Why young women being aware of gender inequity is good news I am not surprised that young women are concerned about equity and discrimination. I am surprised, though, that this has been picked up by Mission Australia's landmark youth survey for the first time. It is a double-edged sword; this is beyond the 'Gillard Effect'. Young women are more conscious of their gender and where they sit in Australia. The research presents an opportunity for us to discuss these issues with young women. All of us need to share stories of success and growth with those in that age group. It saddens me that I can list the number of female engineers I know on one hand; but I'm excited because each of them are out there spreading their stories about being fanatical about maths and science. Kylee Bates from Mission Australia told ABC "clearly young women have seen a range of social discourse and discussion that has impacted their views", and she's right. They implicitly understand they can do and be whatever they choose.
Possibly the most exhaustive study of “manspreading” ever conducted - Sociological Images “Manspreading” is a relatively new term. According to Google Trends (below), the concept wasn’t really used before the end of 2014. But the idea it’s describing is not new at all. The notion that men occupy more space than women is one small piece of what Raewyn Connell refers to as the patriarchal dividend–the collection of accumulated advantages men collectively receive in androcentric patriarchal societies (e.g., wages, respect, authority, safety). Our bodies are differently disciplined to the systems of inequality in our societies depending upon our status within social hierarchies. It’s not uncommon to see advertisements on all manner of public transportation today condemning the practice of occupying “too much” space while other around you “keep to themselves.” I recently discovered what has got to be one of the most exhaustive treatments of the practice ever produced. The collection is organized by an laudable number of features of the various bodily positions.
dropping knowledge :: Table of Free Voices Killing Us Softly 4 - Media critic Jean Kilbourne uncovers a pattern of sexism and misogyny across a range of print and television advertisements in this latest edition of her influential and award-winning Killing Us Softly series. Killing Us Softly 4 Advertising's Image of Women This highly anticipated update of Jean Kilbourne's influential and award-winning Killing Us Softly series, the first in more than a decade, takes a fresh look at American advertising and discovers that the more things have changed, the more they've stayed the same. Breaking down a staggering range of more than 160 print and television ads, Kilbourne uncovers a steady stream of sexist and misogynistic images and messages, laying bare a world of frighteningly thin women in positions of passivity, and a restrictive code of femininity that works to undermine girls and women in the real world. At once provocative and inspiring, Killing Us Softly 4 stands to challenge yet another generation of students to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, gender violence, and contemporary politics. Jean Kilbourne Filmmaker Info Directed By: Sut Jhally Edited By: Sut Jhally & Andrew Killoy Awards
Girls In Northern Saskatchewan Are Missing School Because Of Their Periods Millions of Canadians get their periods every month, but believe it or not, some can’t afford basic menstrual supplies. Some girls are even missing school because of it, according to a northern Saskatchewan MP. Georgina Jolibois, who is based in La Loche, Sask., told The Huffington Post Canada that food and personal hygiene products are pricey in the northern part of the province. And some communities are so small that people might have to drive an hour simply to find a store in a town that sells them, she said. "It is very expensive, not to only buy the tampons or the pads, but also [treatment] for their cramps," she told CBC News. "They might not have the money to buy Midol or other pain-relief medication, so they stay home." NDP MP Georgina Jolibois is seen on Parliament Hill in February 2016. It creates unfair barriers, she said: “All Canadian women ... should have the ability to participate freely and equally in Canadian society." Typically a problem in impoverished countries
Racial and Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Children’s Television Use and Self-Esteem A Longitudinal Panel Study Abstract A longitudinal panel survey of 396 White and Black preadolescent boys and girls was conducted to assess the long-term effects of television consumption on global self-esteem. Article Notes Nicole Martins (PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, nicomart@indiana.edu) is an assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University. © The Author(s) 2012
Female professors ‘pay price for academic citizenship’ | THE News Female professors earn less on average than their male counterparts because they focus on underappreciated “academic citizen” roles that do not lead to promotion or pay rises, a new study suggests. Male professors devote less time to mentoring duties, serving on university committees and other “academic citizen” roles, and instead concentrate on their own research – an activity more likely to win them external recognition and a pay rise, according to a paper by Bruce Macfarlane, professor of higher education at University of Southampton, and Damon Burg, a research fellow at Southampton Education School. Based on interviews with 25 female and five male professors at nine UK universities, the two researchers found that female professors tended to talk about the broader demands of their departmental chair, whereas male interviewees focused far more on the need to win research grants. “Even at professorial level [they] tend to be making up more of these service roles,” he added.
