members

Thanks to all of you who completed our survey on our current policy priorities - we had a great response and are happy to report that you seem happy witht the areas we are working on.  Here's the link to the high level survey results - if you would like to see the more detailed report with comments please contact the office.   

Beijing+15 Draft Report - Comments welcome

We're sending a report to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which will review the progress of the Platform for Action for Women agreed in Beijing in 1995.  Engender's report will focus on what has improved (or not) for women in Scotland.  Read our draft report here

We would be happy to receive your comments on any of the main themes addressed by the report. (NB Do please keep your observations to brief statements or bullet points, and if you quote any authority please indicate the source of the comment or document.) We are conscious that there is a gap on the subject of Women's health, a subject which was mentioned at the December meeting. We would have liked to include a health section but we simply have not had the expertise or resources available to do justice to this important topic. However, we have addressed some related issues in the Girls section. 

Please send your comments to Catriona at the Engender office by Wednesday 10 February. trina@engender.org.uk

Pole-dancing as a pole-fitness class? 

Lap-dancing as empowering?  Burlesque as an artform?  Engender would like to develop a policy statement regarding these activities and we would like to hear your opinions. Can pole-dancing ever be a sport/exercise in its own right? Can it be disassociated from the link to ‘adult entertainment’ and the gendered exploitation that link entails? Is there a difference between burlesque and stripping? Are these activities a step forward in female empowerment and sexual liberation in modern society, or its very antithesis? 

Are we in the midst of a feminist backlash?  Read Kira Cochrane's Guardian article here 
Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/01/gender.women

Lots of negative comment about Lesley Abdelas article about media coverage of domestic violence - how do we counter these attitudes?    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/25/domestic-violence-gender   

....comment on these or any other topic on our members forum below...