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Original poster

The demand for free childcare dropped from new list of feminist demands

55 replies

foreverastudent · 29/10/2010 09:48

I went to a talk by Kristin Aune, co-author of Reclaiming the F-word:the new feminist revolution.

She was very good but I was a bit Shock Angry Sad Confused that in their reworking of the 7 demands of the feminist movement the demand for "free 24 hour community-controlled nurseries" has been dropped. There is a more general demand for 'equality at work and home' but I dont think that's sufficient.

I think the childcare demand does need some reworking and needs to include the demand for child-frinedly public spaces and child-friendly timings of work/leisure.

Have feminists given up on childcare?

BTW she was aware of the feminist topic on Mumsnet so may be a poster/lurker Wink

OP posts:
scottishmummy · 29/10/2010 12:43

to query no4,do you mean pay sahp?

carer should receive more support and respite,their input is woefully under recognised

LeninGhoul · 29/10/2010 12:23

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stirlingstar · 29/10/2010 12:21

4 - "Fair recognition" rather than "A recognition"

stirlingstar · 29/10/2010 12:19

I think I'd go back closer to the original, taking them as a starting point I'm going to try:

  1. Equal pay
  1. Equal educational and job opportunities, including equal representation of women in politics.
  1. Free Contraception and Abortion on Demand
  1. A recognition of the economic value of caring work in the benefit & tax system
  1. Legal and Financial Independence for All Women, including the right to decide and consent to what happens to our bodies.
  1. The Right to a Self Defined Sexuality.
  1. Freedom for all women from intimidation by the threat or use of violence or sexual coercion regardless of marital status; and an end to the laws, assumptions and institutions which perpetuate male dominance and aggression to women. Freedom from incitement to gender hatred [?! - am looking for something similar to incitement of racial hatred laws that retain freedom of speech but stop some of the worst popular culture offences]
LeninGhoul · 29/10/2010 12:15

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scottishmummy · 29/10/2010 12:13

plenty enough women post on mn appalled about mere thought of childcare,so even making it accessible etc cant compel parents to use it

LeninGhoul · 29/10/2010 12:08

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LeninGhoul · 29/10/2010 12:06

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StewieGriffinsMom · 29/10/2010 12:04

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hocuspontas · 29/10/2010 12:00

I'm glad it's been dropped. It doesn't apply to the majority of women at any one time. Also 'free' will at best equate to 'adequate', maybe 'good', never 'excellent'.

Original poster
foreverastudent · 29/10/2010 12:00

I agree that they need to be specific.

So what would you/our specific demands be?

  1. Liberated bodies
  2. Sexual Freedom and Choice
  3. An End to Violence Against Women
  4. Equality at Work and Home
  5. Politics and Religion Transformed
  6. Popular Culture Free from Sexism
  7. Feminism Reclaimed

I'd adapt/extent these to:

  1. The right to choose when and how we give birth.
  2. The right to abortion on demand, within 1-2 weeks of requesting. Free emergency contraception from pharmacist.
  3. For all local areas to have rape crisis/womens aid coverage. To have sexual assault referral centres in all police areas. To increase the rape conviction rate to the level of other crimes. To reduce the male to female domestic violence rates to the female-to male one.
  4. Equal pay audits for all companies. Btter access to legal representation for women who've been discriminated against at work. 50/50 split of housework.
  5. Quotas in politics. More family-friendly working hours in politics.
  6. Greater censorship.
  7. For feminism to do soem serious PR.
OP posts:
ForMashGetSmash · 29/10/2010 11:57

Free 2 hour nurseries? Confused why bother having any children at all?

anastaisia · 29/10/2010 11:50

Unless of course, the list of demands is actually a mission statement and more detailed breakdowns of specific targets have been published?

scottishmummy · 29/10/2010 11:50

an ideology needs an action component and agitation otherwise it is a talked about frame of reference but not a force for change

anastaisia · 29/10/2010 11:49

That would be a mission statement though wouldn't it - not a list of demands?

AliceWorld · 29/10/2010 11:47

"Surely the first rule of campaigning is to have specific targets with measurable outcomes against which progress can be reported back on!"

I totally disagree (not picking on you Anastaisia, just the best quote to pick Smile)

A political movement needs aspirations and fundamental principles. These can be translated into more specific targets for specific purposes but to reduce a political movement down to that removes the essence of a political movement for me. Without principles, the politics, ethics, all those things worth fighting for that keep people going despite all the knockbacks, there is nothing of substance left.

scottishmummy · 29/10/2010 11:40

in order to agitate successfully you need measurable outcomes and a timescale of action.method of review and dissemination of progress

msrisotto · 29/10/2010 11:40

I thought the free childcare thing was ludicrous anyway. The new rules are too vague to be anything close to useful.

anastaisia · 29/10/2010 11:35
Shock
anastaisia · 29/10/2010 11:35

scary thought [shocked] but I agree with you scottishmummy

Surely the first rule of campaigning is to have specific targets with measurable outcomes against which progress can be reported back on!

scottishmummy · 29/10/2010 11:32

that list is woolly could put it in a field and call it dolly

surely something bit more specific with demonstrable (measureable) outcomes would be preferable.and with timescales

stirlingstar · 29/10/2010 11:31

fluffyblanket - yes maybe an emphasis about it being available, rather than necessarily "free". Free is a very loaded word.

stirlingstar · 29/10/2010 11:29

Hmmm - have to say that I don't immediately like the reworked list as well as the original. It's much less concrete.

"Politics and Religion Transformed"? You can't even tell that that's about women.

fluffyblanket · 29/10/2010 11:26

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scottishmummy · 29/10/2010 11:20

free childcare shouldnt be offered to the prosperous who can and do pay for it anyway.the cost would be astronomical.

in austerre times id prefer allocation of resources to go the needy

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