Category: Inequity

Lack of female football facilities threatens development of next wave of Matildas players

Officials warn Victoria’s football facilities are at ‘crisis point’ and are unable to keep up with interest in the sport, in part, generated by the Matildas’ successful world cup campaign.

Source: Lack of female football facilities threatens development of next wave of Matildas players – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Man sues brewery over ‘women’s only’ IPA, claims he ‘felt forced to identify as female’

A man sued a brewery, claiming that he was ‘forced’ to identify as a woman to buy a beer.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the brewery and pub chain BrewDog introduced the so-called Pink IPA. It was the same exact beer as the company’s popular Punk IPA, but it was sold to women for 20 percent less. The campaign was an attempt to highlight the gender pay gap.

Bower spoke with Wales Online, saying, “After a bit of a back-and-forth with me protesting this, I felt forced to identify as female and was then able to get the drink for ($5), I complained to the company about this and they said it wasn’t discrimination because the price difference was part of a national campaign to raise awareness about the gender pay gap.”

Despite getting the drink for the discounted price, Bower wasn’t satisfied. “I complained again to BrewDog stating that I was intending to take them to court over this but would rather resolve the problem outside court,” he said. “They ignored this.”

Bower took BrewDog, which is based in Scotland, to small claims court for “direct discrimination and breach of the Equality Act 2010,” Wales Online reports.

According to court documents, Judge Philips agreed that Bower was discriminated against because of his gender and awarded him over $1,200.

Source: Man sues brewery over ‘women’s only’ IPA, claims he ‘felt forced to identify as female’ | Fox News

Political violence against women is increasing worldwide, University of Texas researchers find

Womens’ increasing demands for equal rights have been met across the globe with widespread political violence, according to a new report by UT researchers.

Source: Political violence against women is increasing worldwide, UT researchers find | The Daily Texan

Political violence against women is increasing worldwide, University of Texas researchers find

Womens’ increasing demands for equal rights have been met across the globe with widespread political violence, according to a new report by UT researchers.

Source: Political violence against women is increasing worldwide, UT researchers find | The Daily Texan

I looked at 100 best-selling picture books: female protagonists were largely invisible

Despite a rise in feminist-themed books for children, picture books remain highly gendered overall, writes Sarah Mokrzycki.

In the Dymocks bestsellers list, 46% of books had male protagonists, while only 17% had female protagonists (in 32% of books there was no lead character). There were only seven female led books in the top 50, compared to 26 male led books.

Sixteen books in the list showed characters in specific occupations (outside of parenthood). In the female-led stories, protagonists only showed ambition for traditional feminine pursuits. There were three ballerinas, three princesses and one fashion designer – Claris, a mouse, who “dreamed about clothes” and “read about handbags in Vanity Fair”. (In this story, a misbehaving girl is also chastised for being “neither proper nor prim!”)

In comparison, the male-led stories showed protagonists in roles ranging from farmers and chefs to zookeepers and scientists.

Not much has changed in the past 20 years.

Source: I looked at 100 best-selling picture books: female protagonists were largely invisible

Domestic violence victims 10 times more likely to suffer multiple legal problems

An Australian-first study has revealed that victims of domestic violence are 10 times more likely than others to experience multiple legal problems.

Source: Domestic violence victims 10 times more likely to suffer multiple legal problems – Law Society Journal

Let’s not forget that Māori women had the vote long before Europeans arrived

To mark the anniversary of women’s suffrage, we republish this essay from International Women’s Day 2018 by Ātea editor Leonie Hayden – how Māori women can find their way back to equity through the stories of the past.

1893 was the first time New Zealand women were given access to the Westminster vote, but traditionally Māori women and children already had a say on important issues in their own communities. As that right was slowly eroded by encroaching colonisation, Māori women joined the fight for suffrage.

Source: Let’s not forget that Māori women had the vote long before Europeans arrived | The Spinoff