police have reported a rise in the number of prostitutes on the streets, possible evidence that the criminalising the act of buying sex has not worked. Boy, I hate bad news like this. The Swedish policy is…
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Misplaced rape reform?
By Jess McCabe | 28 December 2006, 21:04
We are in the middle of a rape crisis in this country. Only 5% of reported rapes end in conviction, and, as stormy illustrated so well recently, even that paltry figure is a considerable exaggeration. Of course, the government…
"A partnership, not a merger"
By Jess McCabe | 27 December 2006, 18:26
If I ever get married, I won’t be changing my surname. Joanna Moorhead explains some of the long-term benefits on Comment is Free today. And she should know. She’s been married since 1988. Eighteen years ago, I signalled that…
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S Korean men paid to stay away from prostitutes
By Jess McCabe | 26 December 2006, 23:03
South Korea’s ministry of equality is going to pay companies whose male employees promise not to visit a prostitute to see in the new year. The BBC reports that the scheme is part of an attempt to crack down on…
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An early Christmas present: the end of the smear test
By Jess McCabe | 24 December 2006, 15:32
Every 12-13 year old girl in the country could soon be vaccinated against cervical cancer, the Observer reports today. Human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer and kills 1,000 women a year, could be virtually eliminated through a programme…
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Legalise brothels? There is a better way
By Jess McCabe | 20 December 2006, 23:50
News about the Ipswich murders is still coming in thick and fast. But meanwhile, the case has provoked a flurry of debate over legalising prostitution. In the Guardian today, Simon Jenkins adds his cry to the voices calling for legalising…
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Torture game banned and mock rape trial
By Jess McCabe | 16 December 2006, 10:10
The EU is attempting to ban the release of a game which involves a girl being humiliated and beaten as she attempts to escape from an orphanage. There are conflicting reports as to whether the game, Rule of Rose,…
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Eaves asks for gift voucher donations
By Jess McCabe | 13 December 2006, 21:28
Eaves, an organisation that provides support and shelter to victims of domestic violence and trafficked women, is asking for people to send in 10 pound gift vouchers so the women it helps will have a bit of Christmas cheer….
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Subliminal lipstick reduces preference for maths
By Jess McCabe | 13 December 2006, 21:06
Gender stereotypes are ingrained enough to influence our judgment in crazy ways. For example, this study shows that reminding female students of their gender made them more likely to say they prefer art subjects over maths. The study took two…
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Shenzhen regresses to Middle Ages
By Jess McCabe | 13 December 2006, 20:42
Around 100 prostitutes have been “paraded in front of a jeering crowd, their names revealed, and then driven away to jail without trial” in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The New York Times reports that this was part of an…
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Tories revert to "back-to-basics" rhetoric
By Jess McCabe | 10 December 2006, 18:55
Anyone hoping that David Cameron’s leadership of the Conservative party marks a shift to the centre-ground, if not quite the left, will be sorely disappointed by the latest revelations about its “family” policies. Instead of advocating family-friendly policies such…
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Do you have a rape alarm?
By Jess McCabe | 10 December 2006, 00:28
If you do, get yourself down to the Sudanese embassy for 10AM today to take part in a protest against the rape of thousands of women and girls in Darfur. The action is part of a global protest against the…
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Another tired drunk women story
By Jess McCabe | 9 December 2006, 00:31
The BBC has chosen to publish yet another one of those hand-wringing features about how women are getting “lashed”. Usually, these stories have some sort of news hook to them: at the very least, someone has done a report of…
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Latest Feminist Carnival up at Diary of a Freak Magnet
By Jess McCabe | 9 December 2006, 00:06
Here it is!…
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Women's rights the solution to domestic violence shocker!
