Feminist Forte

Women Newsmakers in 2011

December 31, 2011
By
Betty Dukes and Walmart plaintiffs

Betty Dukes and Walmart plaintiffs

Another year almost over, another few cents narrowing the wage gap. Here’s a look back at some of the stories that impacted or involved women in 2011:

Reproductive rights under attack: Three days into the year we wrote, “Congressman John Boehner (R-Ohio) will become Speaker of the House Wednesday and women should pay attention. … In fact, he represents a significant threat to women’s reproductive rights.” And indeed 2011 saw some of the most aggressive attacks on women’s reproductive health. Ashley Portero at the International Business Times has a round up of the staggering number measures related to reproductive health introduced in 2011 including:

  • H.R. 3 with its disturbing “forcible rape”  language (as if all rape isn’t forcible?)
  • H.R. 358, the Protect Life Act, or as some are called it, the Let Women Die Act.
  • The Heartbeat Bill, which would ban abortions after the first detectable fetal heartbeat- before many women even know they are pregnant. Two fetuses were witnesses at an Ohio legislative committee contemplating this bill.
  • And of course, the attack on Planned Parenthood.

Rape and intimate partner violence a very real threat: Speaking of women’s health, in November the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, a comprehensive survey on sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence revealing in the United States nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped,  and more than 1 in 3 women have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.

DialloTwo brave women speak out: Two women bravely spoke out against sexual violence and took to the mainstream media thereby letting the world know the stigma of rape belongs to the rapist, not the raped. Nafitassou Diallo, the woman who accused Dominique Strauss Kahn (DSK),  former head of the International Monetary Fund of raping her in a New York hotel room, and Lara Logan, the CBS correspondent who was brutally assaulted in Egypt went on primetime television and shared their stories.

Ginni Rometty

Ginni Rometty

IMF and IBM appoint women to top spots: Following the allegations against Strauss Kahn, Christine Lagarde, France’s finance minister, was named the new head of the International Monetary Fund. And technology giant IBM appointed its first ever woman CEO, Virginia (Ginni) Rometty while former eBay chief Meg Whitmasn was named CEO at Hewlett Packard. However, Avon’s CEO Andrea Jung, stepped down and Carol Bartz was fired by Yahoo. While there was plenty of movement, the 2011 Catalyst Census:Fortune 500 Women Board Directors, Executive Officers and Top Earners reported in the corporate world “women have made no significant gains in the last year and are no further along the corporate ladder than they were six years ago.”

The Supreme Court blocks Walmart discrimination suit: In June, The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the Walmart v. Dukes case in favor of Walmart. The court ruled the gender discrimination suit against Walmart could not proceed as a class action. In doing so the court overturned a U.S. appeal court ruling that granted class action status to female employees of the giant retailer. The decision was widely viewed as a win for big business and a blow to women and we wrote, “The decision leaves women alone in their fight against discriminatory practices, steeling for a long, expensive, and sometimes nasty battle, or merely biting their tongue.”

The wage gap remains: Underscoring why the Walmart ruling matters, in March the White House Council on Women and Girls issued the report, Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economical Well-Being, which noted women have not only caught up with men in college attendance but younger women are now more likely than younger men to have a college or a master’s degree and the number of women and men in the labor force has nearly equalized in recent years. However, the gains in education and jobs has not translated into wage and equity. At all levels of education, women earned about 75 percent of what their male counterparts earned in 2009.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Three women win the Nobel Prize: In October, The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women in recognition of “their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.” The Nobel Committee divided the award equally between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman.

Politics continues to be a sexist sport: In August we published “The Hello Ladies Guide to Sexism in Politics” so women could follow along during a wild year for women in politics. The year began with a horrific attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who we were thrilled to see return to the House in August for the debt ceiling vote. Also in January, the formidable Maryland Senator Barbara A. Mikulski became the longest-serving woman in U.S. Senate history. Mid year Congresswoman Michele Bachmann announced her candidacy for president and thankfully former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin did not. In September, Elizabeth Warren officially entered the Massachusetts Senate race. And throughout the year, many in the  media, and certainly Herman Cain, continued to demonstrate sexist behavior towards women in politics. Name It Change It has a good roundup of sexist media coverage in 2011.

We said goodbye to two strong women and hello to many more: Former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, who was the first female vice presidential candidate of the United States, passed away in March as did Former First Lady Betty Ford in July. As we said goodbye to these inspiring women, we were introduced to emerging leaders like:

 

  • Afrykayn Moon who held her ground when a public transit bus driver ordered her to either cover up or get off the bus while she  was breastfeeding her child
  • Michelle Hickman, who staged a nationwide nurse-in at Target after she was asked by Target employees to relocate while nursing her child at the store
  • and Penis Mom who reminded us to speak out out against outdated gender stereotypes and biases and made us laugh while doing it.

