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/

'The spokesperson added that Mr Grant would not comment on the controversy over his appointment.'

He won't lower himself to respond to women's concerns. Great start.

Not all admin roles are 100% office based. PM is one of those. You go on site visits to engage with the site managers. So are quality control and auditing.

You’re not doing service delivery at all, you’re coordinating to ensure it happens and that feedback loops are established so it can be improved dependent on approval by your leadership- which in this case would be the 4 women he’s working for. No it’s not “filing paperwork” as that is a clerical role and quite different.

The advising he will be doing is on “good practice” for project management, like any profession project management has good practices to achieve the implementation. Things like determining your critical path in the schedule. Things like doing a schedule to budget review so you know if you are under-running or over-running for the year. That’s the “good practices”.

Civil servants are prohibited from speaking to the media direct. It’s gross misconduct to do so. Only public affairs can respond.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11116069/Fury-Scottish-council-appoints-MAN-period-poverty-rights-officer.html

Well it’s sexism driving the outrage. Which is quite sickening really. But pearl clutching is usually on moral issues, not discrimination issues.

He works for Dundee Uni, he's not a civil servant. Where are you coming up with these hot takes, Discovereads?

Damn it, if only you'd been two hours earlier I'd have made £10.

Does the role of this job actually include acting as a counsellor and giving direct advice to young girls, or is it to oversee a marketing campaign?

If the former, then yes, it's strange.

If the latter, I don't see the issue - in fact, it's possibly a deliberate move, given the fact that it's already gotten a lot more publicity than you'd expect...

So why the pic of him having a cosy chat with two women (one assumes about periods)?
Being cynical, one could say it was a deliberately misleading image calculated to stir up outrage about something that isn’t actually happening.
or maybe he IS going to be chatting to women about periods.

The job ad is posted upthread, I suggest reading it directly.

It’s hosted at Dundee and Angus College includes Perth College but the position is funded by Dundee City Council and Angus City Council.

It’s a local government position. I guess more specific to say “council worker” but local government is still a type of civil service. Just like the police are.

It’s a PR thing when doing press releases about look who we hired to support this government initiative. Especially if an admin job because a desk and computer is boooring and there’s no visual as to what their work supports. You see this all the time at every level from the top down. Like Boris Johnson doesn’t do any work on construction sites or serving up food to soldiers. But if there’s a press release about it that involves him supporting it in some way, they’re going to pose him. Because similarly Boris sitting at desk in no10 is just as boooring.

He is working for a college. That is not the civil service. That's 'public sector', not the same thing at all.

The fact that he posed for that photo and I assumed thought it looked good and represented him and the scheme in a good light shows he's shite at marketing. Hope that's not part of the job.

And who the hell is 'Euan', and what's he bringing to the party?

Here, for the avoidance of doubt:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about

'The Civil Service does not include government ministers (who are politically appointed), members of the British Armed Forces, the police, officers of local government or NDPBs of the Houses of Parliament, employees of the National Health Service (NHS), or staff of the Royal Household.'

Provide support to the project team in identifying, developing and facilitating events and activities that engage our communities and young people, creating opportunities for learning, networking, and accessing free products, (with a particular focus on identifying barriers to access and reducing the stigma around menstruation and period products.

from the description of job duties. Ignore the borderline-gaslighting on here, it is just as completely ridiculous to have a man doing this job as it sounds on the face of it.

Have we had the bit where the job was barely advertised and he was already a member of staff? In the article I read where he says being a Period Dignity Officer is a 'natural progression' from being a personal trainer he says he's doing the role on sabbatical.

So they've just shoved him into this job - no doubt with a pay rise - and women have to suck it up.

And no there's nothing dignified about men telling women about periods. It will exclude many many women and girls. But who gives a fuck about them as long as the mighty penis people are happy amiright?

Forgot the screenshot

Any man who decides to even apply for this job should be avoided by all women!

Why?

He isn't doing those things himself directly.

The paragraph you've quoted clearly states he's providing support to the project team.

I just don't understand why having a man taking an administrative and PM role to support these activities is problematic.

Has been posted on the other thread but I think it's deeply unhelpful to suggest any man who wants to work in areas that affect women must be a creep and avoided.

As long as the project is led and informed be experts and women with lived experience, which the job description clearly demonstrates, I don't see the issue.

And no there's nothing dignified about men telling women about periods. It will exclude many many women and girls

Agreed @Clymene - so it's good that isn't in the remit of the job spec.

Where's he posting @C8H10N4O2 ?

Couldn't find a twitter account for him.

Are you seriously reading that description and thinking the person in the role isn’t helping out in person at events?

Try thinking about it logically for a moment: supposing you were tasked with organising a lot of events, wouldn’t you want the person “providing support” to actually go to the event to help you out?

but this is all so obvious. At this point you’re just arguing for the sake of it!

I guess this an example of the glass elevator.