Kat Banyard, Director of UK Feminista is our guest blogger
Stop press: newspaper headline declares that feminism might not be dead after all!
It was a rather strange experience reading the Telegraph’s headline last month, ‘Feminism Showing Signs of Life’, so accustomed are we to any mention of feminism in mainstream media being linked to a declaration of its demise. But there it was in black and white – an acknowledgement of what many involved in women’s rights campaigning have been aware of for some time now: feminism in the UK is on the rise.
And not before time.
Contrary to proclamations that we are the happy inhabitants of a ‘post-feminist’ age – the ongoing need for feminism is all too clear: in the UK alone, 100,000 women are raped every year, women are paid on average nearly 23% less than men, women make up less than 20% of MPs, and of the 1.5 million people across Britain who have an eating disorder – 90% of them are female. Feminism remains one of the most vital movements for social justice of our age. And happily, that movement is rising.
On Saturday 6th March thousands marched through central London demanding an end to violence against women as part of the annual Million Women Rise march. The Fawcett Society reports a threefold increase in membership over the last three years, and three books on feminism are being released this year in close succession; Living Dolls, by Natasha Walter; Reclaiming the F Word, by Catherine Redfern and Kristin Aune; and my book, The Equality Illusion: The Truth About Women and Men Today. Add to this the many feminist conferences, blogs and websites that have sprung up over recent years, and what we have is a genuinely exciting nation-wide resurgence in feminist activism.
To harness this growing momentum – and ensure it translates into real gains for women’s rights – a new organisation, UK Feminista, has been launched. By acting as a bridge between women and men passionate about gender equality and the many fantastic feminist organisations spearheading campaigns, UK Feminista seeks to make the UK feminist movement a force to be reckoned with. And if the launch event is anything to go by – there are exciting times ahead for the organisation: 150 people (and Radio 4’s Broadcasting House) packed out the launch at the Women’s Library on Saturday 27th March to hear activists and organisations outline the feminist year ahead. What became abundantly clear is that there is no shortage of pressing issues that need addressing. But what also became clear is that there is no shortage of passion and drive amongst those active in feminism today. Last year, feminist campaigners managed to change the law to make it harder for lap dancing clubs to open and also to make it a criminal offense to pay for sex with a woman who has been coerced (http://object.org.uk/). Hard fought, these were hugely significant victories for contemporary feminism.
So what will we achieve this year – and what part will you play in it?
To get involved visit the UK Feminista website: www.ukfeminista.org.uk