We’re looking forward to covering more heroines in 2012.

 

 

 

If I Were Santa

December 14, 2011
By

Santa's gift bagIf I were Santa, I’d be making my list and checking it twice. And here are the gifts I would give:

For Our Daughters: The gift of self-esteem and positive role models

The mass media perpetuates a message that women and girls’ value comes from beauty and sexuality – and it affects us. Sixty-five percent of women and girls have an eating disorder. Eighty percent of the op-ed pages are dominated by men. The number of women in senior management positions globally has gone from 24 to 20 percent from 2004 to 2009.

For Corporate America: More women in leadership positions

There is a large, and growing, body of research connecting women at the tops of organizations to a strong bottom line performance. However, women comprise 53 percent of new hires, but only 37 percent of managers, 26 percent of vice-presidents, and just 14 percent of executive committees.

 

For Working Mothers: Flexible work arrangements … and a day of rest

The life of a working mother is challenging. Flexible work arrangements give parents the ability to work more flexibly and better manage the challenges of work and family.

For Working Families: Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act

According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, women earn, on average, just .78 cents for every dollar a man earns. And for women of color, the gap is much greater. Fair pay is not a woman’s issue, it’s a family issue. An estimated two-thirds of all U.S. households rely on a woman’s salary at least partially.”

For All Women: The ratification of CEDAW

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty that supports fundamental human rights and equality for women around the world. CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. To date, 186 of 193 countries have ratified the treaty. The United States has not.

For President Obama: The courage to stand up for women’s reproductive rights

Women helped President Obama get elected in 2008 and they can be expected to play a major role in the 2012 election too. In return, women need Obama to take a stronger stance on women’s rights, and in particular, women’s reproductive health – regardless of the pressures he’s facing from his opponents.

For the GOP: The Sanctity of Life

The US ranks poorly for infant mortality rates and maternal death rates; more than two women die every day from pregnancy related causes. Yet many lawmakers try to block women’s access to much-needed health services, supposedly  in the name of life. For Christmas, we want to give them the gift of truly honoring the sanctity of life – all life – and to see them work toward improving the health and life of mothers.

For Massachusetts: A woman Senator

Massachusetts has never sent a woman to the Senate. Although 51 percent of the U.S. population is female, women hold just 16.5 percent of the seats in Congress. That puts the US at 69th in the world for gender parity. We need more women in office.

For Victims of Domestic Violence: Hope

Domestic violence victims and their advocates need money to gain freedom from abuse, to protect children from abusive partners or ex-partners and develop public policy efforts related to domestic violence. Please donate and give them support and hope.

What gifts would you give? You can add to my list at The Skinny Scoop.

 

Catholic Bishops Are in Washington, and My Uterus, Again

December 4, 2011
By

the pillThe all-male Catholic Bishops are weighing in on women’s reproductive rights again. This time they are upset about a requirement in the Affordable Care Act mandating employers offer free contraceptive coverage as part of health insurance policies beginning next August.

While there is an exemption in the law for some religious employers, primarily churches that employ mostly people of the same faith, the bishops say it is too narrowly defined and “even the ministry of Jesus and the early Christian Church would not qualify.” They want to see the exemption broadened to include universities, hospitals and clinics associated with religious organizations. Doing so would take away a key aspect of healthcare reform from countless women.

Said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Service Kathleen Sebelius when the administration first announced the requirement last summer, “These historic guidelines are based on science and existing literature and will help ensure women get the preventive health benefits they need.”

But now it appears the White House is reconsidering. Following a meeting between Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and President Obama, The New York Times reported, “Several lawmakers said administration officials had left them with the impression that the president was leaning toward a broader exemption.

“But the White House said Mr. Obama had not made a final decision and would listen to all points of view at a meeting of administration officials soon after he returns on Sunday from his trip to Asia.”

Contraception is part of preventative health services and should be accessible. Click here and tell the President that all women should have coverage of contraception without co-pays.

Women should be able to make health-related decisions in consultation with our doctors. We should be able to vote for our lawmakers on a ballot. And if we choose to practice a religion, we should be able to do that too. What we shoud not be subjected to is the beliefs of some dictating the laws of all. If the Catholic Bishops cannot trust their followers to live according to their doctrine, then they should examine why that is – not try to legislate compliance.

And you may find this interesting: The Pew Forum, in a recent report on religious lobbying, cited the Catholic Church as one of the largest religious lobbyists in Washington. Click here to see the tax status of religious and religion-related organizations that are located in the D.C. area and are involved in public policy.

