Wowzine: March 2016 by University of Cambridge

Sharing the life of women

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WOWzine

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March 2016

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Important Women: What is their view on feminism? By Georgia Tinson Feminism is a questionable concept and it is hard to know what it means to diﬀerent people. In general, feminism is often thought to be the well-known – yet wrong – idea that we believe women rule over men. So how is it that we can change this uneducated guess on one of the most modern problems of today? Well I think it is just about time that we clear our minds of the typical feminist that we all picture, and open our minds to the variety of people who are feminists today. Feminists who are in the limelight of today’s society set a precedent for what is believed of feminism. So what are the views of these women towards feminism? Here are ten inspirational quotes expressing what feminism actually means to women today: 1. “We have to free half of the human race, the 6. “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We women, so that they can help to free the other should stop defining each other by what we are half.” not and start defining ourselves by who we are.” Emmeline Pankhurst, Suﬀragette Emma Watson, actress 2. “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” Malala Yousafzai, activist

7. “The idea of being a feminist: so many women have come to the idea of it being anti-male and not being able to connect with the opposite sex, but what feminism is about is equality and human rights. For me that is just an essential part of my identity.” Lena Dunham, director and writer

3. “We all fight over what the label ‘feminism’ means, but for me it’s about empowerment. It’s not about being more powerful than men – it’s about having equal rights with protection, support, justice. It’s very basic things. It’s not a badge like a fashion item.” 8. “My idea of being a feminist is selfAnnie Lennox, political activist and singer determination, and it’s very open-ended; every woman has the right to become herself, and do 4. “I myself have never been able to find out whatever she needs to do.” precisely what feminism is: I only know that Ani DiFranco, singer-songwriter people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that diﬀerentiate me from a 9. “A feminist is anyone who recognises the doormat.” equality and full humanity of women and men.” Rebecca West, writer Gloria Steinem, journalist and political activist 5. “Feminism is not a dirty word. It does not mean 10. “Feminism is probably the most important that you hate men, it does not mean that you movement you could embrace, because it’s just hate girls that have nice legs and a tan, and it basically another word for equality.” Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter does not mean that you are a ‘bitch’ or a ‘dyke’; it means you believe in equality.” Kate Nash, singer

1903 Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters form the Women’s Social and Political Union

I Can’t See a Page 3 By Niamh Finlay Women everywhere not take the risk of bringing down somebody’s rejoice as a battle has self-esteem, whether they are “comfortable” with themselves or not. been won. We have triumphed in proving that “boobs are not news.” As of the 22nd of January 2015 no more topless photos of glamour models have been published on the third page of The Sun newspaper. All our thanks and congratulations go towards Lucy-Anne Holmes who started the campaign against Page 3 in August 2012, gaining 215,000 signatures by January 2015. Here at the Women of the World Festival Cambridge, we honour important and influential women and their achievements and Lucy-Anne Holmes is a perfect candidate, along with everybody else who helped with the campaign to stop the exploitation of women as sex objects in the media. Object, The Everyday Sexism Project, Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, Great Men Value Women, Respect UK, support from Green MP Caroline Lucas, The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, UK Feminista, BODY Charity and many others were organisations that supported the campaign. Doesn’t this show that when people work together we can achieve a better world for our women and girls? The official photographer for Page 3, Alison Webster, criticised the campaign saying that "If you have a problem with your body, if as a child you grew up with certain body issues, then I can see how Page 3 could affect you. But if you are comfortable with yourself then it will have no effect on you at all". Does Webster fail to realise that recent surveys have said that only 3% of women are happy with their bodies and an astounding 73% think about their size or shape negatively every single day? The main aim of the “No More Page 3” campaign was to shield young women from the pressures of having perfect, airbrushed bodies and being treated as sex objects by the male population or even by themselves. Let’s

The double standards between men and women in our world are unimaginable and this campaign is an amazing example of this. We do not see nude pictures of men in these so-called “newspapers”. If nudity and pornographic images are what people want to see why are other magazines and newspapers such as The Guardian completely free from topless women? In fact, The Guardian prints articles on “What are your feminist resolutions for 2016?”. This positive atmosphere and outlook towards women and their full potential is what we need to see more of in our newspapers. Something for young girls to read and be inspired by, similar to how I was inspired by the determination of the “No More Page 3” campaign and the work of everybody involved. At the 2015 WOW (Women of the World Festival) Cambridge we were lucky enough to have LucyAnne come and speak at the festival. It is an honour to be associated with such good work and a strong message. Hopefully many men and women were enlightened and the campaign gained support from our lovely visitors. The Sun was reported in mid-January 2015 to have got rid of the piece from the printed edition of the paper but it returned after less than a week on 22 January. Lucy-Anne Holmes was reported as having tweeted: "So it seems the fight might be back on." However, the renewal turned out to be a one-oﬀ and, with the exception of that single day, Page 3 in its prior form has sustained its absence from The Sun.

