Summer is finally here and the festival season is upon us. What a glorious week we’ve all been having, aside from the scary female oppression that’s dominated headlines that is. This was the week that kicked our asses back to 50s patriarchy, which took on many guises. This may come off as an indulgent privileged moan and yes it is a bit, but it’s also important to shout when society is screwing everyone over. This has an effect on everyone – men and woman alike – and just drives a wedge further between genders. Here are the stories that most got on my tits…
The Hasidic Jewish Community that banned women from driving
The revelations that the Jewish Hasidic sect Belz in North London sent a letter to the local schools saying that a child whose mother drives them to school must not be admitted to class, is really sinister. It’s all too easy to shrug this off as something that doesn’t affect those not in that specific community, but stop and consider the impact that this misogynistic act will have on those women’s’ lives. This is a community living round the corner in our so-called liberal city, and it is a bleak reminder of how woman are viewed by their men and by themselves. Naomi Alderman’s response in The Guardian spells it out perfectly. While she calls upon Britain’s Moderate Orthodox Jews to stand up against the driving ban, it’s important for all of us to do the same. We should all be outraged.
Caitlyn Jenner and the sad reality of being a woman
Bruce Jenner’s wonderful public transition to Caitlyn Jenner was indeed a triumph. The internet rejoiced in support for her and it was a major leap forward for both the transgender community and for society at large. It was a truly positive piece of news and I really do hate to pick it apart. I, like everyone else, was enjoying the wash of positivity surrounding the piece until Jon Stewart made the excellent point that not only will Caitlyn have to deal with transphobia and bigotry, she will also face the daily onslaught of sexism that comes with being a woman. “Caitlyn, when you were a man, we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen, but now you’re a woman, which means your looks are really the only thing we care about.”
Then the world thought it acceptable to pit Caitlyn against her ex-wife Kris in a series of memes. Everyone had a laugh, but remind me again why we are forcing women to compete with each other in looks?
Alex Salmond’s sexist slur
On Wednesday, Alex Salmond forced me to stick up for a Tory. The former SNP leader was interrupted by Conservative MP Anna Soubry and proceeded to rant back at her, ending with: “behave yourself woman.” Reminding us of David Cameron’s degrading comments to Labour’s then shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle, telling her to, “Calm down dear.” Salmond managed to highlight the fact that many of the men in power are incapable of understanding that viewing their female counterparts the way they do will not be accepted. Hopefully young voices like Mhairi Black infiltrating the fat cat sanctum will bring about positive changes in our government.
Sexism in Sport
BBC Sport reported this week that 40% of elite sportswomen experience sexism. Sadly these figures are not surprising. The surprising thing is that only 7% of athletes reported it. In a survey carried out by Women’s Sport Weekly, some women admitted they didn’t report an issue as they were afraid sexism could be perceived as banter. This is a wider problem that is experienced by women every day. This idea of sexist banter will continue if we don’t speak up as it happens and educate the man or woman spouting whatever offensive rubbish it may be. Another upsetting revelation was that 50 of the 568 women surveyed have been bullied on social media about their looks. Again another example of women being objectified by their looks, rather than celebrated for their talent.
On a positive note
We’re one step closer to the reality of female viagra. Yes women love sex just as much as men, and so it must be celebrated that fears of a waning libido resulting in sexless relationships may soon be a thing of the past. In reality, the drug Flibanserin is far more complex than Viagra and the side effects are still cause for concern. The FDA voted in favour of approving the potentially life changing drug on the condition that the manufacturer limits the safety risks. We’re not there yet but it’s nice to see that a woman’s sex drive is being treated as something important.
The week is over and yesterday’s news is today’s panty-liner but let’s all remember that gender is a social construct deeply embedded in all of us. There’s no chance of ridding ourselves of gender expectations and pressures if we don’t start talking about the problems. It might be easy to shrug off Alex Salmond’s comments as nothing but a thoughtless slip of the tongue but it’s just not good enough. Or Caitlyn Jenner being pitted against her ex wife as harmless fun, but in reality it speaks of a much wider problem. It’s important that we all speak out, men and women; whether it’s pointing out to a friend that their #bants is in fact offensive and sexist, or teaching a member of the older generation that a woman’s voice carries the same weight as a man’s, start standing up for equal rights.
Credits
Text Ger Tierney
Photography Holly Falconer