By Jess McCabe | 8 December 2006, 15:54
File this under blindingly obvious - domestic violence is more prevelant in countries where women are treated as second class citizens under the law. This study by the US government “reveals” that in countries where women are denied the right…
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Ruth Kelly - another equalities blunder
By Jess McCabe | 8 December 2006, 08:50
When your equalities minister is fighting not to implement a ban on discrimination on the grounds of orientation, you know you’re in trouble. Ruth Kelly has a bad history of blocking rather than championing reform in her post as…
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Jurors hold on to old-fashioned ideas on rape
By Jess McCabe | 8 December 2006, 00:15
Jurors still blame women if they are raped while drunk, according to new study. The study - which involved observing jurors during mock trials - revealed that changes to the law around rape have had little effect on jury-room…
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From EU blunders to furry elephants
By Jess McCabe | 5 December 2006, 22:15
A new EU institute will tackle gender inequality across Europe, EU Observer reports. Based in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, it will collate data on gender issues from all the 25 member states, hold conferences, etc. The sort of thing that…
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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…
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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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…
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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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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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…
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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French feminists fight stoning advocate
By Jess McCabe | 28 September 2006, 22:14
The French feminist group Regards de femmes is calling for the government to refuse permission for a scholar to enter the country, because he supports death by stoning as a punishment for adulterous women. According to wire reports, Hani Ramadan…
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Culture Club
By Jess McCabe | 28 September 2006, 22:05
Complaints about sexism in the world of comics are never hard to come by. But Alison Bechdel has been providing a counterpoint to the world of capes and silly costumes since 1983, when she began the newspaper strip Dykes to…
Chavez support for Iran ignores women
By Jess McCabe | 27 September 2006, 21:45
Hugo Chavez has charmed the left wing with bold social reforms in Venezuela and an exciting disregard for the feelings of the US president. But over at Women’s eNews, Jennifer Fasuloargues he has gone too far in his support…
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US immigration law discriminates against lesbians
By Jess McCabe | 26 September 2006, 22:44
Reforms to US immigration law are bypassing lesbian couples, according to a story on Women’s eNews. Perhaps unsurprisingly in the current political climate states-side, efforts to legalise the status of millions of migrant workers have ignored the plight of same-sex…
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Support women, go to the cinema
By Jess McCabe | 26 September 2006, 22:28
If we want to see more women film-makers, we should support their work through the boxoffice, argues Natasha Walter in Comment Is Free today. Walter takes her queue from the First Weekender Group in the US, which corrals support for…
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Women's rights activist killed in Afghanistan
By Jess McCabe | 25 September 2006, 22:52
A women’s rights activist has been shot dead in Afghanistan, after the government refused to provide bodyguards or offical transportation. The Times reports that Safia Ama Jan was getting into a car outside her house when she was shot at…
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Maxim shows its ugl(ier) side
By Jess McCabe | 25 September 2006, 22:44
Maxim has published a list of TV’s “least appealing ladies”, provoking a storm of criticism across the blogosphere. The lad’s mag is better known for its list of the top 100 hottest (celebrity) women, which sparked off the idea for…
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Independent blacks up Moss
By Jess McCabe | 22 September 2006, 10:26
Yesterday the Independent devoted its entire front page to a “blacked up” photo of Kate Moss, supposedly to highlight the plight of African women. It’s unfathomable to me how the Independent, usually so clued-up, could publish sometime so racist…
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Canadian conservatives may cut funding for women's groups
By Jess McCabe | 22 September 2006, 09:25
Canada’s conservative government may be about to abolish an agency that provides funding for women’s groups. According to the Toronto Star, the minister in charge of the agency’s budget is refusing to answer questions on its future. Bev Oda, the…
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Sweden swings to the right
By Jess McCabe | 20 September 2006, 22:14
Sweden has elected a right-of-centre government, kicking out the Social Democrats that defined the country’s much envied social model. Why? Polly Toynbee says it’s all about the women. Sweden’s women ministers fumed during the campaign as Persson ignored the party’s…
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I am not an ifeminist
By Jess McCabe | 20 September 2006, 22:02
What, you might ask, is an ifeminist? Is it a feminist autobot, come to replace your humble human bloggers completely? Well, no. It’s an individualist feminist. According to ifeminists.com: As the cost of freedom, ifeminists accept personal responsibility for their…
Steinem starts radio station for knitters and cookers
By Jess McCabe | 19 September 2006, 08:55
Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and “other prominent women” have launched a new radio station in the US, catering specifically for women. Now, a whole radio station for women run at least partly by a feminist sounds like a good idea….
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Michigan festival slaps down transwomen, betrays feminism
By Jess McCabe | 18 September 2006, 21:06
Before I start, I’d just like to say I hate stories like this. As if it wasn’t enough that we’ve had the breast wars last week, now the Michigan Womyn’s Festival has said that transgender women can buy tickets, but…
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Male lapdancers?
By Jess McCabe | 18 September 2006, 20:47
Women in Birmingham will soon have the chance to visit the nation’s first male lapdancing club. In a report for the Guardian, Ellie Levenson remains unconvinced: Although Tricky Dicky’s is likely to see a lot of business from groups of…
Palestinian feminist to speak in London
By Jess McCabe | 18 September 2006, 20:29
If you’re in London looking for something to do next Friday, you could do worse than to head over to Stoke Newington to listen to Palestinian activist Rauda Morcos speak. Morcos founded Aswat, the Palestinian feminist lesbian organisation. It sounds…
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The end of the macho
By Jess McCabe | 17 September 2006, 19:30
Masculinity has to go. Or at least that’s the conclusion of Robert Jensen, author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege, in this AlterNet opinion piece. If masculinity is defined as conquest, it means that men…
