Happy International Women’s Day, one and all. Even though we basically celebrate being second-class citizens and lots of corporate pink washing, I’m still a fan.
It’s traditionally a special time for women of the world to unite, rage at the patriarchy and have a good old whine with a job lot of wine. Think of it like Christmas for card-carrying feminists (btw, you don’t get much with the loyalty card these days apart from a terrific discount on your salary — check out @PayGapApp).
But things have changed. In the old days there was solidarity in the never-ending struggle and, most importantly, there was clarity about who the enemy was — men. But not any more. If we’re honest, modern-day feminism can feel like a circular firing squad of women having a go at other women.
Last night I attended a genuinely lovely event in the Speaker’s residence in Parliament as I was honoured to be part of the 100 most influential women in Westminster for the House Magazine alongside top female parliamentarians, other journalists, political advisers, senior civil servants and lobbyists.
It was a wonderful celebration of political women and tributes were paid to the late, great Betty Boothroyd but there was an elephant in the room. For all the salutations, there was a quiet acknowledgement that feminism isn’t going so well right now.
Feminism is fractured. There have always been different disciplines within feminism, but there was always some kind of kinship and agreement on core principles. It doesn’t feel that way right now. What does modern feminism even mean right now – apart from channelling your inner mean-girl? Marauding on Twitter in girl gangs ready to pounce on someone with a different view (not as pure as yours so wrong) and quote-tweeting them to start a pile-on about who’s the right kind of feminist and wrong human being.
It is possible to be a feminist and have different views. Women from all backgrounds are oppressed by the same things – violence, rape, sexual harassment, economic abuse, coercive control, discrimination, shouldering domestic labour and caring responsibilities, not having the right health care and not being well represented in decision making. And please don’t say Liz Truss —49 days which didn’t do much for female leadership. Or mortgages.
It’s not a great time for women. The pandemic set women back at work and in the home. A report by PWC found that British women are being priced out of employment because of crippling childcare costs. An epidemic of violence against women and we can’t even trust the people meant to keep us safe — the police. And yet, as everyone I spoke to last night confessed, our big fights are over other issues – well, one big issue. The row over transgender rights has ripped apart feminism and has turned friend into foe. Brave women who once would have stood shoulder to shoulder are at each other’s throats.
As I have said before, there must be a grown up debate on how to move forward. I believe there is common ground but that means compromise. But the debate is so toxic that most mainstream women’s organisations or female politicians are too terrified to utter a peep, let alone chart a course which means we end up with both sides losing.
The Isla Bryson case was the culmination of all of that has gone wrong. Vulnerable women in prison (or anywhere) should not have male sex offenders in their spaces. And the understandable fury around this story has piled on mistrust of trans people — the vast majority of whom are just trying to live their lives and who feel increasingly unsafe. The debate is so dangerous that it’s contributed to female politicians paying a heavy price — Nicola Sturgeon, Penny Mordaunt and Rosie Duffield, to name a few.
We shouldn’t cheer women in politics getting abused over trans rights. We need to find a way through. It’s killing the women’s movement, it’s drowning out bigger issues and making too many of us turn against each other.
It’s time for a truce.
