Debate by UK top academicians Sexuality After Genetics: The new science of gender

What determines sex and gender, and what detemines sexual identity? Take a look at this debate where Helena Cronin, Darwinist feminist and Director of the LSE’s Centre for the Philosophy of Social and Natural Science, and Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London debate on nature vs. nurture, and what role genetics play in our lives.

Helena: “[There are] evolved sex-differences”; Tim: “Not culture nor genes alone determine our sexuality”.

The debate is made available by The Institute of Art and Ideas (iai), a non-profit organisation committed to fostering a progressive and vibrant intellectual culture in the UK. Thank you Alysia at TVF Media for getting in touch with me and sharing this debate! Check it out here

Increased pressure for a law in Finland to prohibit purchasing of sex

PRESS RELEASE 04/09/2013
Women’s Organization of the Swedish People’s Party in Finland/Svenska Kvinnoförbundet

Prostitution is a form of violence, a hindrance for equality and a violation of human rights, says the Chairperson of the Women’s Organization of the Swedish Peoples Party in Finland Carola Sundqvist, who welcomes the investigation on the sexual industry in Finland which was made official today.
– To criminalize the purchase of sexual services is an effective way to prevent violence against women. Finland has pledged to take appropriate measures, including legislative, to combat all forms of violence against women, trafficking in women and exploitation for prostitution purposes, Sundqvist says.
A total ban on purchasing sex would be more effective than the current legislation, which only prohibits purchasing sex from victims of human trafficking, victims of pimps or under-aged persons.
The Women’s Organization of the Swedish People’s Party in Finland has long viewed prostitution as a barrier to reach full equality, and that buying sex from women is a form of exploitation of the inequalities that exist. The majority of persons working as prostitutes in the EU come from poor countries. Among prostitutes who come from another EU Member State, there is an overrepresentation from ethnic minorities.
– I hope that the investigation will lead to an increased awareness and a discussion in Finland about the problems that the current legislation presents. The Women’s Organization sees it as important that the government still within this term will present a legislative proposal on a total ban, Sundqvist says.
An important part of the work to achieve a Finland without prostitution is also to take preventative measures and develop exit-strategies.

For more information:
Contact Carola Sundqvist, Chairperson, The Women’s Organization of the Swedish People’s Party in Finland
Tel.: +358 44 281 48 54

The New York Times: A Call for Aid, Not Laws, to Help Women in Italy

“A United Nations report last year on violence against women in Italy called domestic abuse the “most pervasive form of violence” in the country, affecting nearly 32 percent of women between the ages of 16 and 70, according to a 2006 survey.”

Read the article here

Support the Russian LGBT community – take part of the campaign!

In Russia, anty-gay sentiment is rising. LYMEC, the European Liberal Youth, have created a Facebook-campaign to support gay rights and show solidarity with the LGBT community living in Russia. It is easy to take part in the campaign – take a picture of yourself holding an image of a rainbow, email it to LYMEC, and it will be shared on their Facebook page. Check it out here.

A visit to EIGE, Europe’s own Gender Equality Institute

Earlier this year, I had the chance to visit the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) in Vilnius, Lithuania, together with my colleagues from the Women’s Organization of the Swedish People’s Party in Finland. The office is located in the center of the city, a seemingly quiet European capital which might come across as remote for some. Why was EIGE placed in Vilnius? The obvious answer is that an increased representation of the different specialized agencies of the EU is needed in the newer member states. However, since the European Union Agency of Fundamental Rights (FRA) is located in Vienna, Austria, there has been a debate on whether EIGE should relocate and settle there, next to its ‘sister agency’ FRA, which is also carrying out rights-based work. When we posed this question to the staff at EIGE, however, they responded that there are no such plans at all; FRA and EIGE are, though, working closely together through special agreements in order to collaborate and exchange information. Also, having a gender equality institute placed in Lithuania, where gender equality still lags behind in comparison to other EU member states, can, indeed, serve a strategic function.