Pakistan caves in on rape law
By Jess McCabe | 13 September 2006, 08:48
Pakistan is to vote on whether to relax its tough rape laws, which require that a woman present four male witnesses to secure a conviction. Rape is currently tried under religious laws, and if a woman fails to prove her…
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Female teachers struggle to make Head
By Jess McCabe | 5 September 2006, 09:09
Although women make up two-thirds of the teaching workforce, they are still too few women in managerial positions, according to a survey by the General Teaching Council of England. As the Guardian reports, female teachers are held back by career…
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Female priests stick it to Vatican
By Jess McCabe | 2 September 2006, 11:06
Women in the Roman Catholic church are working to subvert the Vatican’s opposition to female priests by getting ordained under psuedonyms. Nerve.com interviews the recently enpriestened Jean Marie Marchant, and suggests that this movement could spur the creation of a…
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Vatican blanks doctors over first Colombian abortion
By Jess McCabe | 31 August 2006, 13:45
The Vatican has said it will excommunicate a team of doctors and nurses that performed an abortion on an 11 year old girl, who got pregnant after she was raped by her stepfather. The Guardian reports that Cardinal Alfonso Lopez…
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Harman to debate equality
By Jess McCabe | 29 August 2006, 22:18
Harriet Harman, the Consitutitional Affairs Minister, and the woman behind the latest set of proposals to end the pay gap, is to speak at a debate on gender equality. Harman will give a keynote lecture, to be followed by a…
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More Cho (and some other stuff)
By Jess McCabe | 27 August 2006, 10:12
Head on over to Feministing to read an interview with the fabulous Margaret Cho about her new burlesque show. It\x92s a show that really kind of incorporates a lot of things, but mostly it celebrates women\x92s bodies and is a…
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Reclaim the Night
By Jess McCabe | 26 August 2006, 17:54
Don’t put your marching boots away after the Mark Thomas protest, because it’s nearly time for Reclaim the Night again. Well, OK, it’s in November, but the London Feminist Network which organises the protest has already put out the first…
Cameron tries to boost number of female MPs - meets predictable opposition from party
By Jess McCabe | 21 August 2006, 22:05
In yet another attempt to ditch the Tory party’s image as the “nasty party”, leader David Cameron is aiming to increase the number of women selected to stand at the next election. In winnable seats, no less. But, as the…
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"Spokeswomen" revisit legendary female globe-circling cyclist
By Jess McCabe | 20 August 2006, 14:38
Two US film makers have cycled from Boston to New York to raise money for a film about Annie ‘Londonderry’ Kopchovsky, the first woman to make it around the world on a bicycle. Check out Women’s eNews for the full…
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Longinotto season hits ICA
By Jess McCabe | 18 August 2006, 09:10
If you’re in London over the next few weeks, head down to the ICA and watch some of the hard-hitting gender-related documentaries showing during the Kim Longinotto season. Last night I checked out Sisters in Law, a brilliant documentary about…
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Third feminist magazine hits shelves
By Jess McCabe | 15 August 2006, 21:28
Q. How do you know when you’re in the middle of the feminist renaissance? A. When the third new feminist magazine launched this summer lands on your doorstep. Uplift! is the glossiest of the magazines yet, and by far the…
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Enough with the chick lit
By Jess McCabe | 14 August 2006, 22:56
At last, someone who actually works in publishing has wised up to the paucity of shelf space the mainstream gives to serious female writers. And by serious female writers, yes I do mean not chick lit. AlterNet carries a great…
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Calling for a third wave…
By Jess McCabe | 8 August 2006, 09:07
History is on the side of the feminists, argues Katherine Rake from the Fawcett Society in today’s Guardian. What a shame her own feminist history is so poor, then. While this is a laudable attempt to swell the ranks, Rake…
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Soldiers collect evidence of their own crime
By Jess McCabe | 5 August 2006, 11:34
US soldiers deployed in Iraq were sent to collect forensic evidence at the crime scene where a 14 year old girl was raped and then killed along with her family. But in a spectacular display of I don’t even know…
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Drop in for your magazine high
By Jess McCabe | 1 August 2006, 00:06
As previously noted, it is an exciting time for magazine-hungry feminists in the UK. Two new publications launched within weeks of each other: first Verge, reviewed by Catherine, and then Subtext. So what’s the verdict on this second magazine? (I’m…
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Iranian teenager hanged for 'adultery'
By Jess McCabe | 28 July 2006, 19:55
A teenage girl of 16 has been executed for supposed ‘adultery’ in Iran, after telling a court she was raped. A documentary, will tell how Atefah Sahaaleh was hanged in a public square in the city of Neka, after a…
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Stand up and be counted
By Jess McCabe | 26 July 2006, 22:45
We’ve blogged many times in the last few months about the war that is being waged on American women’s right to have an abortion if she so chooses. In fact, the crisis is just getting worse, as the Senate has…
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NOW conference makes the news
By Jess McCabe | 22 July 2006, 19:44
NOW’s annual conference has kicked off in New York, and it’s already garnering international press coverage. Newspapers from as far afield as the United Arab Emirates covered the event. Meanwhile, some of the top feminist bloggers have also been live…
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How to write comics: decent female character
By Jess McCabe | 22 July 2006, 11:12
Over on Girls Read Comics (And They’re Pissed), Karen has knocked out an excellent post on how to write a real female lead character. The post is a response to an email she got from an independent comics publisher, asking…
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Bush favours kooky whackos… again
By Jess McCabe | 21 July 2006, 08:44
The Medical Institute for Sexual Health is a “scientific” organisation that promotes abstinance-only education. Its founder, Dr Joe McIlheney, pooh-poohs condom use and is described in this illuminating AlterNet article as “an evangelical ob/gyn”. Another board member, Dr W…
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Reading matter
By Jess McCabe | 20 July 2006, 22:38
The latest Carnival of Feminists is up at Figure, and they just seem to be getting better and better. I still haven’t had time to read through all the entries, but my favourite so far is definitely Feminish’s entry on…
From PE to Pride
By Jess McCabe | 18 July 2006, 23:48
How can teenage girls be persuaded to embrace PE, asks this Guardian article. It turns out that the answer is a combination of a fun-based approach and less tiny sports uniforms. I recommend reading the whole feature, but here is…
"We need equality… kinda now!"