1870 The Married Women’s Property Act Women gain the right to their own wages and inheritance

Gender Inequality By Imogen Hogg The dictionary definition of feminism is ‘the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes’. As a feminist I believe that all sexes should be equal and to do this we need to make all people familiar with all gender identities and the spectrum which is often overlooked. Many people are unaware of the diﬀerences between biological sex, gender identity, gender expression and gender presentation. All of these things may seem very self explanatory to some people whereas for some others they spend their entire lives trying to figure out where they stand within the spectrum.

The biological sex spectrum male

What does gender identity involve? This is how you feel on the inside. You may feel that you are not what your biological sex is and therefore you may chose to identify yourself with a diﬀerent label other than male/female. There are many diﬀerent gender identities such as: • •

•

Agender – not identifying with any gender. Bigender – identifying as two genders simultaneously or more between them. This does not only refer to male or female. Demi-girl/boy – someone whose gender identity is partly female/male regardless of gender assigned at birth.

There are many other diﬀerent genders which people identify themselves as.

female

Gender Identity man

So there is a diﬀerence between sex and gender? Yes. Sex is what the doctor assigns you at birth and it includes physical characteristics such as external genitalia, sex chromosomes, sex hormones, and internal reproductive structures. Gender, on the other hand, is more complicated. It is the interrelationship between the person’s sex, their gender identity and gender expression.

intersex

gender fluid/ trans/ non-binary/etc

woman

Gender Expression man

transgender/ genderqueer/ non-binary/etc

woman

Gender Presentation masculine

androgynous/ non-binary

feminine

Aren’t gender expression and gender presentation the same thing? Definitely not, although they are closely linked. Gender expression is how you present yourself to others and this may change daily depending on how you are feeling, whereas, gender presentation is how the world sees you. Through thoughtful consideration of how people relate to the gender spectrum we can develop a greater acceptance for all people. This will create a greater inclusion for people who challenge the norms of gender. It may also encourage others to explore and celebrate who they are.

1999 The Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations make it illegal for employers to discriminate against trans people

Misogyny Monthly By Camilla Penney Think of your favourite treats. Cake? A trip to the one of their policies in the 2015 General Election. theatre? An ostrich burger? Sticking in a tampon? WOW, however, is about all women. The UK is Probably not the latter. Which of these are taxed as hardly the only EU member state to tax these luxuries? Only the tampons. “Quick,” I hear you say, essential items. Ireland, where sanitary products “Petition the government, start a Twitterstorm; are VAT-free, is a rare exception. An isolationist repeal this misogynistic tax immediately!” But approach might help women in the UK but where therein lies the rub; UK taxes aren’t only determined would that leave international sisterhood? by our government – as an EU member state we have to follow European tax laws. For once, it really Luckily, there are other options. A petition with over a million signatories could force the European might not be the Tories’ fault. Commission to consider the issue. Laura Coryton’s In the bad old days of 1975 when the UK joined the petition “Stop Taxing Periods” has 311,472 EU, tampons weren’t essential to the 96% male signatures as I write, and she tells me people “have government. As a result they were VAT-able. Under started sister petitions in Germany, Italy and EU law, countries are not allowed to remove VAT France”. from any items which weren’t exempt before they joined. Until 2001 “any sanitary protection product Even without EU backing, British MPs are not … designed and marketed solely for the absorption completely impotent. Contraception is also VATor collection of menstrual flow” was taxed at 17.5%. able but is available for free on the NHS. Why In 2000, MPs voted to reduce this tax to the shouldn’t pads and tampons be procurable in a minimum allowed under EU law, 5%, which is what similar way? we pay now. Or maybe comedian Bridget Christie has the The UK government estimates that it makes £15 answer; just use an “essential” flapjack. million per year from ‘tampon tax’. A recent survey suggests that the total women in the UK pay is around £132.6 million per year– almost ten times as much, which seems highly ineﬃcient. Yet when George Osborne declared that he would donate the income from VAT on sanitary products to a variety of womens’ charities, he only allotted £15 million. The idea of a women-only tax funding services for women is bad enough, but that the amount is only one tenth of what we originally pay trivialises the issue. Better, then, to leave the EU and regain tax autonomy? UKIP would tend to agree. Abolishing ‘tampon tax’ was

Fleurcup & Tampons

2016 29% of MPs are Women. The UK ranks 39th in the world for representation of women in parliament.

