Our Shared Shelf discussion

Occurs to me we do not have a thread that records progress feminism has achieved. so this is it record wherever we see improvement, successes.

The Anglican Church in the UK has announced from it's synod that Transgender people. will be allowed to reaffirm there membership in their new identities. They even plan to have a new ceremony created just for this purpose.

Ross wrote: "The Anglican Church in the UK has announced from it's synod that Transgender people. will be allowed to reaffirm there membership in their new identities. They even plan to have a new ceremony crea..."

YES!!!!

In Germany now all people are allowed to marry. Some people could still be prevented from that because of some bad wording, but it's definitely a progress!

It's so amazing that progress... unfortunately, Catholic Church is so far from that. Recently, in Mexico a caravan that aims to aware about LGBT community rights was attacked by conservative people, mostly of an organization that promotes traditional family.

Hello. Of course, I'm a new man, but at us in Russia women have equal rights with men. If a woman is more successful in politics, in business, etc. then she does it. Let the man mopping the floor in the house, cooking and child care. In Russia people live like that.

Ross,this is such a good idea as besides all the discussions about what is going wrong ,we needed something that discussed about what was done right.Interesting topic.i hope everyone shares here,whenever they have some good news. :D

Here in Austria where I live, we have progress insofar as some people kicked off a campaign for women's rights and emancipation. The campaign is called Frauenvolksbegehren 2.0 - and they want to call for a kind of referendum.

A "Volksbegehren" is a legal tool in Austria where people can call for change and make some political pressure on the government by asking the population to sign some political demands. You can read the concrete demands of the Frauenvolksbegehren 2.0 here (in German): http://frauenvolksbegehren.at When I remember it right, then Meerder has already translated these demands into English somewhere here on OSS? Yes! I just checked it: Meerder has translated the demands here in this thread (scroll down to message 344): https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

What are your opinions about these demands? I hope the people of the Frauenvolksbegehren 2.0 will encourage many people to sign it. And besides the question if this campaign will lead to actual change in our society, I think it is already a progress when people in Austria are having a broad conversation about women's rights and emancipation! So I say thanks to the women of the campaign for working hard for feminism and I wish them luck with their campaign!

Keith wrote: "Sascha wrote: "What are your opinions about these demands? I hope the people of the Frauenvolksbegehren 2.0 will encourage many people to sign it. And besides the question if this campaign will lea..."

They're now starting to advertise it. I've been at a hearing at my university and they are pretty awesome.

Keith wrote: "i hope they can keep the pressure up and get some good wins. ."

Yes but in the moment I have the impression that the mass media aren't that much motivated to inform about the campaign. Meerder, please correct me if you make different experiences but I don't see any broad information about the Frauenvolksbegehren 2.0 in the media. Yes, there are a few interviews in some media like independent radio stations. But the mass media just informed in short at the end of April about the press conference where the campaign was introduced to the public. And since then I don't read very much information about this issue in the mass media. The campaign itself seems to be quite active on social media. But I wish there would be more discussions in the public and media. And unfortunately, there are some commentaries in the mass media where people who come from the economy and who are notorious for their market-radical ideology (Agenda Austria) comment why the Frauenvolksbegehren 2.0 is allegedly "against the interest of women"... And their commentaries are more propaganda than factual arguments. And another problem is: the mass media use exactly those "arguments" by the market radicals to de-legitimate the campaign. Well, at least the crowd funding was a success.

Keith wrote: "The 30 hour week - not because I don't think that, in principal, that it's a good idea, but, practically, the impact on incomes across the lower end of society could be detrimental."

Not sure about this. But Schifteh Hashemi who is one of the speakers of the campain puts it this way: her argument as far as I understand it is that it is necessary to distribute income from work in a just way between women and men. And she says that currently the majority of women still are working in the sphere of housework which is necessary but unpaid. And when women have access to the job market then it is mainly half-time with less wage than men - while men mainly work in full-time jobs with better wages. The consequences are the gender pay gap, gender pension gap and less income for women. So it is only fair to demand that all the work should be distributed in a just way between women and men. And Hashemi calls this demand "visionary" herself. And she admitts that some questions come with this demand like how to finance that. So it may be a "visionary" demand but also necessary if we want justice between women and men, in this case a just distribution of work. And in this context I think it makes sense to demand a 30 hour week. Hashemi calls it a model for the future which is based on partnership and on the social validation and distribution of income and care work.

http://www.wienerzeitung.at/meinungen...