By Jess McCabe | 14 July 2006, 08:51
Joss Whedon’s speech at an Equality Now awards ceremony:…
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Update
By Jess McCabe | 13 July 2006, 19:53
Do you remember Larry Summers, the ex-president of Harvard who said that the reason that women don’t get to the top of the career ladder in science is that they’re just not bright enough, rather than… say… discrimination and gender…
Second feminist zine hits streets
By Jess McCabe | 11 July 2006, 09:03
After literally years of relying on (albiet) excellent imports from the US, UK readers now have a second feminist magazine to call their own. Subtext magazine, launched today, joins Vagina Magazine on the shelf while it’s still in its first…
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Women and climate change
By Jess McCabe | 10 July 2006, 22:30
Climate change policy should be changed to reflect the greater impact it will have on women, argues Bojana Stoparic over on AlterNet. The argument goes like this: in a natural disaster, women are more vulnerable than men, at least in…
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Portugal enforces anti-abortion law
By Jess McCabe | 8 July 2006, 11:30
A Portuguese court has convicted a doctor and his assistant of carrying out abortions, and three women have been found gilty of having their pregnancies terminated. Portugal has strict anti abortion laws, but according to the Feminist Majority Foundation, public…
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So what's wrong with Nuts, then? (Or 'real men don't share umbrellas')
By Jess McCabe | 5 July 2006, 23:20
Over on London3rdWave, we’ve been heatedly debating - among other things - exactly what is wrong with ‘lads mags’ and what we should be doing about it. Recent debate over whether they should be relegated to the top shelf…
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Housework clause added to Spanish marriages
By Jess McCabe | 2 July 2006, 23:20
How did I miss this? Spain has added housework clauses to civil marriage ceremonies which oblige men to do an equal share. No doubt there will be plenty of people who say this is needless state intervention in domestic…
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Sweden acts on female circumcision
By Jess McCabe | 1 July 2006, 18:34
A Swedish citizen has been jailed for four years for forcing his daughter to undergo circumcision. The BBC reports that Somali man Ali Elmi Hayow held his daughter down while the brutal procedure - which involves amputing part or all…
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Stop for a moment of shameless self promotion…
By Jess McCabe | 30 June 2006, 08:50
Check out this Guardian story on female political bloggers. Needless to say, I was half way through forming a puffy “yet another story about how female bloggers don’t exist” post in my head before I saw we got a mention…
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But… I still wanna be your Joey Ramone!
By Jess McCabe | 28 June 2006, 21:46
I regret to be the one to have to tell you this, but Sleater Kinney have announced that they are on “indefinite hiatus”. After 11 years making some of the best music known to woman, it’s all over. They still…
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Lost Girls
By Jess McCabe | 26 June 2006, 22:59
With all the debate about porn going on at the moment, it seems like a good time to talk about Lost Girls, a new, erotic graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Melinda Gebbie. The book concerns Dorothy…
Breast ironing the latest craze in oppression
By Jess McCabe | 23 June 2006, 10:50
Girls in Camaroon are routinely having their breasts beaten and “ironed” by their mothers, in a misguided attempt to prevent them from having sex and protect them from sexual attack, according to the BBC. Cameroon has now started a campaign…
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Rape law changes have failed
By Jess McCabe | 21 June 2006, 08:53
Rules meant to prevent prosecution lawyers from talking about rape victims’ sexual history are being “evaded, circumvented and resisted”, according to a report published by the Home Office. The Independent reports that Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal…
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From Church to Cho
By Jess McCabe | 20 June 2006, 22:08
Have I ever said how much I love Margaret Cho before? Well, I do, and blog entries like this are why: Frontman Dan Lee says that his father lived across the street from my father in Korea, and he…
Equal Parenting - and a Big Yawn
By Jess McCabe | 18 June 2006, 10:38
Today is father’s day in the UK, making it as good a day as any to talk about father’s taking on an equal share in the responsibilities, travails and pleasures of parenting. And in this, for once in my…
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No third wave?
By Jess McCabe | 14 June 2006, 13:33
Zoe Williams is usually one of my favourite columnists at the Guardian, so I was pretty disappointed by her offhand mention of third wave feminism in her latest column. She wonders why the UK doesn’t have a third wave of…
Not a feminist but…
By Jess McCabe | 13 June 2006, 22:42
Mind the Gap has come up with a great series of postcards to distribute at Ladyfest Cardiff….
"Let's not just assume that that stable and orderly transition is from one group of men to another group of men"
By Jess McCabe | 12 June 2006, 09:06
Harriet Harman is gunning for the job of deputy prime minister, after going on BBC radio and saying that the Labour leadership should include both “women and men”. Maternity pay and leave is a huge political issue, as is childcare….