History of Women’s Education in Cambridge By Hannah Croft It is clear to see that the same attitudes are applied ‘It is a huge privilege to take up the Presidency of a here in Cambridge, across the many colleges College that not only oﬀers the excellence of a and establishments that are educating and Cambridge education, but that also puts a genuine empowering the young women as part of the city emphasis on seeing women grow and develop to and wider community. achieve their full potential and exceed even their own expectations. There are now more established women’s colleges in Cambridge that recognise the need for women 'This College gave me the confidence and selfto be taught to the same standard as men and have belief to make a contribution on the global stage been providing outstanding Cambridge education and I am immensely grateful for that. I want to help to women for many years, including Girton College today's talented young women play their part (now mixed) which was the first residential college shaping our future as tomorrow's thinkers and to oﬀer women an education at degree level. leaders.'1 Newnham College was the second establishment, New Hall the third and finally Lucy Cavendish in But what is really remarkable about her achievements is that she was once herself a student 1965. at the College. Following receiving her BA at New The proof of the benefit that single sex education Hall (now Murray Edwards College) she went on to and high quality opportunities for women has is lead major humanitarian responses for Oxfam and demonstrated by the number of influential people leading campaigns such as Make Poverty History. It who have achieved great things as a result of is the College that she now heads that gave her the foundations of her skills which have resulted in having access to these colleges. literally life-changing achievements.

Fact File for Women’s Education • •

•

• • Dame Barbara Stocking, who is Murray Edwards College's current President, was elected in March 2013. Prior to this, she was the Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, leading the charity for almost twelve years before stepping down in February 2013. 1

Women did not begin attending college in equal numbers to men until as recently as 1980. For a long time after women started to be schooled, they were only taught what skills they needed to have to be able to be a housewife or maid, such as sewing, cooking, basic reading, writing and arithmetic. There are still 31 million girls of primary school age out of school worldwide. Of these, 17 million are expected never to enter school. There are 4 million fewer boys than girls out of school. Girls and young women who are educated have greater awareness of their rights, and greater confidence and freedom to make decisions that aﬀect their lives, improve their own and their children’s health and chances of survival, and boost their work prospects.

www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/about/history/briefhistory

1869 The first women’s college, Girton College Cambridge, is founded by Emily Davies

Education and Empowerment: Why we should strive to be successful, and why single-sex schooling still works By Hannah Croft There's absolutely no doubt about it that having an equal education is a basic human right. I have come to realise this so much more in the past five years of my life. Being a student in an all-girls secondary school in North Hertfordshire, there is never a moment where we don't promote education for women. But who influenced us to do this, and why do we still stay separate from the boys? “Go where no one else will go, do what no one else will do." Mary Lyon I've had mixed reactions whenever I've told anyone that I've been educated in a single-sex school. People sometimes sound pleased, saying that we’re growing into respectable young women without the distraction from little boys who haven’t matured yet. Others seem dubious – we might not get as much social interaction, and won’t be disciplined enough. But I’ve come to find that it’s really about the empowerment that this way of schooling gives to girls, primarily through giving us role models and a constant goal to work towards.

Some of these figures were more relatable, as we could see our young selves doing the things that they did. Being introduced to Anne Frank and the story of her life left a mark on my attitude to prejudice, and instilled in me a notion of bravery, as it has done for millions of people all over the world. Anne was aged 15 when she died, yet she still believed that, whilst facing some of the worst discrimination in history, she could realise her potential and follow her dream of becoming a writer. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank

I find it hard to believe that these women would have had such an influence on my willingness to learn if I had gone to a mixed school, because not only did we talk about them and their lives, but we ourselves found that succeeding in life was somehow more attainable. Never once did I wish that I wasn’t educated, or left to my own devices; if Anne Frank could do it, that meant that I could at least try. And that, I think, is one of the most My role models that my school has given to me valuable principles any young woman can have have been ever-present since my first day today. attending as a wide-eyed Year Seven. I was placed into one of the six houses that divide up the school, It is unfortunate that single-sex schooling is each named after a female inspirational figure from becoming less common, but it is not just about history. These comprise of Jane Austen, the Bronte keeping up old traditions. The opportunities that sisters, Marie Curie, Jewel Cobb, Anne Frank, and this provides for young girls range so much wider Mother Teresa. than is imaginable – many projects both in and out of school, such as International Women’s Day, and Some of these women I already knew and was also the opportunity to address unique learning mesmerized by – I could only dream of being a styles and interests that diﬀer between genders. literary genius like Austen or the Bronte sisters, or having anywhere near the faith and dedication that I hope in the future, neither gender’s importance Mother Teresa put into every aspect of her life. Some within education is neglected, and both women I had never heard of before; Jewel Cobb for example, and men continue to feel that they can realise their an incredible science scholar, who found a drug for highest potential in any field they wish. Whilst both chemotherapy that changed the course of cancer single-sex and mixed schools have proven to be treatment, was someone who I now aspired to be. successful, I think it is important that these options She wasn’t famous, but she still achieved a level of be left open to the next generations to choose their success that was worthy of recognition everywhere. own way of being educated.

