Tag Archives: equality

Two Teenagers Gang Raped Then Left Hanging From Mango Tree In India

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These are the two women in India who were gang raped and then left hanging from a tree. I am sorry to share this picture and upset people but pressure must be put on the Indian Government. I will now be boycotting India until women’s rights improve. Shame on India.

Picture via Facebook.

Picture via Facebook.

The girls were cousins aged 14 and 16. A police officer and two other people have been arrested. This happened in a northern Indian village, Katra Sadatganj.

Villagers were angry and protested, stopping the police from taking down the bodies for 15 hours on Wednesday.

An autopsy confirmed the girls had been raped and strangled said the police. Armed police have been deployed to the village in case of any further unrest.

Apparently some people saw the abduction but were unable to stop it. The girl’s families accused three brothers of carrying out the rape and killing. Two of the brothers are now in custody, said R.K.S. Rathore, a deputy-inspector general of police. Families of the victim also accused the police of failing to respond and siding with the attackers, which has fueled anger in the village. Three police officers have been temporarily suspended for negligence of duty, and another one was arrested.

 

 

 

Pharrell “I’m Not A Feminist”

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He may be happy but Pharrell has said he is not a feminist because he doesn’t think it is possible. He told Channel 4: “I’ve been asked, am I a feminist? I don’t think it’s possible for me to be that. I’m a man. It makes sense up until a certain point. But what I do is, I do support feminists. There’s injustices; there are inequalities that need to be addressed.”

Pharrell Williams feminism

Well, Pharrell, we have good news: you CAN be a feminist. Anyone can be a feminist, the only requirement is that you want men and women to be equal. Despite the whole ‘Blurred Lines’ embarrassment we think it is still possible for Pharrell. This is what he said about Hilary Clinton: “I would love to see a woman run the country, Historically, this world has been run by man. And what would a world be like if 75 percent our world leaders, our presidents and prime ministers, were female? What would that world be like? We don’t know, because we haven’t given it a shot. We’re too busy telling them what they can and can’t do with their bodies. Or, we’re too busy, you know, not allowing them to make the same amount of money that a man makes.”

Well said Pharrell, now come and join our club.

What do you think?

 

 

Campaign Launched For Mothers To Be Included On Marriage Certificates

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Wedding bride and groomI recently went to my local council with my fiancé to give notice to marry and was both shocked and appalled to learn that mothers are not included on marriage certificates in England. In Scotland and Northern Ireland mothers are included, but not in England. This essentially whitewashes women out of the history of their own children. Mothers carry their children for nine months and then go through the pain of labour and risk their lives to give birth to them, apparently this isn’t enough to be included on their marriage certificate.

It was upon reading this excellent guest post on Mumsnet by Ailsa Burkimsher Sadler that I decided that enough is enough. So I have signed her campaign and you should to. After all, without women the world would cease to exist. Yet the children that we have get a man’s surname slapped on them and then we are not even important enough to be included on their marriage certificate. As Alisa says in her blog post: “Did you know that marriage certificates in England and Wales include a section for the names and occupations of the fathers of the bride and groom, but the names and occupations of their mothers are not allowed to be recorded?

In Scotland and Northern Ireland information about mothers is included. Civil Partnerships also recognise mothers, unlike same sex marriages, which mirror their heterosexual counterparts.

‘So what?’ I hear some corners of the internet cry – ‘haven’t we got bigger fish to fry?’ But imagine you’ve brought up your child on your own – when the most important day of their life comes along you won’t be legally acknowledged, and the absent father will be. And if you’ve raised a child together, imagine that only he is considered important enough to give his blessing to the union. And it’s about more than a hurtful snub – it’s about the erasing of women from the civil and legal system of which marriage is a central part. We’re writing women out of history, and it seems indicative of a society where decisions are made by men to suit men. ”

Enough is enough: please also sign the petition so we can end the sexism. 33,000 people have so far. Thank you.

Catherine

Follow Alisa here: Twitter: @nameequality

 

Romance In Modern Age: 52% of Women Would Contribute To Engagement Ring

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The New Engagement Etiquette in the Age of Equality

TV diamond expert, Vashi Dominguez, Founder and CEO of Vashi.com reports that in a recent survey, over 50 percent of women admit they would make a contribution to their engagement ring to ensure they got the ring of their dreams. 52 percent of women answered that ‘yes, I would probably consider [contributing to my engagement ring]’ or ‘yes, I would definitely consider it as it would mean I could have the style and size I want.’ A further 7 percent of women surveyed had already contributed to their engagement ring. The statistics also reveal that a quarter of women surveyed would partake in subtle hinting, such as comments to their partner when walking past jewellery stores, to ensure they received the engagement ring they wanted.

engagementring

Pear Cut 0.6 Carat D/VS1 18k Yellow Gold Diamond Engagement Ring | £1,899

The financial crisis of the late 2000s caused employment rates for men aged 25-44 in the UK to decrease by 3.2 percent. The employment rate of women in the same age range dropped by a lesser 0.7 percent. Consequentially, more couples now share the cost of living; large expense items such as a new car, holidays or an engagement ring are now more likely to be a shared expense. Couples’ finances in general are now so interlinked prior to engagement that an even higher percentage of women could be contributing to their ring subtlety through linked finances.