Anna in Frozen: Her eyes are bigger than her wrists. Courtesy of Disney Philip N. Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland at College Park, writes frequently at Sociological Images about the way that physical differences between the sexes are exaggerated to uphold the narrative that men and women are "opposite." His latest post chronicles the way that Disney films magnify gender differences between male and female characters, particularly if they are portrayed on screen as eligible for romantic attention. Courtesy of Disney In Disney movies, men's wrists are often three or four times larger than women's wrists. Obviously, proportions in cartoons are quite different than real life because the exaggeration adds visual interest, personality cues, and a sense of playfulness.
What does a "Professional" Look Like? Thoughts from a Queer Almost-Lawyer | Pink Larkin Pictured: Balraj Dosanjh, Mary Burnet and Nicola Watson (Photo by: Diane Slaunwhite) I am a queer woman with tattoos, piercings, and a half-shaved head that have been part of my style for the past ten years. As an articled clerk and soon-to-be lawyer, working in a professional environment has been challenging in many ways – not the least of which is determining what it means to look the part. As a law student, I received many messages about “professional attire” and how to “dress for success.” For example, at a session about professionalism offered on campus, two white men included a picture of Nicki Minaj in their presentation as an example of “unprofessional attire.” Not long afterward, Canadian Lawyer posted a video entitled “Beauty gurus in law” on its website. I asked one of my professors how to navigate these messages we were receiving about our appearance, and what it purportedly said about our competence. Wear a garment that represents your non-Western culture to work?
Rape in India: Satirical Video About Victim-Blaming Goes Viral A comedy group in India, fed up with rampant victim-blaming demonstrated towards women who've been raped, decided to fight back—with comedy. The parody video from "All India Bakchod" features Bollywood actresses gleefully (and sarcastically) explaining to women that rape is "their fault." The joke here isn't the act of rape itself, but the excuses used to perpetrate it. As they state on their Youtube page: Every sexual assault case in India inspires a string of stupid and hateful remarks against women. The video has already gone viral, gaining over half a million hits in three days. And as it lambasts every tired argument used to blame victims for their own attacks—your skirt was too short, you were walking on the street at night, you're too friendly with men—the similarities between India's rape problem and the one in the U.S. are evident. Stateside too, sexual assault remains a crime where victims are routinely held to higher scrutiny and scorn than their perpetrators.
On Newt Scamander, Toxic Masculinity, & The Power Of Hufflepuff Heroes Warning: This post contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt Scamander is a rare bird — rarer even, perhaps, than the Thunderbird he recklessly smuggles into Manhattan in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt tears up in wonder as a baby Occamy hatches, and tenderly refers to himself as "Mum" to a group of them. When Newt's privacy is violated by Queenie's Legilimency, his reaction, though he is feeling "angry and embarrassed," according to the screenplay, is merely to say, "Please don't read my mind," and then, "Sorry, I asked you not to." When Newt's beasts — the very nearest and dearest creatures to his heart, and the purpose of his entire life's work — are threatened, he doesn't try to lash out or fight or punish anybody. Newt Scamander takes every trope we know about the Male Hero — the toxic tropes that we have grown up with, that are so internalized in traditional narratives that we don't even blink at them anymore — and flips them on their head.