1878 The University of London becomes the first University in the UK to accept women on equal terms with men

Violence Against Women By Juliette Georges I have never been taught about abuse. I haven't experienced it and I plainly don't understand it. What I've come to realize however, is that it's not my fault. Abuse and abusive relationships are such a taboo subject that rarely comes up in a conversation or even at school. I could name more elements from the periodic table than companies and organisations that I could turn to if I ever needed help with an abusive relationship, and that's all from a lifetime of school education. As a young woman, I find that quite scary. There are laws like Clare's law, something everyone should know about. Clare's Law is giving members of the public a ‘right to ask’ police where they have a concern that their partner may pose a risk to them or where they are concerned that the partner of a member of their family or a friend may pose a risk to that individual. This lets you know about someone's abusive past if you ever have any doubts or concern for you or a relative or even a friend. It was put in place by an amazing man who lost his daughter to someone who already had an abusive past that had been kept secret. His daughter's life could have been saved with this information. This legally allows you to check someone's past and leave a relationship before it's too late.

That's something else we're not taught, how to leave an abusive relationship. Sure, you can 'just leave', you can walk out that door right now and never have to deal with abuse ever again. Except that in real life there is no waking up one morning and realizing that you are a victim of abuse. It happens so gradually, so slowly, that you barely realise it’s happening. It starts oﬀ through a simple dislike of theirs, then a misunderstanding, followed by a disagreement, anything you do gets turned back around and suddenly you find you are to blame for everything. Stuck in a vicious circle that revolves around you being miserable.

Your confidence and self-esteem begin to shrink; slowly chipping everything away until you feel and believe that you are worthless. You even start to rationalise the lies and false accusations. BUT HOW COULD YOU LEAVE? When the people you love and trust, the people you feel safe around, take everything from you? When you have no support from anyone else? Especially with no confidence left and just enough energy to get through the next day. When you are constantly raped, beaten, tortured Even after having survived the abuse and having put and held captive. a stop to it, trouble starts again. For some mothers, after being incredibly strong and passing their Did you know you could get support from Women's breaking point, when they pick up that phone and call Aid? Or The National Centre for Domestic Violence? the police, social services get involved and they lose ‘What are they?’ I hear you ask, if like me, you have their children. Being punished TWICE!! Now I never heard of these incredible organisations before. understand that in some cases it is necessary, of course. Even though they would play a vital role if you were However, it's all the other cases we need to worry a victim of abuse. These organisations help women about, all the ones where mothers and fathers who get through court cases by providing lawyers and have suffered unimaginable physical and mental pain barristers all for free. They also provide support day get their children taken away from them! It's disastrous and night for women and children to protect them. to even imagine and it has to change, parents who are Some of Women's Aid's aims are to empower women fit to have their children should have them. End of. That's why some women and men are too scared to who have been affected by domestic abuse to live make that call and leave, because it would mean they independent lives free from fear and abuse, meet the needs of women and children affected by domestic MIGHT not be able to stay with their family. abuse and challenge and highlight the Then you have to deal with therapy and the mental disadvantages which result from domestic abuse. It's aspects post-abuse, which may stay with you for life. because of this that abuse shouldn't be kept secret, You might also live in fear, what if they don’t go to it needs to be shared to spread awareness. prison, what if they get let out? What if everyone is like this to me? A relationship like the one you've just had Speak out, don't become one of the statistics. cannot start again.

2003 Sexual Oﬀences Act - Amendment of the law regarding rape redefining the terms for consent

Reclaim the Night By Catarina Rodrigues and Jasmine Kelling Reis

Photo by Catarina Rodrigues

Reclaim the Night originated in Germany on April 30th 1977 as a series of marches organised by groups of women in western Germany, who marched across towns and cities within the region in order to protest against sexual harassment and rape. Women in Leeds were inspired by the news coverage and decided to form a ‘Reclaim the Night’ group. This was especially done to protest against ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’, an infamous serial murderer who sexually assaulted and killed numerous women in the area. Women within the area were furious by the response from authorities, who advised women to avoid going out at night. This suggestion ignored women who worked early morning and late night shifts, as this would disrupt their everyday routine. This chain of events led to

Photo by Catarina Rodrigues

the Leeds Revolutionary Feminist Group, who encouraged women across the country to march during the night of November 12th 1977, advocating the right for women to walk the streets at night without being in constant fear, as well as raising awareness against rape and abuse against women.

