Dundee man leads fight against period poverty

[PrimAndProperPearlClutcher]

“It’s about making people aware of the availability of period products for anyone of any gender, whenever they need it.

... '“I was chosen as the best person for the job and for me, it’s irrespective of gender.

“Having a guy can’t be a bad thing – it grabs the headlines, but that’s not the reason I was put into post!” Jason continues.

“For me it’s about driving the discussion from a young age so boys and girls are included and there’s no hiding it away because that keeps it as a taboo topic.

“I want to be seen as a positive male role model.”'

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/3593497/dundee-man-leading-period-poverty-fight-how-to-get-free-products/

It's pretty standard for photos to be shared in a press release for a public sector job like this.

Having him at a desk isn't particular informative, showing him doing what the project aims to do is.

See the many photos of government officials in farms, labs, schools etc. Doesn't mean they're actually going to be checking lifestock if you're a officer for DEFRA.

Thank you for the patronising explanation about photos.
Perhaps, seeing as he's working with a team of four people – women – there could have been a pic of them all sitting round a table talking? or he (and maybe his colleagues) could have been standing with some period products, in the style of some photos accompanying stories about food banks.
But no, they went with Jason and his unidentified male pal, holding forth to some slightly unimpressed-looking women.
They either didn't think about the look of the thing at all, or they thought about it very carefully; I can't quite decide which.

Oh wow
Are you saying that some photos may not accurately reflect every single thing someone does?
Thanks for that
I think any claims that Jason will be stuck in an official e somewhere and never allowed near women and girls to discuss period dignity are bullshit and are people trying to justify what is simply not justifiable

Yup, I've already said the optics are terrible. They've done a huge damage to the campaign & who they've chosen to hire. Not sure if there's any coming back from it to be honest.

'Twas just answering questions about Jason's role and why there was that particular photo......

@DameHelena I'm not sure why the personal attacks against me when

a) I didn't design the press release
b) I've never said how they've presented it isn't anything but damaging and stupid

You asked for an explanation @Hoppinggreen - I gave you one.

I've also shared the job specification.

It was hardly a personal attack to use the word 'patronising'.
And the bulk of my post was general remarks, not meant exclusively for you at all.

Yeah but he means a transwoman when he says woman obviously.

I do feel even applying is a sign that he doesn't have the sensitivity required for this part of the job:

To deliver the vision, aspirations and transformations in awareness, engagement, culture and inclusiveness which underpins the Period Product Act.

I'm assuming that the evening, outreach elements of the job are about speaking to teams in venues, being a speaker at an event, to highlight the aims and show how businesses and individuals can get involved. I'm thinking of speaking at a Rotary event, or a company awards evening. That doesn't need to be a woman.

It would just be so, so much more appropriate, and so much more reassuring, if the project lead on this was female.

No, according to @saltedcaramel1 they will keep him in the office and he won’t be allowed near the people is supposed to be helping.
In which case he’s not much use is he?

Is this about challenging boundaries, again? Specifically women's boundaries? Will we be made to feel that if we are uncomfortable discussing our bodies, our periods, with a male that it is us who is at fault, that we are failing for not being open enough, relaxed enough?

How are the people who put this man in place going to deal with women who don't want to talk to a man about these things? Women of faith who have religious reasons for not doing so?

When they say 'dignity' do they actually mean normalising women's wants to not talk about their bodies being dismissed? Are we being 'educated' to disregard our own feelings about wanting things to be single sex?

Is this all about overcoming women's boundaries YET AGAIN?

I think it is.

Are you saying that some photos may not accurately reflect every single thing someone does?

Yes, for example. Do you see Boris’ job to include actually creating the Covid vaccine, driving a crane on a construction project or dishing up food to soldiers? Probably not and yet government press releases show him doing these things. It’s just their go to thing really at all levels.

No, according to @saltedcaramel1 they will keep him in the office and he won’t be allowed near the people is supposed to be helping.
In which case he’s not much use is he?

@Hoppinggreen

I've copied and pasted the entire job description for you. It details what his job consists of. I would post it again, but you didn't read it the first time.

You realise that to run a project like this there's a huge amount of work? That's why you have a group of people with different roles.

Speaking to girls & women directly is a tiny aspect of it - you need people working on compliance, logistics, data management, evidence synthesis, ethics, administration, marketing, social media management, event planning, consultancy, transcription, data entry etc.

But discoverreads and saltedcaramel, in what way does it help the dignity of women and girls, and promote the project, when they publish pictures of two blokes, one of whom is the project lead, chatting to a young woman and her mum? If that's not what it's about, why are they using that photo? Why not a picture of the other four women talking to a culturally diverse group of w9men and girls?

The whole thing is 'why?'? What does he bring to women's dignity?

You can make a stab at 'why not', but really 'why?'

According to this government press release photo Liz Truss has an interesting job in quality control and testing saddles.

I actually DO have some idea of what projects involve .
I also know that on occasion you need everyone involved, for example at large public events, so to employ someone who is no use at such an event is a bit daft.
You can post the JD as many times as you want but I read it the first time someone did and I still think a man should not be doing this job

The press release doesn’t and if you think about it government workers in PR are extremely low paid compared to their counterparts in the private sector, so that’s not where the best at PR apply for a job. So it’s very common for press releases to be amateur, tone deaf, repetitive etc.

What does he bring to women's dignity? the same a woman PM would by executing the project.

I think Hoppinggreen was being sarcastic.
But yay for another patronising explanation of How Photos And PR Work.

I'm afraid I see it as much more basic.

The answer to which is, there are some things about females that are nothing to do with male people. They don't involve males. They aren't relevant to males. They're not about males. This does not mean either that females are being mean or naughty not having made it all about males and included and centred males. There are some things about females that are just nothing to do with males.

And some male people are really going to have to learn to cope with this without spitting dummies out.

Yup, have already posted this so won't repeat the same thing again.

The press release was a shit show. His statement was a shit show. Either the partnership is incompetent or the media deliberately manipulated it to cause this kind of response. Probably a bit of both.

I think they've caused irreversible damage to the credibility of the scheme, and his role in it.

However, I still maintain that a man can take roles in project management, logistics, compliance, administration of this project, as long as it is led and informed by women & experts.

@Hoppinggreen
I also know that on occasion you need everyone involved, for example at large public events, so to employ someone who is no use at such an event is a bit daft.. why would he be of no use? You don’t have to be a woman to recruit expert speakers, schedule the event, coordinate caterers, publicise it and so on.

Why do you think a man shouldn't be employed in these roles? (PM, compliance, logistics, administration etc).

I've worked in projects tackling VAWG, women's health issues etc, I can assure you we don't insist on an all female team.

For things like PPI, protocol design, focus groups, interviews, presentations etc, we ensure women or experts lead.

I have also worked on projects tackling racial inequality in healthcare. I was recruited to do this despite being white. Again, we followed steps above, and everyone was happy with project outcomes.

Because if a woman or girl needed advice at such an event he would probably have to go and fetch someone else. If a person who needed advice approached and saw a man a lot of them wouldn’t want to engage with him and might not access what they needed.
Thats aside from the fact that even if they were as happy to talk periods with a man as a woman, would he be able to give as much helpful advice? I doubt it
I am sure he’s a lovely man but there is nothing in his background that suggests he is remotely qualified for this job - he is a personal trainer ffs.
”ok, Sarah just do a few more reps but please make sure you are using the correct period products so you don’t bleed through your gym leggings”

You’re quite welcome. Enjoy this photo of Priti Patel playing football at Wembley stadium.

you say you've read the job specification but reading your posts you can't have possibly done so.

He is not employed to give out healthcare advice or do PPI.