Is Labour losing the women's vote?

Whither Worcester Woman: Is Labour losing the women's vote?
When: Wednesday 7 March - 1800-1930
Where: Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Westminster

SPEAKER JUST CONFIRMED - Vera Baird MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs. Vera will be joined by: Julia Clarke, Head of Political Research at MORI; Meg Munn MP, Minister for Women; and Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist. Lorna Fitzsimons, Patron of Progress, will chair the meeting.

This Progress event will debate whether Labour is losing its appeal to female voters because of the challenge from David Cameron or whether it can be explained by their disengagement from the political process as a whole. Which policies should Labour adopt to win back women's support and how can the party change as a whole to attract more involvement from women?

As for housework... women better off single

Even the Telegraph picked up on this recent study - though the findings were pretty predictable:

The report, published today by the Royal Economic Society, claims that single working women spend an average of 10 hours a week on housework while single men spend only seven hours.

As soon as women and men marry or live together, the amount of time devoted to housework increases to 15 hours a week for women and falls to only five hours a week for men. Differences like this — the so-called "chore wars" — mean that women derive less happiness from the relationship, suggests Helene Couprie, of Toulouse University, writing in the latest edition of the Economic Journal.

Equal Opportunities Commission: An active past,a new future

Jenny Watson, Chair of the EOC, will speak on the EOC's work and the changes facing it, at a meeting organised by the South London Fawcett Group. Vivienne Hayes, Director of the Women's Resource Centre, will act as commentator. Floor then open for discussion.

Date: Monday, 26 March 2007Time: 6.30pm for 7pm

Place: Millicent Fawcett Hall, 29 Marsham Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3DW

Admission: Free, but please notify attendance to Susan Pares, Chair, South London Fawcett Group, 020 7498 1489 or spares@myway.com

Donations appreciated

This is very cool ...

Upcoming LSE Gender event

Centre for Civil Society (Department of Social Policy) and Gender Institute Public Lecture
Diversity, equality and empowerment: NGOs making a difference
Date: Monday 26 February 2007
Time: 6.30 - 8pm
Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speakers: Judith Brodie, Angela Sarkis, Marianna Tortell
Chair: Professor Jude Howell

This panel discussion explores the issue of gender equality, diversity and NGOs. Is there anything distinctive about the way NGOs approach this issue? Are NGOs more diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity and class compared to businesses or state agencies? What differences are there amongst NGOs in the extent to which they place gender issues on the agenda? And with more women taking up senior positions in NGOs what do they bring, as women, to these issues?

Judith Brodie is Director of the UK Group of Voluntary Service Overseas. Angela Sarkis CBE is National Secretary of the YMCA, and Marianna Tortell is Director of Training and Group Work at The NIA Project.

This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. More info here

The Bald Truth of Britney Spears

Article over on the Guardian today questioning why a pop star changing her hairstyle deserves blanket media coverage. Read it here

I love that this is considered the defining point of her 'break down' despite the millions of other crazy things she has done up to this time. Obviously this all relates to tradional female standards of beauty, and how attempts to reject them are so frightening for most people.

Also, did you notice how many newsreaders, at least in the UK, referred to her 'long blonde locks'? As any pathetic celebrity site viewer will know, Britney hasn't been blonde for a long time! Plus her hair was 90% extensions. But I guess cutting long blonde hair is somehow more of a waste ...

The Global Gender Gap Report 2006

New international report out for those of you as obsessed with the gender pay gap as I am ...

Authors: Zahidi, S.

Produced by: World Economic Forum (2007)

How do countries measure up in comparison to one another when it comes to addressing the gap between men and women in terms of economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment?

With data from 115 countries, and using a new methodology based on relative measures of empowerment to capture the size of the gap, the Gender Gap report provides a comprehensive guide to the current global situation.The country comparisons serve a dual purpose: as a benchmark to identify existing strengths and weaknesses; and as a useful guide for policy, based on learning from the experiences of those countries that have had greater success in promoting the equality of women and men. Country Profiles in Part II of this Report provide an overview of the national gender related environment in each country.

Some of the report's findings are:

• No country in the world has yet managed to eliminate the gender gap
• Those that have succeeded best in narrowing the gap are the Nordic countries, with Sweden standing out as the most advanced in the world, having closed over 80% of its gender gap, followed closely by Norway (2), Finland (3), Iceland (4) and Denmark (8). Germany (5), United Kingdom (9) and Ireland (10)
• The Philippines is the only Asian country in the top ten while South Africa holds the highest position among African countries

Available online at: here

Abortion Rights event

I will definitely be going to this. There's a lot of talk on the London Feminist Network about how this is the same day as a socialist feminism 'fightback' event. But for me this is a no-brainer ....

Abortion Rights Event (same day at Capital Woman)

Join us to launch the campaign for a modern abortion law
Saturday 3rd March

ASSEMBLE at 12.30 for a public launch event and press photo opportunity to spell out our message on the green outside the QEII Conference Centre, in front of the Houses of Parliament
QEII Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary Westminster, London SW1

Please download the campaign flyer here and distribute widely to help mobilise for this extraordinary event.

It's time the pro-choice majority was heard!

40 years after the 1967 Abortion Act, it is time to celebrate the social, economic and educational advances that reproductive rights have allowed women, and the end to back-street abortion. Yet 40 years on, women in the UK still don’t have the right to make their own abortion decisions. Women are obstructed and delayed and current rights are repeatedly challenged. In this 40th anniversary year, Abortion Rights is coordinating a major push for a modern law. We are joined by MPs, Peers, doctors, nurses, sexual health organisations, trade unions, students and pro-choice supporters in calling for a law in line with majority public opinion.

It is time for:

• women, not doctors, to make the abortion decision in the first three months
• an end to unacceptable delays in service provision

• an end to attacks on current rights

Be there and make a difference!

Gender pay gap worse in London

For those, like myself, you just received their ticket for Capital Women in the post, you might like to have a look at this, courtesy of the BBC ......

Gender pay gap 'worse in London'

The average pay gap between women and men is far worse in London than the rest of the UK. The gap is 23% in London compared to 17% in the rest of the country, according to the findings in the Women in London's Economy report. The report states the reason for this is because the majority of the top paid jobs go to men. The report is being published to coincide with a conference on Thursday for business leaders and policy-makers.

It states women at the higher and lower ends of the pay scale are particularly badly hit. It also shows women with children in London have a £20 a week lower income than in the rest of the UK, despite London's much higher cost of living. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London said:

"London's future as the powerhouse of the UK's economy is critically dependent on the contribution of women. But this report shows that the glass ceiling is no myth but a reality holding women back."

The report also found that 19% of women in London, nearly one in five, are earning less than the London Living Wage, of £7.05 per hour, compared to only 12% of men. Backing the report's findings Jenny Watson, Equal Opportunities Commission chair, said London "wastes women's talents. Without more action from the private sector to tackle sex inequality throughout London's economy, the pay gap will never close," she said.