What precisely does EIGE do? Barbara Limanovska, Senior Gender Mainstreaming Officer at EIGE, was happy to receive our questions. She explained how the main task of EIGE is to produce reports and studies for the European Commission, as well as for the rotating Presidencies of the Council of the European Union. It works like this: the member state acting as President for a given year chooses a topic from the Platform for Action stemming from the World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, and strives to work with and develop this topic in the EU context during its Presidency. This year, Ireland has this position, and they have chosen women and the media as their topic. At EIGE, Barbara says, “we are quite happy that the rotating Presidencies of the EU tend to take our recommendations in their chosen areas very seriously. According to our mandate, we are to give technical assistance, but instead our recommendations are almost always acted upon which makes our work so much more interesting”.

EIGE is currently working to develop a database containing a complete set of documentation covering gender equality in all member states. More information about EIGE is available on their website.

Svenska kvinnoförbundet, i.e. the Women’s Organization of the Swedish People’s Party in Finland, had the opportunity to visit EIGE earlier this year

First Gender Equality Index for Europe now published!

“The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is launching the first Gender Equality Index for the European Union. ‘The Gender Equality Index shows differences in outcomes between women and men at the individual level in EU Member States,’ says Virginija Langbakk, the Director of EIGE. ‘This unique measurement tool supports evidence-based policy-making and indicates where political priorities should be shifted to accelerate the process of achieving a gender-equal Europe.’ Although gender equality values have been recognised since its earliest days, the European Union is only halfway towards a gender-equal society, with an average EU score of 54 (where 1 stands for no gender equality and 100 for full gender equality).”

Read the complete text at : http://eige.europa.eu/content/news-article/first-gender-equality-index-reveals-the-eu-is-only-halfway-towards-gender-equality

Interview with Violet Ivy: Revelations from a sex-worker

Violet Ivy is an Australian sex-worker who has written two books about her experiences in the industry, Sex and Sexuality – The Interviews and Lucky Girl – How I Survived the Sex Industry. I got an exclusive interview with her for this blog, and I want to thank her for her availability. Her books can be ordered online via booklocker.com, amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

© Violet Ivy

Genderthoughts: How did you get into the sex industry, i.e. what was the first step?

Violet Ivy: I was a university student working behind a bar. Perth is very seasonal with regard to the hospitality industry. I was put off at the end of summer and couldn’t pay the rent. I decided to wear lingerie or go topless and work at stag nights and footy clubs. It was quite a shock for someone who had a religious and fairly conservative upbringing.

GT: If you would not have gotten into the the sex-industry, what do you think you would have chosen as an alternative, or what do you think your life would have looked like?

VI: This is a really tough question. My first degree was in commerce, economics and marketing. I would probably be married with 2.7 children and like most people these days in their thirties and forties I would be on my second husband. Or so I would assume. We never know where life will take us.

GT: What concrete steps are needed for those who wish to exit the industry?

VI: I was having a conversation with a friend last night about this very subject. Statistics say that only about five percent of sex workers make anything concrete financially out of this industry. For example paying off a home. This I find really upsetting because I know the toll it can take on us physically, emotionally and spiritually. We lie to just about everyone we care about. We have to keep this part of our lives secret which is bad for the soul. And if you think about it, every time we have sex with a client with a condom there is always the chance of it slipping off or breaking. We are in fact risking our health and lives with each and every booking.

There is no financial counseling for working girls […].. Very few sex-workers make a plan, for example, to finish a degree or pay off a mortgage, and then get out. Usually you will meet a guy, fall in love and make the decision to leave. Or you just can’t handle being in the industry anymore […]. If the sex-worker has a drug addiction, then of course this needs to be addressed. She will need financial and emotional support during the transition.

GT: Did you ever encounter violence by clients?

VI: In Australia we are well protected by the law because it is a legal profession. We pay tax and have regular medical checkups. If anything goes ugly during a booking both the client and the girl have the legal right to call the police and be treated like any other member of society with a legitimate complaint. As you know I have also worked in places where it is not legal such as the US and girls are at the mercy of their clients and pimps with no legal recourse if they are raped or assaulted.