Photo by Brains the Head

Gentlemen, It’s Called Rape Culture

November 13, 2011
By

Penn State footballA coworker was discussing the Penn State scandal. He was so angry. “Don’t the student rioters and Paterno supporters have any sympathy for the victims,” he asked? “Don’t they understand how hard it must be for the victims to see and hear them defend the coach?”

A friend from college posted about Penn State on his Facebook page. He questioned why the media refer to what Jerry Sandusky did in the shower as sex instead of rape. He was amazed some Penn State supporters favored the football program over the well-being of the victims.

A listener called in to a sports radio program I was listening to during my commute to work. He just couldn’t comprehend how so many people knew about Sandusky’s actions and didn’t make him stop.

It’s called rape culture gentleman, and it sucks. And because I’ve been writing about women’s rights for the last four years I am unfortunately familiar with it. I get the anger you are feeling over what happened at Penn State. I feel it too – I read the grand jury report and I cried.  Sadly, I don’t share you’re shock and disbelief over the way Penn State handled the accusations. Nor am I surprised by the rioting students – sickened, sure, but not surprised. And the media, well, I’ve just read too many stories about rape to expect anything else.

Rape culture, gentlemen, it contributes to Hollywood celebrities rallying behind Roman Polanski, the rapist who fled the country. And yes, even though the media said Polanski had sex, it was rape. His victim was a child.

Rape culture contributes to sportscasters declaring during the 2011 Super Bowl that a win could mean redemption for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who was accused of sexually assaulting (yes, we know that means raping) several women. As if a Super Bowl title could wipe out a violent crime?

Rape culture: definitely a factor in a community victim-blaming an 11 year old girl in Texas who was gang raped by up to 18 men and boys; some of the accused were star athletes in the community.

And could it have been rape culture that contributed to at least a dozen people watching the gang rape of a 15 year old girl in Richmond, California and not helping her?

Rape culture: it’s what we get when we accept the media euphemisms for rape, or we invoke false rape claims as a reason to discredit victims, or when we put the accuser on trial and hold them to a higher moral code than we do the accused, and when we support the accused because friends, neighbors and colleagues say he was a “good guy.” It’s hard to witness, impossible to comprehend and we’ve seen it rear it’s ugly head at Penn State.

So please, continue to support the Penn State victims and express your outrage at the cover up, the coverage and the misguided reactions. Call people out. Use social media, send letters to editors. And then, remember to extend the same to all victims. They all need our support.

For more facts on rape and information on prevention and victim support, visit RAINN, The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

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Photo used courtesy of acaben’s photostream on Flickr.

 

 

 

Moms Dominate Powerful Women List (Infographic)

November 3, 2011
By

Did you know 88 percent of the women on the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list are mothers with an average 2.5 children each? How do we harness that power for better maternity leave policies, paid sick days, flex work arrangements and affordable, quality childcare? Thank you to OnlineSchools.com for the great infographic.


Courtesy of: OnlineSchools.com

IBM Appoints First Woman as CEO

October 25, 2011
By
Ginni Rometty

Ginni Rometty

IBM today named Virginia (Ginni) Rometty CEO and director effective January 1, 2012. She succeeds Samuel Palmisano, currently chairman, president and chief executive officer. He will remain as chairman of the board.

“Ginni Rometty has successfully led several of IBM’s most important businesses over the past decade—from the formation of IBM Global Business Services to the build-out of our Growth Markets Unit,” Palmisano said in a press release. “She has spurred us to keep pace with the needs and aspirations of our clients by deepening our expertise and industry knowledge. Ginni’s long-term strategic thinking and client focus are seen in our growth initiatives, from cloud computing and analytics to the commercialization of Watson. She brings to the role of CEO a unique combination of vision, client focus, unrelenting drive, and passion for IBMers and the company’s future. I know the board agrees with me that Ginni is the ideal CEO to lead IBM into its second century.”

When Rometty steps into the role, thirteen of the Fortune 500 companies will be led by women. Rometty is the first to lead IBM. In recent months Carol Bartz was unceremoniously removed as CEO of Yahoo and Meg Whitman was tapped to lead Hewlett Packard.

The Rometty news is exciting. It marks the first time two technology giants will be led by women, providing much needed role models to girls and women interested in science and tech career paths. Still, corporate America has a long way to go toward gender equity. The InterOrganization Network (ION), an alliance of fourteen women’s business organizations that conducts benchmarking studies of women directors and executive officers of public companies, reports women hold only 12-20 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies. And, of the public companies with women on the board, only between 0-29 percent have a boards comprised of 25 percent women and between 8-50 percent  have no women directors at all. Between 58-82 percent have no women among most highly compensated executives. We’re making progress, but there is still much to be done.

