RESEARCH PROJECT: Are you a mother living away from your children?

From email:

Hi Huddersfield Feminist Collective

I am about to embark on a Masters by Research in psychology at the University of Huddersfield. I am searching for women who would like to take part in my research project.

The research aims to gain an insight into the experiences of women who live apart from their children. It hopes to give a voice to the women’s stories with the intention of having a positive impact on improving women’s lives and sense of well-being.

Could you please help by sharing the attached poster with members of your group. For further information please contact me through.

E-mail: lesleydiveney@msn.com
Mobile: redacted.

Thanks and kind regards
Lesley

HELP: University of York research study – women’s experiences of termination of pregnancy

From email:

Hello

I work in the Sociology Department at the University of York and I’m getting in touch to ask whether your group might be able to help circulate/publicise information about a research project that I am running?

The project is funded by the Wellcome Trust (a UK research charity) and is using interviews to explore women’s and health professionals’ experiences of abortion provision in England. I am inviting women aged 18 or over, who have had a termination of pregnancy within the last 6 months, to participate in an interview about their experiences. The aim of the interviews is to allow women to tell their stories in their own words and to explore what this experience has meant to them. Interviews are strictly confidential and women will not be identified. The study has been ethically reviewed and approved by the University of York Economics, Law, Management, Politics and Sociology Research Ethics Committee.

I am trying to find ways to publicise information about the project to women, so that those for whom this is relevant can decide for themselves whether they want to contact me about taking part in an interview. I wondered whether you might be willing to circulate the advert (pasted below this message and also included as an attachment flyer) around your mailing lists, and perhaps post the information on your webpage?

Continue Reading…

PETITION: #losetheladsmags

It’s time for shops to Lose the Lads’ Mags

Today it’s no longer acceptable to have ‘girly calendars’ on office walls. Why? Because they create a sexist and degrading environment for female employees and customers. So why, then, do supermarkets and newsagents still think it’s OK to expose staff and customers to degrading, pornographic lads’ mags – the modern day equivalent of ‘girly calendars’ – in their stores?

A woman who works in Tesco told us, “I hate that Tesco sells these mags and papers like the Sun and the Star. In the store I work in there is a laddish culture and I don’t think having these magazines help that…”

Lads’ mags portray women as dehumanised sex objects. There is extensive evidence this fuels sexist attitudes and behaviours and creates a conducive context for violence against women.

We’ve also obtained brand new legal advice showing that shops selling lads mags’ – like WH Smith and Tesco – are potentially breaching equality legislation. Stocking and displaying lads’ mags and papers with Page 3-style front cover images can constitute sex discrimination or sexual harassment under the Equality Act. Employees could take legal action on this basis and, where the magazine is visibly on display, customers could also have a claim. Legally as well as ethically, lads’ mags are well past their sell-by date.

That’s why we’re joining with Object, Women’s Aid, End Violence Against Women and many others to tell shops to lose the lads’ mags.

Sign the petition and ask shops to lose the lads’ mags!

As is the case with ‘girly calendars’, people shouldn’t have to see sexist, degrading lads’ mags when they are going about their work or doing their shopping.

Sign the petition today.

SURVEY: Take our Feminist movement survey (UKFeminista)

Tell us about your passions, priorities and needs in our online survey

What feminist activities are you most inspired by? What do you want to campaign on? And what kind of support do you need to organise for a world without sexism?

We want to hear from feminists across the UK about the exciting things you’re doing and how we can help you do them. We’ve developed a short online survey and would love you to take part.

And if you complete it by Friday 7 June you’ll be entered into a draw to win a UK Feminista t-shirt and bag!

Here’s the link to the survey: ukfeminista.

HELP: A Research Project About The Environment (Leeds)

About: Research exploring disabled people’s views and experiences of the environment

Description:

This research is being conducted by Deborah Fenney, a PhD student based in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds.

The research is looking into disabled people’s experiences of the environment, and whether there are barriers to doing environmentally friendly activities. Over the past few years, many people have become interested in trying to be more environmentally friendly. Whether or not we agree with this, government and local councils are also trying to encourage us to change our behaviour to help protect the environment. However, being environmentally friendly can be more difficult for some people than for others.

I’m hoping to find out what disabled people think about environmental issues, and any experiences they may have had. If disabled people’s needs are not considered with regard to environmental issues, accessible solutions may be missed. I hope this research will help highlight existing good practice and ideas, as well as where more consideration is needed.

I’m looking to speak to people who:

– live in the Leeds City Council area

– are disabled, or have a long-term physical or mental health condition, or a learning difficulty or disability

and

– are over 18.

Taking part involves talking to me about your experiences, either in person or via telephone or email if these are more accessible for you. The kinds of questions asked and topics covered would be about different environmental issues, any experiences you have had of them and what you think about them. In person, this conversation usually takes around half an hour, and can be held in a place convenient for you. I may be able to reimburse any expenses incurred – please ask!

Alternatively, if you are a member of a group (for example a social or support group) and other group members would also like to take part, I am able to run a focus group discussion covering similar topics. A group discussion would usually take around an hour, although sometimes they take longer.

