Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Tired of pink and keen on football: here come the pre-teen feminists
They haven't hit a glass ceiling or discovered their junior male colleague is earning more than they are. They haven't lost their job after taking maternity leave or been frustrated by a lack of female executives or women in the cabinet. But they are growing a bit weary of pink; know that magazines airbrush celebrity bodies; don't like boys getting away with worse behaviour in class; and might like to play football.
...
"They are pretty aware, actually, they say things about what happens in schools, that it's the girls who are asked to tidy up and the boys get away with bad behaviour. I think schools are being a bit rubbish in tackling sexism, a lot are entrenching stereotypes quite casually." Appleby admits that there is no way Adriana Grande or Katy Perry are leaving the cover slot for Malala or Marie Curie just yet, and pink is still the rallying colour for her 10-year-old readers, but it's a powerful start.
"It's a really exciting time for young feminists," says Sophie Bennett of the group UK Feminista, which successfully campaigned to "lose" lads' mags in high street shops and has started lobbying schools to tackle casual sexism, asking headteachers to sign its Schools Against Sexism pledge. "There's been a huge upsurge in the number of feminist groups in schools, colleges and universities. A new generation of girls are standing up against sexism and demanding change."
She says there has been a rise in demand from school-age children and their teachers for UK Feminista's workshops on gender equality. Since UK Feminista was set up in 2010, interest from younger girls has soared, with more than 100 young people contacting the organisation last year looking for help to set up a group in their school.
...
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/04/here-come-the-pre-teen-feminists?CMP=fb_gu
...
"They are pretty aware, actually, they say things about what happens in schools, that it's the girls who are asked to tidy up and the boys get away with bad behaviour. I think schools are being a bit rubbish in tackling sexism, a lot are entrenching stereotypes quite casually." Appleby admits that there is no way Adriana Grande or Katy Perry are leaving the cover slot for Malala or Marie Curie just yet, and pink is still the rallying colour for her 10-year-old readers, but it's a powerful start.
"It's a really exciting time for young feminists," says Sophie Bennett of the group UK Feminista, which successfully campaigned to "lose" lads' mags in high street shops and has started lobbying schools to tackle casual sexism, asking headteachers to sign its Schools Against Sexism pledge. "There's been a huge upsurge in the number of feminist groups in schools, colleges and universities. A new generation of girls are standing up against sexism and demanding change."
She says there has been a rise in demand from school-age children and their teachers for UK Feminista's workshops on gender equality. Since UK Feminista was set up in 2010, interest from younger girls has soared, with more than 100 young people contacting the organisation last year looking for help to set up a group in their school.
...
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/04/here-come-the-pre-teen-feminists?CMP=fb_gu
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
