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International Women's Day 2011
TrustLaw Women, Thomson Reuters and Reuters mark the centenary
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Here is a "Gender pulse of some key news events" by Sandra Dickson in New Zealand www.trust.org -
Sandra Dickson is a feminist working to prevent sexual violence and other forms of violence against women in Aotearoa, New Zealand. She helped establish the counter-trafficking Poppy Project in London in 2003, and is now a member of the Roundtable on Violence Against Women in New Zealand. Sandra has also been involved in the Women’s Refuge movements in the UK and New Zealand, and has written a number of research papers about male violence against women. She blogs as Luddite Journo.
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Here is a link to Ludditejouro ludditejourno.wordpress.com
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@Verna Cornelia Price In answer to your question about the message we can give to our girls -- I know it's overused but I was really happy when I saw that one of my daughters had this quote from Marianne Williamson on her Facebook: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -
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To Trumbull: Feminism is today what it ahs always been, waves or no waves: a movement and ideology that questions dominant power relations and seeks to overturn them so that women will have full rights in family and society (private and public)
- in a patriachy women in general are subordinated to men in general
feminism is today what it has always been: -
@Lindsey - I think being a woman has helped me in my career (adult literacy) in many ways. But ... Adult literacy is a field of mostly women workers and that has repercussions for wages, working conditions and professional status. And, as in many fields, the power positions - the people who decide where the money goes and what the policies are - still mostly men. -
Here is a contribution by Garry Selfridge of the Humanitarian Futures Programme: Three women: climate, sustainability and patriarchy www.trust.org
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@Tracey and Katherine, thank you for sharing about your professional experience. Honestly, I cannot say that being a woman has helped me in my career. I'm shocked when I talk about "women's empowerment" in meetings and see the men in the room smile in a perplexed and/or amused fashion.
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@Verna Have you seen this article from the NYT on Tererai Trent? tinyurl.com
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@Lindsey. Having been in business for 10 years, I can say that being a woman has been a great asset for many reasons including know how to multi-task, communicate, be happy even in the face of chaos, work well with people, not give up so easily, and work hard! However, I was taught nothing about money management and the business of business which was afforded more to the men in my family and this has been a place of great struggl
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@a.jordao, agreed but what do you think of a comment from the same article about the extent to which "the future of feminism will depend on what is expected of men", like "role models of female leaders matter... but male role models who take time off with their children, leave the office at a decent time, promote women and spread the word with male colleagues matter perhaps even more..."?
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RT @ActionAid_pics: @ActionAid photo of the week! More International Women's Day @ act.ai twitpic.com #IWD
by ActionAid via twitter 3/8/2011 4:50:35 PM -
RT @ActionAidRwanda: We call on government to increase budget for women smallholder farmers to end #hunger. #IWD #HungerFREEby ActionAid via twitter 3/8/2011 4:53:03 PM
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RT @Actionaid_ie: Happy International Women's Day! See Emma Thompson in Liberia - inspiring stories of women defending their rights - ww ...by ActionAid via twitter 3/8/2011 4:53:28 PM
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From Idrissa Ouedraogo, Gender Advisor, Senegal Sub-Regional Office, Africa Region, UNFPA
Female genital mutilation, also called female genital cutting (FGM/C), comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical purposes. FGM/C is widespread in many developing countries, and has spread to some immigrant communities in other parts of the world, such as Europe and North America. FGM/C is usually carried out on girls younger than 15 – sometimes during the first weeks of life. Occasionally, adult and married women are also subjected to the procedure. It is an extremely dangerous practice that harms the health of women and girls. Immediate consequences of FGM/C include severe pain, shock and even death. Long-term consequences range from HIV and fistula to emotional trauma. The medicalization of FGM/C is a violation of human rights that raises serious concerns. FGM/C affects between 100 and 140 million women and girls worldwide and three million girls are at risk of being cut annually.
UNFPA and UNICEF work jointly towards actively contributing to the accelerated abandonment of FGM/C, in specific areas of implementation within 17 countries, by 2012 in partnership with UN Agencies, UN Country Teams, national and decentralized Governments, donors and grant-making foundations, academic institutions and specialized consulting organisations, NGOs, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and the media.
In a bid to accelerate the abandonment process UNFPA and UNICEF have combined the right-based based approach with culturally sensitive approaches to sustain behaviour change towards FGM/C practice. Both agencies recognize that since FGM/C has a strong cultural value in many contexts, it is imperative to initiate dialogues with communities on the preservation of positive cultural values, whilst a policy of abandonment is pursued. Staff involved in FGM/C abandonment programmes must communicate effectively with religious and cultural leaders to ensure that the goals of the programme are not misinterpreted, as being a value judgment on the society or its culture. UNFPA also mobilizes people through culturally-sensitive approaches that enable community members, including adolescents, women, teachers and parents, to become involved in Behaviour Change Communication activities at grassroots level and hence contribute to change in attitudes towards the practice.
Related Publications: unfpa.org
Related Video: video.unfpa.org -
@LIndsey @Tracey I share both your points. Something about being in a "ghetto" no matter how high up, makes sharing easier but getting out harder! In the field of writing there is a lot of talk now about how books and reviews of books by women are not seen as central, not as widely honoured, but- amusingly- more popular with readers! -
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Earlier in the day we saw pics of women protesting the removal of Muhammad Yunus as the head of the microlendeong bank he founded. Is Muhammad Yunus a role model for how men can be allies for women? I do not know that much about how he shares power but it seems that he saw the power of how women work and used his privilege to magnify that power. But maybe I have that all wrong.
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@Tracey, yes, yes, yes! www.facebook.com
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@lindsey - I would suggest that we need positive role across the whole of society regardless of gender. We need role models who will show how to nuture our next generations - whether this means providing a safe and loving home, whether it means leaving work on time to care for our family or whether it means showing the next generation that learning is not dull or "uncool". We need role models from all walks of life and I think the dad taking time out to take his kid to the dentist or go to the school play as just as important as the mum who holds her own in the workplace.
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Dear Wonderful Women, I will have to leave the blog debate. I'm grateful to have been part of today's discussion. I'm sharing a photo of young women, who come from slums in Cebu city and who, thanks to an education sponsorship program and despite the odds, have pursued higher education in various fields, including teaching, social work, information technology, and management. They are the first college graduates in their families and communities. The education of these young women is the beginning of a virtuous cycle, for themselves, their families and the entire community.
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katherine, so true and how can we continue to work toward changing this? Women who are in high positions of leadership across professions must continue to use thier power and courage to critically question these "ingrained socialized patterns of behaviour" toward women. Does this mean putting ourselves out there for challenge, debate and/or worst? Yes.
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I like to think that we feminists share an aversion to oppression and think beyond gender in this regard. But that does not mean subjugating the struggle for women's rights specifically either. That is, we still don't have half and until we do nothings sits right with the world.
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