But Keith, please tell me - why do you think that a 30 hour week would lead to a negative impact for lower income households?

And about your argument connected with quotas: in the long term you may be right about "positive discrimination". But as long as we live in a society where women are systematically discriminated and excluded from many spheres of society, like in this case: from equal access to the economy, I would say that quotas are a not a "perfect" but in any case a necessary tool to aim for equality and that means here: a tool to empower women and make the job market more accessible for women.

Emma wrote: "To be honest, I haven't heard of the 30 hour week movement/idea before. I am not sure what I think of it. The main purpose of it is to distribute work between men and women better? How exactly woul..."

The argument is that it helps in different ways. Hey, maybe we should make a topic for this? I don't want to be reminded of the heteropatriarchy in a topic celebrates the victories of feminism. And I think it has much content to talk about.

Maybe we should all listen to this song more often:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaolV...
(And yes, she won;) So proud)

I feel like sharing a victory of feminism in Austria:

When my grandma(may she forever be the way she is) opened a small bed and breakfast in her and my grandpa's house (which they built together;), she had to ask my grandpa whether she was allowed to BY LAW! He allowed her, but that's not my point, it's the point that she had to have a permission from him by law.

Nowadays she wouldn't need anymore, good thing that changed.

Emma wrote: "To be honest, I haven't heard of the 30 hour week movement/idea before. I am not sure what I think of it. The main purpose of it is to distribute work between men and women better? How exactly woul..."

I would love to have a 30 hour week and let my wife have more. But no one tell her i said this. lmao

Dear, Hello. My colleague was in a situation where he was temporarily without a job. At that time his wife worked and provided for his family financially. He did everything around the house. This is normal.

It is not necessary to divide duties. Family pulls a cart in the same direction. Wash the house floor together. Also cook together.

Keith wrote: "MeerderWörter wrote: "I feel like sharing a victory of feminism in Austria:

When my grandma(may she forever be the way she is) opened a small bed and breakfast in her and my grandpa's house (which..."

No, not really. They're both in their seventies now and enjoy their time. But they still love to have people around...

Progress of an indirect sort but progress none the less. Well done Emma and the Bookfairies

https://www.scoopwhoop.com/these-book...

Now this is progress :)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

probably,most of you would have seen this,but I kind of stumbled over it and it was definitely worth a share.

https://youtu.be/mEjUcd33bCc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEjUc...

Keith wrote: "A partial win for gender pay parity in the world of tech

https://www.theguardian.com/technolog...

Question - if t..."

Ah, they'll get them, don't worry, jurisdiction has a long breath.

Good news from Elle UK, two-thirds of young women in UK now identify as feminist. The message and the word itself are being reclaimed. :)

http://www.elleuk.com/life-and-cultur...

Ross wrote: "Good news from Elle UK, two-thirds of young women in UK now identify as feminist. The message and the word itself are being reclaimed. :)

http://www.elleuk.com/life-and-cultur......"

That's really good news! I doubt they're as high over here in Austria, but I don't know.

Emma wrote: "That's awesome!! I wonder how those numbers compare to other countries and similar age groups of women. "
Sounds like some work for sociologists, human, why can't we have more money to do stuff like that?

After setting up feminist mosque in Berlin, lawyer and woman's rights activist Seyran Ates has set up a LGBT inclusive place of worship. She is hoping to have it set up with in a year before spreading across Europe.

source: Grazia magazine 7August 2017

Females Barriers (legal council in criminal trails in the UK) will at last be allowed to share the locker doom used for there wigs and gowns at the crown court after centuries. About time. still progress is progress.

Also there adding more women to the supreme court to address the fact only 14% of QC (queens Councilors) are women.

The Sportschau had their first female commentator (at least from what I know, I watch since a few years now) on saturday, when they summarize all the games of football in the Bundesliga of the day.

Game of Throne stars all paid the same deliberate policy to ensure message of equality.

