Back in the late eighties I was one of two girls out of thirty pupils in my 5th form Physics class. While girls were happy to take up the Biology and Modern Language options, in my Physics class I languished- ignored by the boys that did not care to pair up for experiments with lens and pendulums with these odd girls that had bizarrely chosen this apparently most ‘male’ of subjects. Sadly, my experience in the Physics lab mirrored that of the sports playing field. Last to be picked, my teenage love of hockey and Physics soon waned. It seems little has unfortunately changed in the intervening decades. Continue reading “Physics Education: It’s Different for Girls?”
Launch of major new resource: Olive Schreiner Letters Online
Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) is one of the world’s great feminist writers and social theorists, with her novels including The Story of an African Farm and her political treatises including Woman and Labour among many other writings. She also wrote c4800+ exceptionally important letters between 1871 and 1920, a period of momentous changes in the world which her letters are concerned with, and which also brought changes regarding letter-writing and literary practices too. Schreiner’s letters – all of them, in full, detailed and easy to read transcriptions – are now available electronically world-wide. Continue reading “Launch of major new resource: Olive Schreiner Letters Online”
Gender in Education: Launch of New Resources for Use in Schools
A number of new initiatives have recently been launched by the government’s equality group. These campaigns have also resulted in the development of a number of new resources that can be used in schools to generate discussion surrounding issues of gender and education. The two campaigns that have been publicised most widely in the Equality Group’s newsletter relate to teenage relationship abuse and body image. Continue reading “Gender in Education: Launch of New Resources for Use in Schools”
LGBTQ Resources and Schooling
In the first initiative of its kind in Australia, the Victorian Government has provided $80,000 to the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria (SSCV), a partnership between Rainbow Network Victoria and the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA). Continue reading “LGBTQ Resources and Schooling”
YWCA (England & Wales) becomes Platform 51
After 155 years The YWCA in England & Wales has recently re-launched itself as Platform 51. The 51 is intended to indicate that women and girls make up 51% of the UK population. Continue reading “YWCA (England & Wales) becomes Platform 51”
Made in Dagenham: Made for Feminist Discussion in Schools?
This month has seen the release of the hotly debated film Made in Dagenham. This is a film which recalls the events surrounding the 1968 strike by the women sewing machinists at the Ford plant in Dagenham, London. The film was produced by Stephen Wooley and Elizabeth Karlsen in conjunction with BBC films and was directed by Nigel Cole (also known for his direction of the popular film ‘Calendar Girls’). At a recent London Feminist Network screening of the film, the film’s producers Wooley and Karlsen claim that the original idea for the film was first developed over four years ago. However, they explain that the film was unsuccessful in gaining funding at this time because there appeared to be very little interest in feminism or on issues relating to equal pay. Continue reading “Made in Dagenham: Made for Feminist Discussion in Schools?”