As a sex worker you develop a sixth sense and it is so important never to ignore that. If something doesn’t feel right, get the hell out of there as quickly and diplomatically as you can. I have knocked back plenty of work that seemed a bit suspicious or just had a bad feeling about it. It all may have been fine but my health and safety are far more important than a few dollars. There will always be another booking but I can’t get my health back.

GT: What were/are your main fears as an escort?

VI: There are major and minor concerns. Of course the first one is catching HIV. Understanding what constitutes safe sex and sticking to those guidelines is a matter of life and death. I won’t let them use their own condoms or allow other activities that could put me at risk.

Private houses make me nervous. One never knows if the client has broken into the house and called me or if they have six guys waiting in there for me to arrive. There are certain suburbs that are on my no-go list. Or if upon arrival there is something that creeps me out I just won’t go in.

Having my parents find out is also a worry. Not because they would stop loving me, they wouldn’t, but they would feel that they had let me down in some way that led me to become a sex worker. They are also quite religious. I’ve been very careful not to expose them to this knowledge.

GT: Did you ever encounter any stigma from society and how do you deal with it?

VI: The biggest judgments come from people who have never had anything to do with the industry. They see a movie where the hooker has a cigarette hanging out the corner of her mouth, covered in tattoos, swearing like a gutter mouth and wearing a sparkly dress that’s no longer than a belt and from that they think they know about the industry. We don’t stand on street corners hassling unsuspecting guys to give us money. If the customer didn’t want the service he wouldn’t be on the web looking at my site. If there were no customers there would be no working girls. Simple.

On a complelety different side of things, at least 50% of my customers are either physically, mentally or emotionally disabled in some way. They are unable just to go to the pub and pick up a girl. A lot of them would find it very difficult if not impossible to have a long term relationship. But it is every human’s right to have physical intimacy in his or her life. Who are we to say that they can’t have that?

GT: Did you ever experience issues with any financial transactions with clients?

Are you asking me if a client has ever not wanted to pay me? Well of course. Purchasing sex is an impulse decision. In this industry it is very important to get the money up front first every time. Even if you have seen him a dozen times before.

I think it’s important to point a couple of things out. With my books I am NOT suggesting that anyone joins the sex industry. Make no mistake, it is a decision that is life changing and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Once you are in the lifestyle it is extremely difficult to get out. My books are not intended to shock or offend, but to educate.

Diversity in leadership teams: notes from seminar by Pohjola-Norden

Swedish journalist Camilla Wagner presents a graph on the representation of women on boards

Pohjola-Norden, a nordic cooperation agency, together with the women’s mentor network Diamanten organized a seminar on diversity in leadership teams yesterday, 28 May 2013, in Helsinki Finland. The speakers at the seminar included the Finnish Minister for Gender Equality, Paavo Arhinmäki, Tomas Qvist, Director of Human Resources at Ericsson, Sweden, Camilla Wagner, Swedish journalist, as well as Anne Grethe Solberg, from Gender Consulting, Norway. Below are some brief notes on points that came up during the seminar:

• In Finland, women’s Euro is worth 18% less than the men’s
• In Finland, young women still have lower chances than young men of advancing into leadership positions
• It has been proven that equality and diversity in organizations and coorporations have a positive effect on the economic situation, on the quality of the decisions and on consumer satisfaction
• In Finland, women still constitute a minority when it comes to executive directors’ positions
• In the business world, there are many ways in which women are ‘pushed’ off the career ladder
• The government must take an active role in supporting gender equality within the business sector
• The following have been proven to be good practices at the work place to support equal opportunituies: To have a gender action plan in place, which is followed-up on; actively combating stereotypes; concentrating efforts on fair recruitment practices
• A better distribution of parental leave between mothers and fathers would also enhance gender equality
• When there is a lack of diversity in a team, innovation dies out and decisions are made quicker, while the quality of the decisons suffer
• There are studies from Sweden that show that male leaders shun away from the question of gender equality because they are afraid of not getting it right and thus loosing face, or even afraid that they will be perceived as illoyal towards their male colleagues
• Support and engagement from highest management is key

Check out UN’s Review of Gender Equality in 2012

Gender Equality 2012

How did Genderthoughts do in 2012? Check out the review!

WordPress.com has prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 15,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 3 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.