The survey results also strongly suggest that engagements in the UK are planned (more frequently than being spontaneous) due to men’s financial circumstances and budget constraints. However, a relatively large proportion of men did not plan romance around the planned engagement – this is according to 24 percent of women who revealed their partner did not plan anything specific for their engagement, with another 13 percent of women stating that their partner did not get down on one knee.

In light of the survey results, Vashi.com anticipates a growing number of sales will be a result of joint decisions made by a couple. Post-survey, Dominguez stated: “These results represent a welcome shift in the way couples approach engagement now. The team and I notice more women being involved in the process compared to previous generations. Traditionally, men were the breadwinners and often as a result, the decision makers. However, we’re beginning to experience a new engagement etiquette. Our male customers are relying on their partner’s input too, whether it be financially or at least from an aesthetic point of view. Not only this, now vashi.com is receiving an increasing proportion of business from female customers.”

Vashi Dominguez continued, “women know what they want and our survey shows they’re not afraid to contribute to ensure they get what they want!”

1000 women aged 20-50 were surveyed UK-wide.

Source re survey: Census Wide on behalf of vashi.com

Source re recession: The Labour Force Survey from 2007 Q1 – 2007 Q4

 

CARE International’s Walk In Her Shoes Led by Helen & Laura Pankhurst

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Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette Emmeline, and daughter Laura invite UK women to join her in London on Saturday 8 March (International Women’s Day) to ‘walk in the shoes’ of women and girls across the developing world who must walk for many miles every day to collect water for their families. The walk launches CARE International’s nationwide campaign, Walk In Her Shoes.

Helen Pankhurst

The walk will begin at the Tate Britain and end at the Southbank Centre’s ‘Women of the World’ festival. It aims to raise awareness of CARE’s wider Walk In Her Shoes campaign, which encourages women and men here in the UK to walk 10,000 steps a day for one week from 24-30 March and raise money for CARE.  The charity’s work includes building wells in poor communities, allowing girls and women more time to go to school or work.

 Dr Helen Pankhurst and daughter Laura

Helen Pankhurst said: “Join me on International Women’s Day to walk in solidarity with women and girls around the world who are denied the rights to live, learn, earn and thrive simply because they were born female. Walk In Her Shoes so girls can go to school and women can do paid work instead of walking for miles every day.”

Girl collecting water, South Sudan

Seventy per cent of the world’s poorest billion people are women, many millions of whom walk more than six kilometres a day in search of water and firewood, carrying loads of up to 20kg.

 

CARE will provide fundraising support to all who participate. To join Helen on 8 March or take part in the Walk In Her Shoes campaign, visit www.careinternational.org.uk/iwd2014  or call 020 7091 6111.

 

 

Is This The Best Anti-Hate Song?

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We came across this beautiful song by accident on YouTube and couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. It is an anti-hate, pro-equality song with smart lyrics that we should all live by. Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Interesting Video On How The Media Treated Women In 2013

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We found this video from The Representation Project fascinating. Although women did well in 2013, this video shows that we still have a way to go. Let’s hope for better things in 2014.

What do you think?

Mother Hosts Feminism Debate With Lorraine Candy, MP Jo Swinson and Ruby Tandoe

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feminismOn Monday 18 November, Mother London will host a debate about modern feminism. Equalities Minister Jo Swinson and Ruby Tandoe will join a panel hosted by ELLE editor Lorraine Candy to discuss the topic “Does feminism need a rebrand?” They will be joined by Laura Jordan Bambach, President of D&AD; Kat Banyard, UK Feminista; Ikarama Larasi, Rewind & Reframe and Holly Armstrong & Rhiannon Wlliams, Vagenda.

Following the recent success of ELLE and Mother’s www.makethempay.co.uk equal pay campaign, the panel will also address the issue of the pay gap, which is currently 17.5% in the UK.

Using www.makethempay.co.uk, employees can compare their pay to colleagues of a different sex and encourage their employers to sign up to the Think, Act Report, which encourages businesses to enforce equal pay legislation.

DOES FEMINISM NEED A REBRAND?

THE DEBATE

Chaired by Lorraine Candy ELLE Editor-in-Chief

Performance by Sara Pascoe

Speakers

Jo Swinson, Women and Equalities Minister

Laura Jordan Bambach, President D&AD

Ruby Tandoh, The Great British Bake-off

Kat Banyard, UK Feminista

Ikarama Larasi, Rewind & Reframe

Holly Armstrong & Rhiannon Wlliams, Vagenda

6.30-9pm Monday 18 November

Mother London, 10 Redchurch Street, E2 7DD

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