Older women should step aside says Laura Hudson

[IrkThePurist]

Laura Hudson says;

''Take comfort in knowing this not a new development: feminism has evolved over the years from concerns about suffrage, to concerns about reproductive rights, to concerns about including ALL women in its mandate''

''I have great respect for the contributions that many older women made to the feminist movement, at times when it was harder than I have ever experienced. It is also time for them to listen, to learn, to step aside''
twitter.com/laura_hudson/status/953707342951981056

Laura hasn't actually set an age limit for stepping aside (Or the 'Logans Run' mandate as some Twitter users are calling it)
Laura seems blissfully unaware of The Equality Act, its become irrelevant now all the lesser battles have been won. Ageism doesn't concern her at all.
She's said we can rejoin feminism when we catch up.

I wonder how dramatically she'd explode if someone quoted that bit about moving on from reproductive rights at her followed by "check your privilege".

Do they even notice that women who aren't part of their social group exist?

Thecat you are totally spot on about feminism being late blooming for many of us - i think I was more of an aspiring cool girl (I'm not at all cool, which was an impediment) until my 30s when I had kids and started reading Mumsnet, and then fwr.

I still haven't read any feminist literature because it takes more time commitment than I have (read a good essay on 'there are no unmarked women' yesterday - that's about as long at I have for thoughts together!), and I think I'm pretty normal among my peers. It's a slow awakening, ideas percolating through until you realize that you're rad fem and looking forward to retirement so you can stop giving a shit what other people think about you

Moved on from reproductive rights eh? Why?
I work with amazing, well educated women for a large organisation. They say

"I've got an interview but i wont get the job because I'm pregnant."

They look embarassed and actually ashamed asking if they can express and store breastmilk at work.

I have said on another thread that I'm 50 and was told as a child that education is wasted on a girl. My younger colleagues will have been told, "You can do whatever you want."

It's a strange big brother (as in 1984 not channel 5) double speak that makes some young women think things are fine or if then not it must be their fault.

For these women in some ways today's sexism hidden in plain sight and more insidious and toxic than the crap I grew up with.

Payfrozen, that comment about women not knowing/not havign the words to describe what's happening to them/ thinking it's their immediately made me think of a very good article in yesterday's Telegraph about women's pay at the BBC.
www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/shock-acidic-self-loathing-bbc-women-suffering-fight-equal-pay/
(Apologies - it's behind a pay wall).

One paragraph in particular jumped out (I think I was reminded by your comment about articulate, highly competent professional women being embarrassed asking about pumping milk at work):

"After shock, comes denial, infused with an acidic dose of self-loathing. You blame yourself for “allowing” the situation. As a senior producer told me: “I’ve spent my whole career challenging received wisdom and asking difficult questions of those in power - so how did I let this happen to me?”"

I am another late blooming feminist (am mid thirties and my eyes have probably only really been opened in the last 3 or 4 years) and it was mostly thanks to Mumsnet!

Older women should step aside?

No.