Reclaim the Night in Cambridge Reclaim the Night is a protest against violence on women by men and it aims to raise awareness regarding danger and fear experienced by women at night when sexual assaults and harassment most often occur. The march is open to all those who identify themselves as a woman of any colour, race, gender. In fact, it is much more than a protest - it is an open space to share painful stories by people who went through unfortunate events that take place every day, in any part of the world. The energy, hope and perseverance that I felt on that night in Cambridge cannot be put into words as it made me deeply aware of certain issues that are still ignored by the patriarchal society we live in. Even though Cambridge was immersed in the loud voices of those who were part of the march, never had the city felt so safe and united by the voices of the strong people who reclaimed the night.

1967 The Abortion Act allows for the termination of a pregnancy in certain circumstances

Motherhood By Simhran Khetani Maybe the promotion of these three factors in developing countries such as Niger may help Noun A term of address for a female parent or a woman empower women and reduce their role as simply having or regarded as having the status, function, baby machines and home servants. or authority of a female parent. Even in the UK, the main carer for both children and “A mother is required for a child’s creation, the the elderly is stereotypically female and often a power of the mother’s love is like no other love mother. Some would say this is because of the maternal instinct that mothers and females generally in the world; motherly love and care is tend to have. This instinct is probably partially irreplaceable.” genetic, but heavily indoctrinated by society. Conversely, males tend to be more actively liberated Of course, the demands of motherhood are in their role in society, and aren’t bound to this idea inevitable, and one is faced with constant changing of being a carer for children or elderly. The average of nappies, cooking dinners, and driving to school reduced rate of being hired for a mother is 79%. This and back twice a day, and even through this, is is clear oppression against the ambition of mothers, forced to put up with crying, stubbornness and and the negligence they are treated with purely arguments from their growing daughter or son – as because they are female and have a child. Caring I know my mum does. roles are underappreciated – how could we combat this chauvinistic view of caring mothers being Why though, do we associate the mother with socially and mentally ‘pressured’ back into work after the caring and household jobs? Why are there having a child even though surveys reveal that mothers being at work have little adverse eﬀect on restraints on the mother’s role in society? The UK’s social development since the 1900s has babies and children.

mother

been exponential and our grandmothers and greatgrandmothers that once were laughed at for even attempting to have a job other than being a traditional housewife, are the reasons that women today can work and have a career. But other countries in the world today are more socially backward than the UK was pre-industrial revolution in terms of status between genders. The fertility rate in Niger is 8 births per woman, and South Sudan, Congo and Somalia fall close behind with 7 births per woman. Often in these countries, women live their life suﬀering through their next childbirth. In 2005, a 37-year-old woman, weary and wailing with labour pains, was trying to give birth to her 13th child in Niger. “I am exhausted, my uterus too,” she confessed. Here in the UK exceedingly large families are socially discouraged for for many reasons, including the detrimental eﬀects it would have on the mother’s health, as well as other social factors. This social change has been achieved through education, legislation and emancipation.

In conclusion, a mother’s role in their child’s life is vital, but one should never ever feel supressed or demoralised by prejudicial views and judgement, when a mother is equally as strong as anyone else, and arguably a lot stronger too. So instead of losing faith in herself, she must fight for her justice, because above all, she has carried her child for 9 months in her womb and has the responsibility of caring for this baby for the Photo courtesy Tesfaye / UNICEF rest of her life. Ethiopia

1986 Statutory Maternity Pay introduced. 2003 fathers are entitled to 2 weeks Paternity Leave. 2014 Shared Parental Leave introduced

The Role of Men in Feminism By Imogen Hogg Many people believe that feminism just refers to women fighting for their own rights, however, this is untrue. Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It does not mean women should receive special treatment or men should be put down in order for women to rise above. Nonetheless, there is a difference between the dictionary definition of feminism and how it is sometimes perceived and practiced. True equality and therefore true feminism, is recognition of the dynamics that each person provides and therefore gender doesn't matter. There is a large debate on whether men are or can be feminists and on some occasions it seems as though there is a contest between the sexes of “who’s more oppressed?”. However, I take the side that without men acknowledging themselves as pro-feminist, the feminist movement will struggle to progress with the current issues and the changing times. Sexism also affects men in a negative way. It restricts roles for men as well as women. However, sexism impacts women more negatively than men and it also affects individual women to differing extents. Lots of people care about how gender inequality affects both men and women, and although you may not identify yourself as feminist you may identify yourself as pro-feminist; profeminism refers to support of the cause of feminism without implying that the supporter is a member of the feminist movement. I do believe that in order for feminism to have the largest lasting impact, people of every gender need to acknowledge the work that feminists are accomplishing and that their aims for the future are worthy. This way everyone can get involved and people will no longer believe that feminism is purely for the female population.

men is not taken seriously is a common theme for those fighting for men’s rights. I do believe that for feminism to work harmoniously, all genders need to recognise and respect the issues which do not involve themselves. I personally believe that feminism is for all genders and without the help or support from beyond the female population, feminism has a smaller impact. Many female feminists believe that in feminist spaces, it’s best for men to take the backseat and actively listen to women’s concerns while thinking of productive ways to challenge their own privileges as well as lending support to the movement. However, I believe that men should not take a backseat; they should join the fight!

