Engender blog

Festive Friday Feminist Fanfare

It can hard to focus on the good stuff, when there seems to be so much bad stuff in the world. So as the year draws to an end, we wanted to take the time to reflect on some of the wins, joyful moments, and reasons for optimism which we've seen this year.

We'd love to invite you to join us in a #FestiveFridayFeministFanfare on Twitter today to share the things that have made you smile this year.

We'll go first....

One: Scotland qualify for the world cup

June next year will see the world cup kick off and for the first time Scotland's team will be there. Tickets are super cheap (we know, patriarchy) so if you fancy a feminist frolic in France this summer, we couldn't recommend anything more fun.

Two: Groundbreaking legislation on violence against women

2018 saw decades of smart, creative work by Scottish Women’s Aid and feminist academics bear fruit in the form of the world-leading Domestic Abuse Act. Criminalising the “everyday terrorism” that constrains women’s freedom to move through the world shows the bold and life changing legislation that can come from evidence-based feminism.

Three: Who runs the world?

It's always hard not to caveat good news stories, but just ignore the rest of US politics for a minute, and focus on the election of more women than ever before. November saw the USA's first Muslim and Native American Congresswomen elected, the first openly bisexual Senator elected, and many states gain their first ever female representatives as Governors or Senators. .

Four: Closing the gap

Things are finally starting to shift on the pay gap. This year saw the first time that 100% of UK companies (of those required to) released their pay gap data. The Scottish Government is also producing a plan for tackling the pay gap in Scotland - covering root causes of women’s economic equality such as care, social security, and discrimination at work.

Five: RepealED

Finally, the win which has brought hope to women around the world. 2018 saw the people of Ireland vote resoundingly to repeal the 8th amendment, allowing the government to legislate for abortion. The victory is testament to decades of courage and campaigning work by women in Ireland, and we still can't help tearing up when we think about it.

Share this post on …