Sign this
By Jess McCabe | 11 June 2006, 10:34
The Liberal Democrats have launched a petition on homophobic bullying, which you can sign here. Just like Mind the Gap, I couldn’t say I’m a Lib Dem, and I’m not sure how much good these petitions really do, but maybe…
From Gluck to Gongs
By Jess McCabe | 10 June 2006, 16:25
Porn is still a hot topic for debate among feminists, as Lynne’s post on Gluck magazine indicates. Well, this week Canada hosted an awards ceremony for feminist porn, as the National Post reports. Siri Agrell says that the ceremony was…
Women oppressed in British-occupied Basra
By Jess McCabe | 8 June 2006, 07:30
“Even wearing a pair of trousers is considered an act of defiance, punishable by death.” Iraqis may be able to vote, but women are if anything less rather than more enfranchised, according to a story in the Independent. Iraq is…
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More bad news from the US
By Jess McCabe | 3 June 2006, 19:56
George W Bush is to lend his support for an amendment to the US constitution which would ban individual states from allowing gay marriage, according to the Chicago Tribune. Luckily: It stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate. Several…
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Louisiana down the pan
By Jess McCabe | 3 June 2006, 14:57
Louisiana has become the latest state to take a step backwards in time and human progress and pass a law banning abortion. There’s not much to say, other than to note yet another depressing sign that the US is heading…
An urgent plea
By Jess McCabe | 1 June 2006, 20:12
Elizabeth, a lesbian woman from Uganda, is about to be deported, despite evidence that she faces torture or death if she returns. According to the campaign website: Elizabeth’s asylum claim, and her appeal, have both been rejected. Whilst the adjudicators…
Purity balls
By Jess McCabe | 30 May 2006, 09:11
Purity Balls. No, not some sort of newfangled spherical chastity device to be inserted using vacuum tubes and pulleys, but rather fancy creepy dress-up rituals taking place in towns like Colorado Springs and Tucson and Zoloft Jesusville, in which Christian…
Playboy thinks Lolita is porn
By Jess McCabe | 29 May 2006, 21:56
Playboy has published a list of the supposed 25 “sexiest novels ever written”. Supposed, because the list is mostly a bit crap (note the presence of Forever by Judy Blume, which, whilst it was passed around all the girls in…
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Carnival Time
By Jess McCabe | 29 May 2006, 01:16
Actually we’re a bit late with this one, but the latest Carnival of Feminists is a corker. As usual, this is an excellent way to add to your list of required-blog-reading. Top of the list: About To Get Skinny and…
Be Heard
By Jess McCabe | 28 May 2006, 20:38
I’m sure you’ll all have heard about the dirty moral water that Google and Yahoo! have been paddling in in China - helping the authorities to restrict access to certain websites, closing down blogs and handing over details that have…
Teenage mums knuckle down
By Jess McCabe | 28 May 2006, 19:41
Teenage mums: scurge of Daily Mail readers, they are generally characterised as feckless, working class and irresponsible, the encapsulation of social disintegration. But according to a new study, getting pregnant in your teens can urge girls on to take their…
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Helen Gets a Fair Hearing
By Jess McCabe | 27 May 2006, 22:27
If anyone is going to the Guardian Hay festival (incidentally - jealous here!), they might want to check out an interesting talk on Helen of Troy tomorrow. A historian named Bettany Hughes is set to demolish our understanding of the…
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A Feminist Cruise?
By Jess McCabe | 27 May 2006, 18:30
You know those cruises that Ms Magazine runs? Well, P.M.S. Media has put together a stinging critique of the whole concept. Watch it here. The main arguments seem to be: 1) Cruises are dirty and polluting 2) On-ship workers -…
South Dakota activists fight abortion ban
By Jess McCabe | 27 May 2006, 11:49
Pro-choice campaigners in South Dakota are set to file a petition next week, in a bid to force a referendum on the state’s ban on abortion, the New York Times reports. If enough signatures are collected, the ban - which…
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Vatican blames "feminism" for ministers voicing opinions
By Jess McCabe | 26 May 2006, 13:39
Based on this slightly odd story on LifeSiteNews, the Vatican’s newspaper has hit out at newly elected Italian ministers for expressing their opinions on “sensitive” issues such as abortion and sexuality. The providence of this story is unclear, because the…
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Scandal hits immigration service again
By Jess McCabe | 21 May 2006, 10:42
An immigration official has been caught on video propositioning a teenage rape victim from Zimbabwe, and offering to grease the wheels to help her claim asylum, just two months after the Home Office promised to crack down on similar abuses….
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News Update
By Jess McCabe | 18 May 2006, 23:27
Women will be one of the first beneficiaries of pension reform in the UK, the Government claims. Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton has called the measures a “new deal for women”, according to the Guardian The debate on flexible…
Comic art uncovered
By Jess McCabe | 11 May 2006, 09:08
Superhero/ine comics are notorious for cover artwork which objectifies women. Annoyed by this latest example, one blogger has turned the tables, drawing mock superhero covers which objectify their male characters in the same way. It’s very revealing. Just how incongrous…
Does Equality Minister believe homosexuality is a sin?