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz and Jack Bertram

Many men believe that female feminists do not acknowledge the inequality surrounding men and therefore believe that women are fighting purely for their own rights. The idea that violence against

1970 The Equal Pay act is introduced following the strike by sewing machinists at Ford Dagenham

Women in Literature: What I learned from Daisy Buchanan By Rachel Cunningham Why can’t I be like Daisy Buchanan? I think naively, wishing I could find myself in the middle of the Roaring Twenties as Gatsby’s mysterious love interest. Yet I fail to realise that describing Daisy as ‘mysterious’ only highlights how little we know about her, other than what is relevant to Gatsby. This leaves us with the illusion that she’s secretive, rather than a character that Fitzgerald gave very little thought to. Think about it – what do we actually know about Daisy’s own life? Fitzgerald is not the only one guilty of this. In fact, it is so common that critic Nathan Rabin identified this type of character as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Whilst not keen on the name, I think he hit the nail on the head in his description of "that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists…to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." By comparing this to Daisy, we can instantly see similarities. Daisy is shallow; Gatsby literally became a millionaire to win her over. Yes, they had been in love five years earlier, but throughout the novel it seems that Daisy expects all men to fall at her feet, including her own cousin, and so the legitimacy of this love is questionable.

"Where there's smoke there's fire" by Russell Patterson

in, however it also shows that Daisy accepts this idea, that beauty is more important than intelligence. So although Daisy is shrewd enough to see society for the shallow entity that it is, she just accepts it. As well as the obvious idea that she communicates here, Daisy gives female readers the poisonous message that it is not up to them to rock the boat and they should just do what is expected of them.

The purpose of Manic Pixie Dream Girls is “to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Without his relationship with Daisy, Nick Carraway probably never would have gone to Gatsby’s and thus wouldn’t have learnt from Gatsby and so would not have progressed as he did. Therefore Daisy’s purpose is to aid Nick’s character growth. Here The word ‘bubbly’ was made for Daisy. With her Daisy epitomises the worst aspect of this trope, the childlike excitement and flirty nature it is message it sends to girls, that their sole purpose is unsurprising that she is loved by so many readers, to help men progress in life and so they should including me at first. However, what I now find so disregard any personal ambition. repulsive is how she masks her selfishness with this alluring façade. Being bubbly is no bad thing, but Daisy Buchanan should not be idolised, but we can the problem comes with the subliminal suggestion learn from her. The story was relevant enough to be that, if they have this likeable exterior, women can made into a film again in 2013, proving that these get away with anything. lessons have yet to be learnt and that attitudes have not much changed since the book was first Meanwhile the message is being sent to male published. readers that women are not to be trusted! As well as her bubbliness, Daisy hides behind profound speech. When discussing her daughter, she famously says “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Now, in fairness, this is an insightful comment on the world Daisy lives

1920 The Sex Discrimination Removal Act allows women access to the legal profession and accountancy

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay: A review By Hannah Milne It is rare for me to find a book that I entirely love and will read to the end. Shocking I know, as a seventeen year old studying English Literature at ALevel. I am quite harsh when it comes to novels, if it doesn’t grasp my attention in the first five pages then back on the shelf it goes. But as I was idly wandering through the feminist section of Waterstones, a simple yet crisp white book sat on the shelf I was observing. Had I finally found a modern, interesting, appealing book that shone out of all the dull bland feminist literature I had been staring at, wishing I could find something to read that would capture me? Bad Feminist, a collection of essays written by the compelling Roxane Gay, had a fresh almost raw approach to feminism in the new age, and I loved it. Voila, after the first page I was hooked. I adored it because I found it so relatable. Feminism is relatively new to me but is something I believe passionately in, something I carry around with me everywhere and see in nearly everything I do. No, I haven't read The Female Eunuch or any other specimen of classical feminist literature but Bad Feminist I have read. Like Gay so openly writes about, I can’t help but bop along to Robin Thickes Blurred Lines about how girls want to fall at the feet of men and will do anything to have sex with them, or adore movies that make the women the love interest or the side kick. So surely this labels me a ‘Bad Feminist’? At least I am a feminist? This is a book I understood, by writing in such an informal manner and on contemporary subjects meant I could enjoy it.