Ross wrote: "Game of Throne stars all paid the same deliberate policy to ensure message of equality."

;)

https://twitter.com/msfoundation/stat...

We gotta start somewhere, don't we? ;)

UK comedy scene most Male and Female are feminist and open about equality issues.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/magazine/c...

Ross wrote: "UK comedy scene most Male and Female are feminist and open about equality issues.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/magazine/c..."

More feminists, always a good thing.

Emma wrote: "Here's something good I discovered today, showing a lot of progress!

I am currently applying to grad school, and on one of my applications, it had the following (needed in the personal informatio..."

This is actually pretty amazing Emma!!

Emma wrote: "Here's something good I discovered today, showing a lot of progress!

I am currently applying to grad school, and on one of my applications, it had the following (needed in the personal informatio..."

Pretty cool! If only it would say "pronouns" - because that's what they are, they are our pronouns and not "preferred"...

Actually I have two good things to share with you at once:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-...
(It's so fresh they still have to update it;( )

https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/91...

announced today excellent first step: Women in Sudi Arabia will be allowed drive for the first time.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/...

Ross wrote: "announced today excellent first step: Women in Sudi Arabia will be allowed drive for the first time.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/..."

So they finally arrived... in the 20th century.

Emma wrote: "https://youtu.be/k9_zr_uUSAk 13 inventions and innovations making a better future for women"

Wow, that is some really cool stuff they have invented there. Small steps can make a huge impact!

The London Times resorts Transgender women will be admitted to Murray Edwards Collage which is women only.

Any person legal recognised as female by the Gender Recognition Act 2004 will eligible to apply.

There has been some backlash but in the main the news has been positively received.

Ross wrote: "The London Times resorts Transgender women will be admitted to Murray Edwards Collage which is women only.

Any person legal recognised as female by the Gender Recognition Act 2004 will eligible to..."

Yay!!!
P.S.: I love that the UK at least has the Gender Recognition Act, more countries need to follow suit. I want to have more news of that in here:)

The first woman appointed to be a law lord, in 2004, Hale had to wait until this week for a second woman to join her on the UK’s highest court.

“It’s a particular pleasure for me,” Hale declared, “to welcome at long last another woman member the court. I hope it won’t take another 13 years before we have a third, fourth and fifth member of this court.

Excellent news!

Keith wrote: "Pam wrote: "Excellent news! "

It is, but at the rate of one every 13 years, it will take 52 years to get parity - let's hope not."

I agree, I don't want to be in my 70s when I can celebrate this fact!

progress thread people, class have full :)

the Scottish Daily Mail (I know but they have the story) Scotland has the highest proportion of people identifying as lesbian, gay or Bisexual in the UK.

The trend follows the passing of key equality laws and wider public acceptance.

High powered abusers are being fired.

Recently: Bill O'Reilly. And now Harvey Weinstein from Miramax/ Weinstein company.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-d...

In another article, Gwenth Paltrow who was also confronted by Weinstein, adds “We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over,” Ms. Paltrow said. “This way of treating women ends now.”

Pam wrote: "High powered abusers are being fired.

Recently: Bill O'Reilly. And now Harvey Weinstein from Miramax/ Weinstein company.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-d......"

Thats great news. I thought Weinstein was only suspended but i agree with Paltrow that the shenanigans need to end. Hollywood needs to quit sweeping stuff like this under the rug.

Girls are now to be accepted into the Boy Scouts of America.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefin...

London Metro newspaper Thursday 12/10/2017 reports gender campaigner has been given permission to take home office to Court over gender neutral passports. This is significant step in recognition of different gender states in UK

Ross wrote: "London Metro newspaper Thursday 12/10/2017 reports gender campaigner has been given permission to take home office to Court over gender neutral passports. This is significant step in recognition of..."

Now that makes me unbelievably happy!

about time this was dealt with UK government looking at banning protests at abortion clinics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...

Ross wrote: "about time this was dealt with UK government looking at banning protests at abortion clinics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/201......"

Protests at abortion clinics are really bad. So I agree, that is definitely a progress.

Now this is real solidarity:

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/cont...

This is how you do it;)

*fist pump! Fantastic!