daily feminist news 14.09.13
In case you missed it: Julia Gillard waxes lyrical about power, legacy and the future of Labor.
Former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard has broken her silence today, penning a column for The Guardian focusing on notions of power. Gillard reflected on the shortcomings of the new Abbott government as well as her own, being especially critical of the new government’s stance on the carbon tax and education. The piece reads as poignant, yet direct, with elements of regret, but also hopefulness for the future.
All four New Delhi gang-rapists receive death penalty.
The four men who gang-raped a young woman on a bus in New Delhi in December last year have been found guilty for her rape and murder and have been handed down the death penalty. The trial has lasted nine months and has had a profound impact on Indian society, with mass protests and changes being made to laws regarding rape to ensure maximum penalties for offenders.
My postfeminist enemy, Hanna Rosin claims that ‘the patriarchy is dead.’
Hanna Rosin, writer for Slate and author of The End of Men: and The Rise of Women wants us to let this whole feminism thing go, because the patriarchy is over, guys geez. To cut a long story short, Rosin pretty much thinks that if you’re a rich white lady, feminism is irrelevant and moaning about The Patriarchy is a self-indulgent waste of time. Also, feminists are pessimists who are purposely covering up how well women are doing so they can continue to wallow in victimhood. Sure, women have some rights now and it’s probably fair to say that The Patriarchy isn’t the giant, omnipotent phallic monolith it once was, but can we call bullshit on this, please?
University of Edinburgh bans Blurred Lines.
As part of Edinburgh University’s student association policy to ‘end rape culture and lad banter on campus,’ Robin Thicke’s infamous Blurred Lines has been banned from campus venues. It even got faded out at a campus silent disco. (Did anyone else get the mental image of some bad arse feminist student union avenger swooping in and scratching the record?) Love this.
Surprise, surprise, the percentage of women in legal leadership positions is ‘woeful.’
Sharon Cook, the first woman to become a managing partner in a top 30 Australian law firm has claimed that the percentage of women in leadership positions in the law is ‘woeful.’ Although considerable improvements have been made over the last three decades, women still only make up 23 per cent of partners in large law firms and just 17 per cent of partners in smaller firms. Cook put down the lack of progress for women in law to the lack of changes in the culture and working environments of the job, saying the ‘24/7 work ethic’ some firms expect disadvantages women.
I present this to you in closing with no comment other than it’s great and you should look at it. What do you think?