Hunger Games to her personal tales on Scrabble Championships, her review of The Help to Chris Brown and fairytales. Her laugh-out-loud stories and thought-provoking discussions opened my mind further. I agreed so strongly with some of her views it made me want to scream ‘YES!’ because finally, someone put into words how I felt. An amusing step by step guide on how women should support each other in friendship, not compete with each other as she says: “This myth is like heels and purses – pretty but designed to SLOW women down”. This is my favourite of her essays, ‘How to be Friends with another Women’ is sublime. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, print it out and post it on subway stations, on social media, give it to my friends to read, anything just to dispel this myth that friendships between women or girls must be fragile and bitchy or full of competitiveness. Gay so brilliantly talks the harsh truth of how to be a good girl-friend and that following anything with an empathic ‘GIRL’ makes everything much more fun. This book is one full of hilarious ‘OMG I couldn't have put it better myself’ moments to deep intriguing stories, whereby you can feel the emotions of Gay’s imperfect and darker past seep through her words. After reading this book, I have openly embraced the label of a Bad Feminist. I urge you to read this book, I urge you to urge your friends, your friends’ Mums, your friends’ cousin’s nieces Mum to read this book. Because as Gay says, ‘like most people, I am full of contradictions, but I also don't want to be treated like s**t for being a woman’. GIRL.

Her anger and passion about inequality, not only on gender but on race, shines through in her writing. She covers a range of topics from The

2016 The pay gap stands at 13.9%. At the current rate it will take 50 years to close the gender pay gap

Hannah Pool: Interview By Leyla Gezer

Who is Hannah Azieb Pool? Hannah Azieb Pool is a British-Eritrean journalist, author, and commentator who has written for Grazia, the Guardian, The Times, The Independent, and others. Hannah is one of the curators of talks and debates at Women of the World (WOW London) and a curator of Africa Utopia festival.

My Fathers’ Daughter (www.amazon.co.uk/MyFathers-Daughter-HannahPool/dp/0141016043) In 2005, Hannah Azieb Pool published her book My Fathers’ Daughter which is about her brave and heartstirring story of meeting her biological father - whom she thought had passed away and family and her return to Africa. Q. I am currently reading your book My Fathers’ Daughter and I was curious to know how your relationship with your biological family has progressed since you first met them and wrote the book? Hannah: Our relationship has grown really beautiful actually. There are some things that make things diﬃcult, mainly the distance, the physical distance and space between us and the linguistic distance and space. There's not a huge amount I can do about the physical, I try to visit when I can, but the linguistic space I have tried to narrow so I’m trying to learn Tigrinya which is the language that my family speak. I have been able to visit Eritrea a few times since I did the book and some of my family members, like some of my brothers, lots of my cousins are on Facebook and Twitter so we get to hang out virtually a lot which is really great.

Hannah: I have another book about to come out actually, in April, but it’s not about my life. It’s not fiction, it’s actually a fashion book called Fashion Cities Africa and it’s tied to an exhibition of the same name which is about contemporary African fashion in four key cities – Nairobi, Casablanca, Johannesburg and Lagos. The exhibition opens at the Brighton Museum on 30th April. Perhaps one day I’ll write another memoir but I thought I should give my family a bit of a break.

Female Genital Mutilation FGM stands for Female Genital Mutilation which is violation to the female genital organ and is illegal in many countries. There are support groups such as Equality Now and Orchid Project. Q. What do you think about Female Genital Mutilation and what more do you think should be done? Do you think it’s an education thing? Do you think there is more the Government and authorities can do? Hannah: I'm vehemently against FGM and I’m against all forms of FGM. One of my proudest moments tied with the WOW festival was that I bumped into Nimco Ali, who at the time had just set up a website 'Daughters of Eve' with a friend of hers called Leyla Hussein, and they were in the early stages of campaigning against FGM. It’s about 4 or 5 years ago and Nimco was walking around WOW with a placard that said "Mitts oﬀ my muﬀ" and I talked her into going upstairs immediately and doing a WOW Bite. WOW Bites are 10 minute little talks we do, it can be like an idea, or performance. I have since watched as Nimco and Leyla and lots of other campaigns really have gained a public consciousness about FGM; that has just been phenomenal and I’m so proud that WOW has been a part of that, giving them an early platform.

That was the first place Nimco spoke about it in a Q. Would you consider writing another book based public environment and she has since then been speaking in The Guardian, Evening Standard, all on your life or perhaps fiction? across the media, all across TV.

