Monday 3 May 2010

Company Magazine Article - What Does Feminism Mean in 2010?

The May 2010 edition of Company Magazine has an article called "What is Feminism in 2010" which is the first in their new series of Company Reports. It is introduced by an Editor's letter which explains how many people see feminism as somehow dead or irrelevant in 2010 - haven't we all got our rights now? She highlights the fact that "womens studies" is no longer a degree course in the UK, although still is popular in countries like Iran and India. This reminds her that the fight for equal legal rights may be 'won' here in the UK, but is far from over in many countries around the world. She concludes that perhaps feminism now is about ensuring that all women, no matter where they happen to be born, have the freedoms we enjoy.

The article begins with reminding us how far we have come in the last 40 years. It states that despite many changes for the better, feminism is not dead, it has just changed. Apparently there is a new surge of feminists heading this way, and that the new feminism means a better world for both women and men. Feminism now still includes discrimination, but also explores other issues that affect women - for example, our body image and how many females are in power.

Statistics quoted include:
  • Women are still paid on average 22.6% less per hour than men
  • Only 1 in 5 MPs in the House of Commons are female
  • Last year 100,000 women were raped in the UK (with a conviction rate of 6.5%
  • Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director (the first woman to ever win)
Ellie Levenson believes that feminism is about making choices. Being able to choose to stay at home, choose to shave, or choose whether to take her husband's name. She even talks about needing to rebrand 'feminism' from the image many have of by-gone days.

It is Company, and it is a light weight article (what else would we expect?) but it raises questions and hopefully encourages more people to consider where they stand on the issues surrounding women around the world.

It also includes 4 Feminist icons for 2010:

Jess McCabe - she is the editor of The F-Word who believes that "there are too many women affected by unequal pay, sexual or domestic violence, and everyday sexism for feminism not to be important."

Sam Roddick - daughter of Anita Roddick and owner of Coco De Mer. Company magazine have called her a pioneer who encourages women to express their sexual desires.

Jessica Velenti - she is the editor of Feministing.com

Anna van Heeswijk - she is campaign coordinator for Object which challenges the objectification of women.

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