Link: A Research Project About The Environment (facebook)

ACTION: Call for evidence – the impact of austerity measures upon women in the North East of England

This call came through on email from the North East Women’s Network.

IF YOU CAN PROVIDE ANY EVIDENCE,  PLEASE REGISTER AN INITIAL RESPONSE BY NOON ON WEDNESDAY 10TH APRIL HERE.

In October 2012 NEWomen’s Network published “Findings and Recommendations from Interim Case Study: The impact of austerity measures upon women in the North East of England”. NEWN is now in the process of updating the case study to inform  the  shadow report being submitted by Women’s Resource Centre to the to the   Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) examination in Geneva in July 2013.

If you have any stories data, information, case studies, research or any other forms of evidence (including stories  and testimonies of women themselves) about the impact of the welfare reforms and austerity measures upon:

  • The lives of women in the North East and their children, families and the community
  • Cuts to women’s community and voluntary organisation
  • Cuts to women’s only services

If you have any evidence at all please register your details  (it will only take a minute or so)  and one of the researchers will contact you to arrange to follow up it up.

NEWomen’s Network intends to deal with the issues that are at the heart of the current economic crisis and tackle the underlining causes of women’s inequality and CEDAW provides us with a framework with which to do this. CEDAW was established in 1979 and is often referred to as the Women’s International Billof Rights.   Unlike domestic UK and European legislation on gender discrimination and equal treatment, the Convention is solely concerned with the position of women rather than discrimination faced by both sexes (which would include discrimination against men). CEDAW places obligations on the countries that have agreed to the Convention, to eliminate discrimination against women in all its forms.

Continue Reading…

ACTION: Suspended Coffees – Huddersfield, UK

Suspended Coffees is the gesture of a good will and kind heart.  This is a as [facebook ] page listing Suspended Coffee Shops in the Huddersfield area: Suspended Coffees – Huddersfield, UK.

How you can get active supporting Suspended Coffees:

1) Approach to your local cafe and explain to the manager what it is.

2) Ask them if they would like to get consider participating. However, please don’t make them feel pressurised. Any business will most probably want to consider how they feel about Suspended Coffees and also may want to speak to some of their customers about it before making a decision. At the end of the day, it’s their business and livelihood and all cafes who come on board so do voluntarily.

3) Contact us to let us know if they are interested and we can get in touch with the cafe and ask if they need any further information.

4) We will add them to the list of cafes in the Huddersfield area, send them posters for their businesses to put up and also advertise them on this page and other Suspended Coffee pages/website.

Thanks a lot people for all your support and Good Luck!!

Susan & Lynda ♥

Related:

HELP: Forced marriage campaign – ‘Because I am a Girl’

forced marriagePlan UK’s “Because I am a girl campaign”, by Josephine Tsui // 30 June 2011, 11:06

The charity Plan UK would like your support for the ‘Because I Am A Girl Campaign’ being launched asking the UK public and government to #TaketheVOW by signing an online petition to end early and forced marriage.

You might have already heard about the campaign (which went live yesterday) as The Guardian very recently published a story on it, “10 million child brides each year, charity warns: UK must help to cut level of forced marriages for girls under 18” (25/06/11).

Plan UK wants to inform you of the launch because the campaign will have more impact with the support of influential feminist bloggers like yourself. We hope that the issue of early and forced marriage is of interest to you and your followers and that you will back our campaign.

Lend your voice through a quick and simple action of ‘taking the vow’ today, in support of raising the voices of the millions of girls married young, against their will in the developing world.

One girl is married off every three-and-a-half seconds worldwide. We think forcing girls to marry young is wrong. Please help put a stop to this.

Help us spread the word about our #TaketheVOW action on Twitter – we’re hoping you take your vow before millions of girls in the developing world are forced to take theirs.

** Take your vow at http://www.plan-uk.org/what-we-do/campaigns/because-i-am-a-girl/vow
** Please use our Twibbon, Facebook and blog badges to show your support!
** Use #takethevow to tell friends about the vow and urge them to take theirs!

HELP: Support the strikers this Thursday 30th June

Please do support those taking industrial action in Huddersfield on Thursday:
7.30am – picket line at Huddersfield Job Centre
10am – Public Meeting at St Patrick’s Irish Centre in Hudds
12pm – Rally at Market Cross, Huddersfield

Want to go further afield? Check the UK Uncut website for details of what’s happening around Britain

http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/blog/join-the-big-society-breakfast-and-support-the…

HELP: Doris zine – funds needed!

consentFolks

The awesome, amazing Cindy Crabb of Doris zine fame and Learning Good Consent (two of my favoure things in the whole world) is looking to self publish her new book ‘the doris encyclopedia’ through using crowd sourcing of startup costs – so if you donate money in advance then you get the book and other things depending on how much you can offer (from very small amounts to very big)…as I love her I’ve totally pledged…I think you love her two and thought you might be interested in investigating further!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369768719/the-doris-encyclopedia

love L x