to think it's disgraceful that Labour MPs are condoning gender segregation?

[OTheHugeManatee]

I thought Labour were supposed to be against discrimination. But I'm hearing multiple reports of Labour MPs attending gender segregated rallies around the Olham by-election and uttering not a peep about it.

AIBU to think it's disgraceful that once again women's right to equality is being quietly set aside for other political priorities? And by the party that makes the most noise about equality, no less?

Fucking hypocrites

I'm just sickened by the hypocrisy of all that equalities virtue-signalling, all that Woman2Woman pink bus nonsense during the General Election and what have you, just chucked out the window for political expediency. It just says to me that Labour only pretends to give a shit about women's equality when it makes them look good or they can use it as a stick to beat the opposition.

Race and gender are not analogous.

In this country we have gender segregated toilets, but not racially segregated ones. Why is that?

We have gender segregated hospital wards too. Why is that?

you're tacitly condoning and entrenching casual, everyday discrimination against a far larger group of women. Not okay in my book

I agree.

If you say "we will not have the meeting with divided seating " what happens?

The men (and women who do not share those religious views ) attend and those women stay home.

So it is basically placing the responsibility for 'fixing' their religion on the women and punishing the women until they do. That isn't really feminist on my book.

Or you refuse to have a meeting at all unless mingled seating happens - which you prove has happened how?

Protests against racial segregation worked by stopping benefits to those with privilege. But political meetings are rather different to cricket teams and concerts. I don't believe in excluding people from politics, especially when those most excluded will be those with the least power to effect change.

I don't believe in excluding people from politics, especially when those most excluded will be those with the least power to effect change.

^^
This

If you are concerned about the equality of Muslim women in the Asian community then you need to be finding a way of including them not excluding them. At least that way you might hear what they think rather than what others think the women think (or ought to think).

YANBU

Why are men and women segregated?

This makes not a dot of sense. Both genders are listening to the same talk in the same room by the same people. Why does it bother you that men and women are sat separately? If women are being discriminated against by not being able to sit with men (is that your point) then surely men are also being discriminated against because they're not allowed to sit with women? If either gender wants to sit with the opposite gender they can do so. Segregated seating does not put me off nor encourage me to go anywhere.

To add, some people are just ridiculous trying to show how sensitive they are to other cultures. Whether the organisers are black white Asian Muslim sikh etc because if I woman or man is engaged in politics or anything else seating is not going to affect their participation. I am going to my son's nativity tomorrow it's certainly not segregated it's doesn't put me or any other woman off

Imagine your DC are at primary school, and whenever there's a school assembly all the boys have to sit on one side and all the girls have to sit on the other.

Would you really be justifying it on the basis that the boys and the girls all hear the same stuff at assembly so it isn't sexist at all? And saying that it has no other ramifications at all? Seriously?

I agree Manatee.

But I do wonder if this is just the way the seating ended up as this is what happens culturally and that the labour representatives didn't want to start rearranging everyone?

Btw the Asian Muslim Sikh thing is strange my phone is playing up on fast text some are with a capital letter not others can assure you was not intentional

"During an inspection of Darul Uloom Islamic high school in east Birmingham, inspectors witnessed a female governor attending governors’ meetings by sitting in an adjacent room out of sight of men present, and only able to communicate through a doorway"

"“Governors told inspectors this was their usual arrangement. A senior [Ofsted inspector] has pointed out to the school that this practice is unacceptable as it fails to show proper respect for women,” Wilshaw!

I suppose, the female Governer could still hear the words spoken at the meeting couldn't she. She could still participate at the meeting.....which is the important thing?

Oh is this Guido Fawkes?

That champion of women's rights?

I do not get the people saying: "If it is not segregated, the poor Muslim women will not come and this will be worse".
Every time we have a discussion about Islam, left-oriented people and Muslim women come and say that they are equal to men, and that they are liberated by both their religions and their Hijab (or burkha, or whatever covering they apparently choose to wear). So in this case, they should not be afraid of a non-segregated seating plan. Especially if they get all the supposed respect their covering afford them amongst their male counterparts.

OP, YANBU. Sexism is as bad as racism or any discrimination, and should be shunned as strongly. For any reason and context.

It genuinely wouldn't bother me either way at all being a mother of a girl and a boy. I just don't get what is sexist towards men or women by not being sat together? Out of curiosity (genuinely) do you think boys only or girls only schools are wrong?

The men and women all got to attend the rally. They just sat one one side each. I can't see why that really matters.

I'm sure I could find you plenty of pictures of top company board meetings, political meetings or trade union meetings where over 90% - or even 100% - of the people are men, and the women aren't in the room at all. That concerns me much more than whether people chose to sit men on one side of the room and women on the other.

When I was at school (1980s) we were made to sit like that in classrooms and assemblies - it was quite common. A bit dated, and I'm glad my DC don't have that same experience, but I still think there are bigger issues.

Oh look the daily mail had gone all feminist with this story too!

Next to a story which has the headline:

Michelle Keegan does her best Jessica Rabbit impression as she displays enviable curves in a strapless scarlet dress with daringly high split

This is all tabloid bullshit

Ofafrench exactly segregated seating is not going to affect attendance of Muslim women one dot. I think it's people trying to show how considerate they are maybe? And drastic I don't agree with Muslim schools and certainly not that the female was in a separate room. Shit like that makes Muslims look stupid l

I don't think single-sex schools are wrong, or single-sex bathrooms. That's just whataboutery - single-sex schools aren't part of the political process. The point of this thread is that the Labour Party, self-styled champions of equality, are totally spineless about gender equality when it comes to scrabbling together a few more votes from some sexists.

Manatee - What would you like them to have done? What course of action would have met with your approval. And, assuming that course of action had some requirements on the local community, how would you prove that they had been complied with?

I don't like cultural segregation. I just don't get how you tackle it at the point of arranging a political meeting without politically disenfranchising the women involved. And that to me is a price too great to decide they have to pay on behalf of the rest of women.

Othe huge if the point is that Labour party went alone with a meeting where people were segregated then I still disagree because you don't walk into a venue and refuse to begin the talk or whatever because of the way people are sat its hardly the Labour parties fault

Manatee - I'll repeat my question from upthread, what exactly would you have liked the organisers to have done to ensure the meeting was sufficiently desegregated?

I'm a bit confused here. Where people specifically asked to sit separately or did they choose their own seats?

Why wouldn't Muslim women be able to attend if they had to sit with men?

Very disappointed to see this condoned on here.

And personally my hen party included male friends. An irrelevance anyway.

I realise I am out of step with modern Labour values and am pretty much in mourning!

There was more support for campaigning for women as equal members of society from Keir Hardie than current leadership; which is disappointing.