International Women's Day!

Famous teenage blogger Tavi demonstrating for abortion rights. (Source: Frl. Zucker)

For many links and statements on International Women's Day by others and myself*, please follow the jump... Trust me, it's worth it! ;)

*For that one you've got to scroll down a little after the jump.

First things first: Everybody, please check out the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the largest research project ever undertaken in children's entertainment on its own account. Founded by actress Geena Davis in 2007, the institute cooperates with the media industry to considerably increase the presence of female characters in programmes aimed at children and also to reduce stereotyping of both males and females. Says Geena Davis: "Girls need to see - from the beginning -- that our culture values them as much as boys. The absence of girls in kids' entertainment affects kids, to feel just that much less valuable as a girl, and that much less valuing of girls as a boy." If you like what they do, get involved and support positive change by taking one or more suggested steps. Alternatively, like them on Facebook and show your friends you care.

Cathrin Karras explains that Vietnamese women, according to a 500-year-old tradition, only have three tasks in life: To obey their fathers, to obey their husbands, and, in absence of either of those, to obey their oldest son. And albeit these values are still prevalent, slowly, but surely, Vietnamese women are gaining self-confidence.

A photography exhibition in Berlin entitled Beyond Re/Production: Mothering explores neo-liberalist dimensions of social reproduction (see photo below).

Photo: Source

Go tell yr friends I'm still a feminist: The new pink and orange Missy Magazine tote bags have arrived! At 5€ plus postage apiece, they're slightly cheaper than the current GCB collection (or here on Facebook). The black one with the pink heart is model 'Magda', named after Mädchenmannschaft-blogger Magda.

Egyptian blogger Eman Hashim posted a link to a post on feminist Mona Eltahawy's Twitter strategies. Mona was described by the author as 'one of the first true leaders of the Internet age'. Certainly worth a look!

When asked for my wishes for women in Germany by German daily die taz, I said:   

"Single mothers, especially those coming from an economically weak background, need more support. Like that, their children and also the women themselves could benefit from better education. There have to be more part-time jobs, equal pay, and of course more daycare facilities for children. German politics should be more committed to establishing online education. In the US, that kind of Open Education hasn't been playing an important role for nothing. In order to get more women to use these means, our government should assist us in strengthening female networks. Both online and offline!"

Quelle: taz.de. Hier geht's zum genannten eKiosk.

Kaddinsky hat ein paar spannende Links des Gunda-Werner-Instituts zum 100. internationalen Frauentag gesammelt.

Auch sammlerisch tätig war die taz, die 100 Frauen und deren Statements eine Sonderausgabe widmet (hier digital erhältlich). Bloggerinnen unter ihnen sind z.B. Nadine Lantzsch, Mercedes Bunz, Katrin Rönicke aka Kaddinsky und ich - siehe oben. [Achtung: Ich höre gerade, dass anscheinend nicht alle im Netz vertretenen Frauen auch in der Printausgabe sind; die Aussagen der Bloggerinnen (also auch meine) scheinen nur online sichtbar zu sein.]

Und schließlich braucht Julia Trulley noch Eure Hilfe: Die Studentin der Kommunikationswissenschaften an der WWU Münster führt im Rahmen ihrer Abschlussarbeit und passend zu unserem Thema von neulich eine Befragung über Frauenzeitschriften durch. Dauer: Ca. fünf Minuten gut investierte Zeit. Für Frauen und Männer.