By Jess McCabe | 10 May 2006, 08:30
Well, she has refused to answer the question. But given that Ruth Kelly is both a Catholic and a member of the dodgy religious group Opus Dei, and given her voting record, who could blame us for drawing our own…
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Women auctioned at British airports
By Jess McCabe | 7 May 2006, 21:01
Women are being openly auctioned by sex traffickers at airports at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, according to research by the Crown Prosecution Service. The Independent reports: The head of operations at Britain’s largest vice squad admitted that the police were…
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First female foreign secretary - a cause for celebration?
By Jess McCabe | 6 May 2006, 01:59
The Feminist Majority Foundation in the US has picked up on the news that the latest reshuffle has resulted in Margaret Beckett receiving a substantial promotion from environment secretary to foreign secretary. This makes her the UK’s first ever female…
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Madame/Mademoiselle/?
By Jess McCabe | 29 April 2006, 20:47
The French government has been urged to change its official forms and documents so that women do not have to choose between being a mademoiselle or a madame, the Feminist Majority Foundation reports. The largest feminist organization in France, Les…
Louisiana gives in to the general insanity
By Jess McCabe | 29 April 2006, 20:37
Louisiana has become the latest US state to approve a ban on abortion. The state senate rejected appeals to exclude cases of rape and incest from the blanket ban, following in the footsteps of South Dakota. The Feminist Majority Foundation…
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Government cuts EOC funding
By Jess McCabe | 24 April 2006, 21:40
The Equal Opportunities Commission is being forced to abandon plans for “spot checks” to detect unfair pay for women, because the Government has slashed its budget by \xA3750,000. The Guardian reports that the EOC will not be able to carry…
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Domestic drudgery or domestic bliss?
By Jess McCabe | 24 April 2006, 09:03
Nearly 60% of British women are happy to spend a good portion of their lives cleaning their homes, and say it helps them feel in control of their lives, according to a survey by the Discovery Health and Home TV…
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Nasal spray could be female viagra
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2006, 10:16
A drug company is testing an aphrodisiac nasal spray that works on women as well as men. The Observer runs a long story on PT-141, which is says could revolutionise all our sex lives. It’s encouraging that the drug industry…
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From pension warning to superheros
By Jess McCabe | 5 April 2006, 22:57
With all the talk about pensions in the news, it’s worth taking a look at what it all means for women. Gordon Brown has said he is 90-95% behind the Turner Commission proposals for reform. The Independent reports: The Government…
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Hospital demands payment for baby
By Jess McCabe | 18 March 2006, 11:50
A hospital in Israel has apparently refused to hand over a baby to its mother until she paid her medical bills. The woman gave birth to triplets at the al-Muqassad hospital in East Jerusalem. Because her husband is Palestinian, the…
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The mantra of "choice" and why it is bad news for girls and boys
By Jess McCabe | 13 March 2006, 08:22
The Independent runs with an interesting story today, about what girls and boys want to learn in science class. Leeds University asked a bunch of 15 year olds what they were interested in being taught. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given our cultural…
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Daft sentencing committee wants to reduce prison time for rapists and wife beaters
By Jess McCabe | 12 March 2006, 12:09
Rapists will no longer face such tough jail sentences and “date rapists” will be let off with lighter sentences, under new guidelines to be issued to judges, the Observer reveals. The Sentencing Guidelines Council is to consult on the new…
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Mexico uses sex dolls to educate on sexual harassment
By Jess McCabe | 10 March 2006, 17:11
Mexico is running an advertising campaign using sex dolls to educate its “infamously macho men” about why sexual harassment is wrong, the Independent reports. The open-mouthed plastic figures are the disturbing stars of an advertising campaign hitting television screens,…
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Designers mask models
By Jess McCabe | 5 March 2006, 22:40
Western fashion is often presented as the polar opposite of the burqa. Where one seeks to cover women in ungainly sacks that conceal not just their curves but their personality, turning them into expressionless lumps, the other tends towards exposing…
Libyan rape victims imprisoned and brainwashed
By Jess McCabe | 28 February 2006, 07:57
Rape victims in Libya are being confined in jail-like conditions and subjected to brainwashing attempts, according to Human Rights Watch. These so-called “social rehabilitation” centres sound horrific in their own right, but more worrying is the fact that instead of…
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Pay gap report calls for action
By Jess McCabe | 26 February 2006, 21:00
Government should take urgent action to close the gender pay gap, a report published tomorrow will say. The Sunday papers are already mulling over advanced copies of the Women and Work Commission’s report. From the Independent: Tomorrow a report of…
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Europe reports 15% gender pay gap
By Jess McCabe | 24 February 2006, 21:53
European women earn an average of 15% less than men, although we are now winning more jobs EUobserver reports. “More than four in ten employed women work in public administration, education, health and social activities, compared to less than two…
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Torygraph moralises on pregancy
By Jess McCabe | 24 February 2006, 21:38
Oh, middle England, when is the right time to get pregnant? Certainly not too late, when you’ve obviously and callously delayed going forth to multiply in order to do something selfish like have a career. But it’s not too early…
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Another step towards abortion ban for US
By Jess McCabe | 24 February 2006, 11:04
South Dakota’s state senate has passed a bill banning abortion in all cases, except where the mother will die unless the procedure takes place. There is no exception for cases of rape, incest or where carrying the pregnancy to term…
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A quarter of a million feminist bloggers! (and the new carnival is up)
By Jess McCabe | 23 February 2006, 10:47
There are a quarter of a million feminist bloggers on the internet. Or so says the person who set up the Carnival of Feminists (which we have been honoured to be included on more than once, including this month). Over…
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US edges closer to abotion ban
By Jess McCabe | 22 February 2006, 21:01
The US Supreme Court is set to rule on whether a ban on partial-birth abortion in South Dakota is unconstitutional or not. As the New York Times reports, pro-lifers say the ban would only affect terminations very late in pregnancy,…
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Sexual Apartheid in Saudi Arabia
By Jess McCabe | 21 February 2006, 13:40
Are women in Saudi Arabia slowly edging out of “sexual apartheid”, the Guardian asks today in a fascinating feature. A male reporter, Brian Whitaker, reports on the women who are entering the workforce. And apartheid really is the word: women…
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Women Warned: Procreate!