Luckily, we don’t have to helm an international conglomerate to make a difference. No matter where we are in our careers, we can:

-       Encourage a young girl to pursue her interests in math and science.

-       Mentor another woman and give her the support and resources she needs to achieve her goals.

-       Hone our negotiation skills and learn to advocate for our own careers.

-       Let businesses know we appreciate their commitment to diversity at the top.

-       Refuse to do business with those who make excuses for not promoting women and minorities.

Watch Rometty talk about risk-taking at the At the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit earlier this month.

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SkinnyScoop Tastemakers

October 21, 2011
By

We are thrilled to be included in SkinnyScoop’s new Tastemakers program. SkinnyScoop is of our favorite sites because it taps into the collective wisdom of women who willingly share their knowledge, and ecommended products, go-to resources and tips on this “virtual cheat sheet for everything.” Tastemakers provide content in a range of categories including, Balance, Amuse, Covet, Nurture and Energize. We hope you’ll check it out. And while you’re at it, take a look at our list of ways to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Have You Thanked Your Body Today?

October 19, 2011
By
Jennifer Hudson

Let's give thanks to the lungs and vocal cords that helped Jennifer Hudson belt out "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

I promised myself by the time I turned 40 I would run the Falmouth Road Race. I had watched it as a spectator for years and knew one day I wanted to experience it as a participant. Four years after my deadline, I did it – I ran seven hilly miles on a humid August day. A friend told a mutual acquaintance what I had done and the acquaintance responded, “So then she must have lost some weight.” I had just run seven miles. I had honored a commitment to myself. I had a great time doing it. And she wanted to know about a number on a scale?

I started running to avoid taking a medication prescribed by my doctor. I thought my health was the motivation that helped me fit exercise into an already packed day, but when I crossed the finish line in Falmouth, I realized it was more than that.

Growing up I never played sports, much less exercised. I was the kid picked last for teams. My nickname in elementary school was Big Foot, a joke about my inability to get on base during Friday afternoon kickball games.  My lack of athletic prowess only bothered me during gym class, where I always felt inept. Mostly I didn’t care because I was good at many other things. “I’m just not athletic,” I told myself and others. But post race it occurred to me: I hadn’t just been running to avoid a pill. I had been running to remove a limitation. By completing that race, I had crossed off an item from the list of things I couldn’t do, and added an item to the list of things I could. All those miles, I had something to prove and I hadn’t even realized it. I had been running to shed a label, never to shed a pound.

But as I ran, my pounds were a focus – not for me, but for others. Naturally as I went from permanent inactivity to activity my body started to shift. At least two friends, noticing the change, offered unsolicited advice about my diet to help me with my weight loss. One, during lunch, told me what “my problem” was and how to fix it. A few other friends asked me if I had lost weight. “No. the scale hasn’t moved,” I’d say planning to follow up with, “But my clothes fit differently.” But before I could get that out, they would tell me, not to get discouraged. “It will happen eventually.”

I found the exchanges off-putting but understandable. After all, a recent study from Arizona State University found many women have a fat-stigma even when their family and closest friends don’t not judge them as fat. The author of the study said, “Fat is understood culturally to represent profound personal failing.” Another study revealed 45 percent of mothers would choose to weigh 15 pounds less rather than add 15 points to their child’s IQ. And according to the National Organization for Women (NOW) 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat and 80 percent of U.S. women are dissatisfied with their appearance. Is it any wonder my friends assumed I was trying to lose weight and wanted to help me?

The media bombards us with messages that how we look matters more than what we do or who we are. Recently, Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson was quoted in Self magazine as saying, “”I’m prouder of my weight loss than my Oscar!” That’s just sad. Anyone can sit around and not eat. Not anyone can play Effie White (or run seven miles!).

Advertising executives, marketing professionals, reality tv producers – they are all paid to sell product and they do that by telling women we are not thin or pretty enough. Intellectually we know it’s not true but still it’s hard to focus on our accomplishments when it seems like the rest of the world is focused on our appearance. So what do we do?

We suggest focusing on what your body can do instead of how it looks because  when you stop and consider all your body does for you, your dress size loses its power. Today is Love Your Body Day, a day organized by NOW Foundation “to send a positive message to women and girls that beauty comes in all colors, shapes and sizes.” In honor of Love Your Body Day, why don’t you thank your body instead of criticizing it?