1973 Sybill Phoenix is the first black woman to be given an MBE

She's been to Parliament, she's connected with some of the campaigners against FGM from the 70's, she's done phenomenal work and connected with other cities doing phenomenal work. So I think some of the stuﬀ being done about FGM is great, some of the campaigning is great and some of the activism is great. I am particularly excited by a lot of Africa-led activism, and also by the way the campaigners like Nimco who are relatively young and who are using things like social media, have connected with campaigners who have been campaigning on this sort of stuﬀ for 30 or 40 years. That is brilliant. In terms of Government? There's a long way to go still, there’s a huge amount to still be done both nationally and internationally and I think and hope very much that in our life time we will see the end of FGM. Q. We have just entered 2016... What are your plans for this year? Will you be doing more talks or debates for Africa Utopia? Or doing more events with WOW? Hannah: We are in the thick of planning WOW obviously which is very exciting and there are lots of other WOWs popping up. WOW has gone truly global which is really exciting. There are conversations about WOWs happening all across the world and also elsewhere across the UK which is really exciting. Africa Utopia is back in September, which is fabulous, the team are just starting to think about that which is really exciting. As I said my book is coming out in April which I’m really thrilled about, so a busy year basically.

rather than a conference and making sure there is lots for young people as well as lots for older people. People of all ages and races and sexualities should be represented in the programme and also in the venues. Q. What do you hope to accomplish this year? Hannah: At the end of every WOW on the last panel on the last day when everyone is very, very tired and very, very emotional we always take a deep breath and think 'oh no how can we do it again? There’s no way we can beat it? There’s no way we can beat it and cover everything’. And then around about this time of year we're always feeling quite panicky actually and anxious to make sure all the topics we want to cover, the topics that everybody who feeds into WOW feels should be on the agenda. We try really hard to make sure those topics are being covered. So in terms of what we want to achieve I guess it’s the feeling that we’re part of this global movement that strives towards gender equality, that we’re giving a platform and a voice and space to some of the incredible activists that are doing really necessary and crucial work, but at the same time letting you have some fun.

Q. How did you get involved with WOW and what motivates you to continue being part of the staﬀ? Hannah: So I spoke as a panelist and as a chair on the first WOW and then I became part of the team putting together the talks and debates in the second WOW. The WOW we're working on now for 2016 is the sixth year of WOW so I’m really proud to be a part of WOW from the beginning and watching it grow, watching it become international, watching how diverse WOW has become is a real joy and it’s something we work very, very hard at so it’s no coincidence, it’s not luck. We work incredibly hard to make sure that WOW is super diverse, both in terms of the speakers and in terms of the audience and the tone. Making sure it feels like a festival

2011 First Woman of the World Festival in London at The Southbank Centre

The WOWsers Jasmin Kelling Reis is studying Print-Based media at CRC and has a keen interest in the creative media industry. In her spare time she enjoys engaging in anything creative such as art projects. Simrhan Khetani is a 16 year old student driven to raising awareness about the way women are treated in society, particularly in developing countries where the objectification of women is accepted. She spends her time reading, writing and learning at school, always aware that in many countries it is taboo for women to be even be allowed into school.

Hannah Croft is a creative and open-minded WOWser with a passion for everything retro. She can often be found sitting on the floor in galleries with a pencil and a packet of Skittles. Rachel Cunningham is a first time WOWser and she is really enjoying it so far. Her love of books and feminism inspired her to combine the two in her article.

This is Hannah Milne’s second year being involved with the WOW Cambridge Festival. She is seventeen years old, currently studying her A-Levels at Hills Road Sixth Form College, and hopes to be continuously inspired by women around the world. Camilla Penney is a PhD student, known in her lab as “the angry feminist”. She estimates that she has spent about £1560 so far on luxurious tampons. Camilla is the 2016 lead WOWser.

Niamh Finlay is 15 years old. Niamh recommends volunteering as a WOWser or supporting the festival to anybody reading this, young or old. Male Catarina Rodrigues is a visual artist and film or female. Feminism is a fight for equality and student from Porto who is currently based in Cambridge. By being an avid fan of solo travelling, equality is for everyone. she constantly feels the need to creatively express Leyla Gezer is studying print-based media at herself through her daily experiences. Cambridge Regional College, is greatly interested in journalism and enjoys eating chocolate on a daily basis. Juliette Georges, Dave Grohl enthusiast. Juliette is only starting to truly understand the meaning behind feminism and she likes it. Imogen Hogg is very proud to be involved in the Cambridge WOW Festival as she loves to help people, spread the word of equality and to be inspired. She has been a WOWser in Cambridge previously and this year she has returned to help make this WOW the best one yet!

Georgia Tinson is currently studying English, Politics and Geography at A-Level and hopes to pursue English at University. She thinks all forms of writing oﬀer an insight into people's life and thoughts. In writing her article she had the chance to express her views on the rights of women and feminism itself. Editor Nastasha Boyce, Assistant Producer: Outreach, Cambridge Junction Cover design: Hannah Croft Cover photo: Catarina Rodrigues www.catarinarodrigues.co.uk/

Note: Key events in the history of gender equality by Jasmin Kelling Reis with supporting information from ‘Equality. It’s about time’ by the Fawcett Society (www.fawcettsociety.org.uk)