By Jess McCabe | 19 February 2006, 22:34
Nary a month goes by without a new study berating or warning or generally telling off women for not having enough babies. First we had fertility tests so working women could tell how many years we have left to get…
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When Women Pursue Justice
By Jess McCabe | 19 February 2006, 12:25
London is one of the world’s most vibrant cultural hubs. But for all its theatres, art galleries, concert halls, gig venues, underground cultural centres and other forms of artistic life, there is one area in which it is desperately impoverished….
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Film fans pay attention
By Jess McCabe | 18 February 2006, 09:27
It’s nearly time to celebrate International Women’s Day once again, and as usual the Bird’s Eye Film Festivalare marking the occasion by showcasing films directed by talented women. THE FILMS: FOURTEEN dir. Nicole Barnette (USA), 7min, 2005 UK Premiere fresh…
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"Feminism's unfinished revolution"
By Jess McCabe | 18 February 2006, 09:09
“How is resurrecting every stereotype of female sexuality that feminism endeavoured to banish good for women? Why is labouring to look like Paris Hilton empowering? And how is imitating a stripper or a porn star - a woman whose job…
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Cameron takes paternity leave despite voting against it
By Jess McCabe | 17 February 2006, 09:41
Ah, the hypocrisy. David Cameron, the Tory party’s still new-ish leader, is taking his full two weeks in paternity leave after the birth of his third child. Which would be great, if he hadn’t voted against the entitlement to do…
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Angry Wimmin
By Jess McCabe | 12 February 2006, 09:34
Turn on your TVs this Wednesday, because BBC4 is screening a documentary on the women’s movement in London in the 1970s. Angry Wimmin is part of a series called Lefties, on left-wing radicals of all stripes. The show on the…
Prison pageant wows Bogota
By Jess McCabe | 11 February 2006, 08:32
Beauty pageants have been a feminist bete noir for so long now, I was literally amazed that anyone could call one “liberating”. But this is no ordinary pageant: it takes place inside a Colombian jail and the contestents are “contract…
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A gel to stop HIV infection, but does it come at too costly a price?
By Jess McCabe | 9 February 2006, 16:44
A gel which could protect women against HIV is in the advanced stages of human trials. That’s the good news. But a drug company is using thousands of poor African women to test it, and questions are being asked about…
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UK defies US over abortion funding
By Jess McCabe | 6 February 2006, 11:35
Britain is to step in and replace funding for abortion services and family planning services withdrawn by the the United States, the Guardian reports today. The Bush administration instituted the “global gag rule” in 2001, meaning that no aid organisation…
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How a cup of Femenino improves the lot of poor Peruvian women
By Jess McCabe | 5 February 2006, 22:44
A women’s co-operative in rural Peru is using a new coffee brand to improve the lot of female coffee workers - a sort of “Fairtrade plus gender”. With so much bad news lately, Women’s eNews has chosen the perfect time…
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Survey prompts calls for abortion restrictions
By Jess McCabe | 29 January 2006, 19:53
Deary me. Today is not a good day for statistics. After learning that nearly half of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals fear to tell their co-workers about their sexuality, and that most men don’t want to go out with a…
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Men don't fancy funny women, says study
By Jess McCabe | 29 January 2006, 19:40
What are you looking for in a potential girlfriend or boyfriend? One of the most cliched answers to that question must be “a sense of humour”. But the majority of straight men are not looking for a funny woman: they…
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49% fear to come out at work
By Jess McCabe | 29 January 2006, 19:27
As the debate rages on about the manner in which Lib Dem leadership candidate and party chairman Simon Hughes came out (or was forced out), a new study reveals that 49% of gay people in Britain are too scared to…
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Sarah Waters
By Jess McCabe | 28 January 2006, 10:03
Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, Affinity) has a new book out, set in London during the blitz. The bumph about The Night Watch: This is the story of four Londoners - three women and a young man with a…
One in five big employers pays women less
By Jess McCabe | 27 January 2006, 12:40
Nearly one in five of Britain’s biggest employers pay women less than men, the Equal Opportunities Commission has revealed. Of 870 employers who voluntarily carried out equal pay audits, 16 per cent found they were illegally paying men more than…
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Poor women suffer more because of lack of census data
By Jess McCabe | 21 January 2006, 18:33
Women around the world are being put at further risk from poverty, because developing countries are not collecting the basic census information that allows aid workers to galvinise to help them, according to a United Nations report. If this data…
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US women celebrate 33 years of abortion rights
By Jess McCabe | 20 January 2006, 15:51
33 years after Roe v Wade legalised abortion in the United States, activists are rallying to defend a woman’s right to choose. Although it seems almost unthinkable, women in the US are genuinely facing the possibility that the right to…