Today I am thanking my body for:

-          tolerating an uncomfortable corporate cube for hours every day because the work I do in that cube feeds my family

-          driving 200 miles yesterday without any aches or kinks so that I could help my elderly parents

-          banging out a 700 word blog post for Love My Body Day without any signs of carpal tunnel

-          accommodating my awesome 3 ½ inch heeled pumps

-          running 3 miles last night – putting that much more distance between me and Big Foot.

And if any well-meaning friends have anything to say about my body, a simple “Thank you,” will suffice.

Now, what can you thank your body for today?

This post is part of the 2011 Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival. Click here to read more posts on the topic.

Don’t forget: “Miss Representation” airs Thursday, October 20 9 p.m. ET on OWN. This film looks at the messages the media perpetuates that women and girls’ value comes from beauty and sexuality and examines how those messages impact the way in which women are viewed in society, by themselves and others.

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October 16, 2011
By

So far this month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this country has witnessed one of the worst killing sprees – prompted by a domestic dispute – and a legislative maneuver that used domestic violence victims as pawns in a budget negotiation in Topeka, Kansas.

In Seal Beach, Scott Dekraai walked into a hair salon and shot and killed his ex-wife and eight other people. Many reports say he had been violent towards his ex-wife in the past and was in a custody battle over the couple’s son. The Seal Beach community was shocked by the murders and residents wondered how something like that could happen in their neighborhood. Their grief and shock is understandable. Many people aren’t aware that domestic violence happens in every community; it’s just that most of the time, it occurs behind closed doors. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, every year approximately 1,200 women are murdered by an intimate partner – defined as a current or former spouse or boyfriend. That represents more than three women murdered a day.

One in four women and one in thirteen men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. While these incidents don’t typically involve mass murders and rarely make headlines, it is not uncommon for domestic violence to spill over to the workplace. According to a 2005 survey by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, 21 percent of full-time employed adults were victims of domestic violence and 64 percent said their work performance was significantly impacted.

Last July, Robert Reza stormed into Emcore Corp. in Alburqurque and shot two people dead and wounded four others, including his ex-girlfriend. Police said Reza and his ex were involved in “ongoing domestic and custody dispute.” One month earlier, a gunman in Florida shot and killed his wife and three other women at the restaurant where his wife worked.

The news is grim and so we must remember the aim of Domestic Violence Awareness Month – to recognize the achievements made in reducing domestic violence and to recommit to the work still to be done. When Topeka officials announced they would stop prosecuting misdemeanor domestic violence cases, it reaffirmed how much education is needed around this national epidemic. In an official proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, President Obama outlined some of the progress the United States is making:

-a coordinated strategy across Federal agencies to prevent and stop violence against women.

- the Affordable Care Act which ensures women receive preventive health services without additional cost, including domestic violence screening and counseling, and also prevents insurance companies from classifying domestic violence as a pre-existing condition.

- reauthorizing the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to help identify and treat child abuse or neglect.

In his proclamation the President asked Americans “to speak out against domestic violence and support local efforts to assist victims of these crimes in finding the help and healing they need.”

Hello Ladies is recommitting to raising awareness of domestic violence and funds for victims of abuse. We are currently raising money for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). The NCADV needs funding to:

- help victims of violence gain and freedom from abuse

- support parents fighting to protect their children from an abusive partner or ex-partner

- and develop public policy efforts related to domestic violence.

Please click here to donate and help us reach our fundraising goal of $200 this month.

Progress Meter

Mark your Calendar: Miss Representation Airs October 20

October 14, 2011
By

Mark your calendars and don’t miss the new documentary Miss Representation which will air on October 20 at 9 p.m. ET, on Oprah’s OWN channel. This documentary has been garnering great reviews and generating necessary discussion. The film looks at the messages the mass media perpetuate that women and girls’ value comes from beauty and sexuality and examines how those messages impact the way in which women are viewed in society, by themselves and others. Consider this: sixty-five percent of women and girls have eating disorders.

Miss Representation goes beyond the groundbreaking work in the Killing Us Softly films and discusses how media affects women as leaders. Consider this: Women makeup only 17 percent of Congress despite representing 51 percent of the population. Eighty-four percent of guests on Sunday morning political tv talk shows and  85 percent of radio producers are men. Eighty percent of the op-ed pages are dominated by men. The number of women in senior management positions globally has gone from 24 percent in 2004 to 20 percent in 2009.

According to the makers of the film, American teenagers spend 31 hours per week watching TV, 17 hours listening to music, 3 hours watching movies, four hours reading magazines and ten hours online equaling almost 11 hours of media consumption a day. That’s why it matters when:

Watch the trailer for the film here and visit the Miss Representation website for more information and additional screening times.

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