Published in Crow’s Feet·PinnedMember-onlyOlder Women — Show up For The YoungstersThey need our support, not our sarcasm. — The resurgence of the #MeToo movement in 2017 coincided with my daughter's entrance into the workforce and my odyssey into the mid-to-late-50s (from where I doled out even fewer f***s.) Listening to daught's experiences and reading about the Hollywood horrors, I was apoplectic that the sexism I'd dealt with back…Older Women5 min readOlder Women5 min read
Published in Equality Includes You·PinnedMember-onlyGuys — If You Can't Take Rejection, Don't Court ItIt never ends well for women. — A thread on Twitter in July saw women reciting incidents where they'd said "No thanks" to a guy, only to be harassed by him. Many involved the guy turning nasty, hurling abuse — the usual stuff. One minute you're a babe, and the next, you're unf***able.Anger Management5 min readAnger Management5 min read
Published in Write Like a Girl·PinnedMember-only"What Happened To You?"And other ways they call women "crazy" In the good old days, men could call women "crazy" with gay abandon. In fact, by questioning their sanity and having other men agree, they could have the women in their lives locked up for life. …Sexism6 min readSexism6 min read
Published in Write Like a Girl·Mar 16Member-onlyThe Secret To Being An Effective Upstander?It starts with being quiet — There’s currently a lot of talk about how others (particularly men) can help women facing discrimination, harassment and abuse. Usually called “bystander intervention” (I prefer “upstander”), the call is out for more people to intervene when women are being targeted. This is a good thing. …Feminism5 min readFeminism5 min read
Published in The Virago·Nov 1, 2022Member-onlyWomen Who Don’t Support WomenIf you’re not with us, get out of the way — What is it with women who don’t support other women? They’re often older and successful in their chosen careers. Back in their day, they ‘put up with’ the outrageous sexism that came their way, so as far as they’re concerned, everyone else can do the same. …Womens Rights6 min readWomens Rights6 min read
Published in The Virago·Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyHow To Stop The InterruptersAll suggestions welcome — There's no denying that women are interrupted. A lot. Primarily by men, who interrupt us three times more than they interrupt men, but also by women. The author of this linked study found that - “87% of the time that women interrupt, they are interrupting each other.” Come on, sisters…Sexism5 min readSexism5 min read
Published in The Virago·Oct 6, 2022Member-only“If He Can Speak, Why Can’t I?”Stop telling women to ignore the trolls — If you’re at all concerned about equality and women’s rights, feminist next door is the Twitter handle to follow. Incels are like fish in a barrel to Em, and she has an unparalleled clarity of message. (And no, I don’t owe her money!!) Last week she once again addressed how…Feminism7 min readFeminism7 min read
Published in Equality Includes You·Oct 3, 2022Member-onlyGuys, When We Say “Men”, It’s Not Always YouDon’t center yourselves. — I can’t believe I still need to explain what women mean when discussing “men”. I know trolls and some men want to derail conversations with their #NotAllMen, so we’ll leave them out of this. …Not All Men5 min readNot All Men5 min read
Published in The Virago·Sep 26, 2022Member-onlyThe Subtler Ways Of Silencing WomenDon’t be fooled — If, like me, you frequently discuss equality on and offline, you might occasionally be tricked into arguing the point when your protractor only wants to shut you up. Unfortunately, even people who aren’t trolling do it, and it’s often difficult to know what to say. Here are a few reminders…Womens Rights5 min readWomens Rights5 min read
Published in Write Like a Girl·Sep 14, 2022Member-onlyWhen Men Want 'Trad' And 'Feminine'They’re playing women for fools. — Some “Christian pastor, husband, father of 5” recently blew up Twitter with his pronouncements on what women should be doing. As usual, women didn’t ask him, but he seems to think Jesus would want them to know, anyway. …Feminism5 min readFeminism5 min read