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Interview with an Anti-Feminist
By Jess McCabe | 17 January 2006, 14:13
So if you took an anti-feminist pundit out for lunch who believes the gender pay gap and domestic violence epidemic have been exaggerated, and denies that feminism helped her own high-profile career, what would you ask her? Salon’s Rebecca Traister…
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Blachet becomes Chile's first female president
By Jess McCabe | 16 January 2006, 14:06
Chile elected its first female president yesterday. Michelle Bachelet, “a Socialist, a doctor and a former political prisoner and exile” triumphed at the polls at the expense of conservative businessman Sebasti\xE1n Pi\xF1era. Bachelet defied critics, who argued that Chile’s men…
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School expels girl for kissing girls
By Jess McCabe | 15 January 2006, 20:28
A private school in America has expelled a teenage girl for kissing two other female students during sleep overs. Jessica Bradley was in the ninth grade (by my reakoning that makes her 15, but I could be wrong? American readers?)…
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Observer Woman Disappoints
By Jess McCabe | 15 January 2006, 14:07
Like any other good middle class, left-wing Briton, I know there is only really one newspaper out there for me. The Guardian, of course. And on Sundays, the Observer. Refuge of crossiant munching liberals and socialists lost in the wrong…
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Sunday Magazine Watch
By Jess McCabe | 13 January 2006, 21:25
Extra: This Sunday the Observer is launching a new women’s magazine. Check out the first cover here. The lead feature looks to be about body hair - how will they manage the subject matter?…
Have you been raped without knowing it?
By Jess McCabe | 13 January 2006, 17:00
As The Happy Feminist points out, this seems like a stupid question at first. But she uses her experience as an attorney to put forward three case studies where women thought they had not been raped even though they had…
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Tabloids reveal colours once again as Kelly totters
By Jess McCabe | 13 January 2006, 13:08
Is Ruth Kelly a good Education Secretary? Perhaps not. But the right wing press have chosen push the idea that the reason she’s failed is that she’s spending too much time with her children. Kelly is famous for refusing to…
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Gloria Steinem interview
By Jess McCabe | 11 January 2006, 15:23
Alternet runs an excellent interview with Gloria Steinem today. What is Gloria Steinem’s advice to young women these days? To do “whatever they fucking well please,” America’s foremost feminist said, stabbing into poached eggs at a brunch-mobbed diner on a…
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Women would rather lose weight than up intelligence
By Jess McCabe | 9 January 2006, 20:35
19 out of 20 British women would prefer to have a smaller waistline than a higher IQ, according to a survey published by tescodiets.com. From the Independent’s story: From a wish list that included never having money worries again, dating…
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Mexican women's rights activist dies
By Jess McCabe | 9 January 2006, 20:12
Comandante Ramona died of kidney failure near San Cristobal in southern Mexico last week, on the road to hospital. If the average member of the public has ever heard of the Zapatistas, the guerilla ‘army’ of Indian rights activists occuping…
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Golf clubs to be hit by anti-discrimination directive
By Jess McCabe | 5 January 2006, 17:06
Golf clubs, at least if Hollywood is to believed, are a bastion of the Old-Boy network. So three cheers for the EU for bringing into law a directive aimed at making it illegal to discrimate on the basis of gender…
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Only 200 years to go before equal representation in Parliament!
By Jess McCabe | 5 January 2006, 14:47
It will take two centuries before British women achieve equal levels of representation in the political sphere, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait that long! It will take only 20 years…
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Daily Mail strikes again
By Jess McCabe | 4 January 2006, 12:14
The Daily Mail is at it again with an article on LGBT history month \x96 which includes recommendations for schools to teach pupils about gay and lesbian figures in history. The actual proposals are very sensible \x96 get kids to…
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In defence of political correctness
By Jess McCabe | 3 January 2006, 16:49
Political correctness is \x93harming society\x94 according to a new book written by Anthony Browne for right-wing think-tank Civitas, the BBC reports today. You might be surprised to learn that discouraging outright racism, sexism and homophobia is harmful. Indeed, it may…
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Immigration officials caught "selling" visas for sex
By Jess McCabe | 3 January 2006, 15:58
Immigration officials have been operating a “sex for visas” scam at one of the country’s busiest immigration centres, according to a 23 year old whistleblower who left the service in disgust at the practice, the Sun reports. Leaving aside their…
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Women urged back to kitchen by US columnists!
By Jess McCabe | 3 January 2006, 15:28
It sometimes seems like our friends across the pond are so overendowed with rightwing columnists that not a day goes by without me reading at least ten seperate deconstructions of their latest printed atrocities. As such it is no surprise…
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