A Little Less Conversation...

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

...a little more action?

Spurred on by the past couple of days of threads, I really think it would be good if we did a list of things that need to change in this country/the world WRT gender/women's rights. Could be laws or the pay gap or attitudes etc. What do you think is the most urgent thing that needs to change? Post it, and then maybe we can come up with some practical ideas/steps of how to get there.

It's late so hope this makes sense. There are so manny brilliant posters on this section, and on MN in general that I want to see if we can actually effect some changes.

So:

Post your idea for what the priorities should be.

Other posters come up with ideas for how to make those changes happen. In practical terms, so e.g. target a corporation, write to a minister, chain ourselves to Jonathan Ross, knit a cosy for the Houses of Parliament with "Votes for Women" on it :o

"so manny" - astonishingly, I have not been drinking, a part of me obviously just thinks MN is, well, a bit manny.

Abortion to be available on request - not only after women have obtained permission from two different doctors.

status of childcare and 'domestic' responsibilities equivalent to wage-earning roles.

dissolution of roles as gendered beyond bf stage.

Who defines "beyond bf stage"?

Sheesh SGB, I didn't really know that was still the case. Permission Do you have to get permission for all surgery I wonder?

I assumed "when the mother has stopped breastfeeding the child", OldLady

I don't believe that childcare and housework are equivalent to (all) wage-earning roles. By definition they can't be more than that of a cleaner or a nanny.

Excellent thread. The entire overseas aid budget to be spent on female education.

but define 'equivalent'

i mean 'as important' in status terms.

oldlady - yep, if you aren't bf, then domestic roles shouldn't be gendered past recovery.

interestingly, i didn't. only saw one doc. i think the norm is to see one doc and they get another to sign off without seeing you.

there's a thought, Appletrees.

that's still 2 giving permission though skintbint. I know of several docs who refuse to sign off, and so women have to wait longer while their GP finds someone in another practice to approve it :(

Isn't it. And not missionary style. Not even "values" or western empowerment. The simple act of educating the most disadvantaged women in academic subjects - literacy in their own language, maths, science - is so empowering, so dignifying, so strengthening, so worthwhile.

Working on getting women real power in parliament. I think when this issue is overcome everything else will fall into place.
I think Harman is good for women but there's only one of her.
We need a 50 or 60 per cent quota.

Women really have no power at all in international politics and I feel the patriarchy is striving to keep it that way.

If we want to concentrate on women abroad, we have to boycott supermarkets and chains that exploit female labour. WOmen are being thrown off their sustainable land by companies like Tesco and paid 38p or so an hour.

I think women in the third world should be empowered to work in cooperatives or to own and keep the land they till, and be given credit ( credit is usually only given to men). Usually the profits of their labour ends up in Britain in the hands of a few men. I think British women should fight this.

one of the original 7 demands of feminists in the 1970s was "free 24/7 community-controlled childcare".

We have at least made some steps towards the others (equal pay/education/contraception/abortion etc) but this demand seems to have been swept under the carpet. It's as if women are scared that if they ask for it they will be accused of not loving their DCs!

i feel we should tackle rape/abuse/DV.
it isnt getting any better is it.
its something that affects everyone.

Appletrees wrote "The entire overseas aid budget to be spent on female education."

What an interesting idea! Quite part from the benefits to the individual woman, there would be positive knock-on effects throughout their societies as a result.

definitely definitely education for all women. i firmly believe knowledge is power in almost any given scenario. the whole world will benefit from educating all women.

Teach children in schools about boundarys, roles, sex ( not just stds ect )marriage ect.

Id actually like to see some advertisers prosecuted for promoting some of this crap.

Dignified: I agree. But can you expand a bit? it could be interpreted in a conservative way, which I would approve of :) but that might not be what you mean.

40% board quotas female as in Norway, Spain etc where it is working well.

May be quotas for the cabinet too.

Of course mst of us don't like positive discrimination but it does make things happen faster and removes the old boys' network effects.

Fewer maternity rights and more paternity rights which cannot be transferred to the woman.

May be women to talk less and go forth and earn more too.

Appletrees , i think lots of adverts are very offensive. Theres a particular few at the moment which get my goat , the diet one where women are clinging to railings to stop themselves running into the cake shop to guzzle everything in sight, Another diet one where all the women are stupidly cheering about a low cal bar ect.

Theres not a man in sight, why not ? Why the dea that women need to be on a constant diet and we cant control ourselves around food ?
I know it sounds petty, but think about some of the ridiculous ideas held about various cultures in our society.

Imagine having that reinforced constantly by the media , i wont demonstrate as it will be offensive , but after just half an hour of tv im often furious.