Home / Women in Focus / Key debates / All articles

All articles - Women in Focus


One girl explains sexual objectification in the best way possible. Now we’re angry.

It's a sickening fact but sexual objectification is everywhere. But it's got so bad that most of us don't even realise when it's happening. It's affecting our relationships, our...

She's back! The Evolution of Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is arguably the most famous super heroine of all time. With her badass attitude, her hot and healthy body, not to mention all her cool toys, she is the one character...

WATCH: How the Media Failed Women in 2013

2013 seems to have been a great year for the representation of women in the media. It has seen the young activist Malala Yousafzai named as Time’s most influential person of the year...

Sexist comments? Save it. Here's the best ball-busting comebacks ever

Last week @EverydaySexism asked their Twitter followers to tweet out their best responses to sexist comments and seriously, they're so good we want to give them a medal. We've...

Jamelia is the face of Avon UK’s ‘Shine Light and Speak Out’ against domestic violence campaign

A shocking one in four women suffer from domestic abuse in the UK, which is a statistic that desperately needs changing. In light of this, beauty brand Avon UK and singer-songwriter...

Girls in engineering: New badass advert by GoldieBlox encourages girls to get engineering

Move over Lily Allen, there’s a new feminist video in town. A badass ad campaign by GoldieBlox aims to get more young girls into engineering while taking down a hella load of...

Just one dose of HPV vaccination may be enough

A new study has great implications for women around the world, especially those in developing countries. Just one dose of the HPV vaccine Cervarix could be enough to protect women...

How sexist are we in 2013? Turns out very...Google suggest shows sexist search terms

You might assume that the idea that women should vote, work, or have rights is, you know, obvious - but think again. If you really want to know how much of a sexist place the...

Is Downton Abbey's ‘graphic’ rape storyline at all justified?

Ever since late Sunday night, Downton Abbey has hit the headlines. Around 10 million viewers were shocked as living room favourite, Lady’s maid Anna May Bates (Joanne Froggatt)...

The girl effect: Investing in girls for the future

We've all heard of girl power, but what about the girl effect? This is a declaration for the rights of girls which is being presented to the UN secretary-general this Friday,...

New laws to make revenge porn illegal?

Break ups are hard enough as it is, but they’re especially traumatic if you have an angry ex who is gunning for revenge and isn't afraid to share intimate pictures of you with...

No More Page 3! The story so far...

Fed up of seeing boobs in newspapers? Us too. Which is why we've been fully supporting the No More Page 3 campaign. Since it launched last summer they've had over 119,000 signatures...

Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' banned by universities for undermining women

Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines is definitely an opinion splitter. Whether you think it was the tune of the summer or a slap in the face of feminism one thing's for sure, everyone's...

The top ten funniest feminist videos ever

Feminism doesn’t have to be all straight-faced seriousness. Sometimes it can be more powerful to put a point across by tickling your funny bone rather than by being told off –...

Robin Thicke Blurred Lines parody banned for indecency?! Oh the irony.

We're not gonna lie. We find Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines video to be a piece of complete sexist crap - the naked version and the mainstream version. But we're failing to understand...

No nipples please - we're Irish: The Irish Sun bins boobs on Page 3 (sort of)!

In a decision that has shocked us all, The Sun in Ireland has chosen to take out the bare boobs on Page 3. After a lot of campaigning from ‘No More Page 3’, thousands of signatures...

Top of the Lake: Intelligent female-fronted television

When you turn on the TV nine times out of ten you’ll be watching a sexy leading lady. That’s of course IF there are any female leading ladies to begin with. But that’s something...

Paid time off for your period…huh?

We’ll skip pass the various red paint/wave euphemisms (even though there are ALWAYS new laughs to be had there) and get right to it. Having your period is a pain in the ovaries...

The name game: Why did J.K. Rowling use a male pen name?

J.K Rowling was publicly outed as the author of the brilliant detective thriller The Cuckoo’s Calling. It was revealed that what was at first believed to be a modestly successful...

Porn Sex vs. Real Sex: Sex Myths Busted

If you've ever had sex and watched porn then you'll probably be aware there are some BIG differences (how's that for an innuendo?). Thankfully the guys at KB Creative Lab have...

Lads' Mags ultimatum: Cover up or be taken down

As of today, one of the UK’s biggest supermarket franchises, The Co-op, has given Lads' Mags a deadline of 6 weeks to cover up or get off their shelves. With David Cameron’s war...

Victory for women on banknotes campaign! Jane Austen to be on £10 note

Today, due to the major success of the campaign ‘Bank of England: Keep a woman on English banknotes’ on Change.org, The Bank of England will announce that Jane Austen will be...

Haifaa Al-Mansour director of WADJDA chats to sofeminine

WADJDA is a ground-breaking film for many reasons. It’s the first full-length feature from Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al-Mansour, the Kingdom’s first female filmmaker and it’s...

Malala Yousafzai: End the Education Emergency

Remember Malala Yousafzai? She’s pretty hard to forget, last year she was the girl who took on the Taliban and, by some form of miracle, won. She’s recently been named as one...

Fewer UK women are changing their name after marriage - would you?

Women in the UK are increasingly refusing to take their husband’s name after marriage research shows. In a study by conducted Facebook, of their 33 million UK users, a third of...

This Is What Barbie Would Look Like If She Was Based On A Real Woman

Most of us know that looking like a Barbie doll just isn’t going to happen in the real world…unless you’re pumped full of plastic of course. But new photos of what the average...

Ireland begins controversial two-week debate on "inhumane" abortion law

It made headlines and sent shockwaves around the world when Savita Halappanavar tragically died in Ireland last October. Just 17 weeks pregnant with her first child, the dentist...

Riot-inducing 'Sluts of Gothenburg' Instagramers forced to pay damages

In what could be a new victory against cyber-bullying, two teenage girls in Sweden have been jailed and ordered to pay damages to victims of their ‘Slut Shaming’ page that sparked...

MP Caroline Lucas told to cover up during debate on the No More Page Three Campaign

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas was today ordered to cover up during a debate on media sexism and the No More Page Three Campaign. The MP was called upon by the Chairman to adhere...

Should sex and relationships education be compulsory?

Today marks the start of a five-day mega campaign by No More Page 3 and Everyday Sexism (and others), to try and make relationships and sex education compulsory learning in schools...

India target "underdressed" shop mannequins in anti-rape effort

India’s latest initiative against rape? To ban the display of bikini-clad mannequins in shops in Mumbai. The proposal, which is supported by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation...

The rise of the male feminist: Why men are finally embracing the F-word

Anyone notice the sea level rising? It could be global warming yes, but another reason might be the icy attitudes towards feminism are starting to thaw, and now more than ever...

Lose the Lad's Mags campaign

This weekend in an open letter to The Guardian, 11 of the nation’s top lawyers and infamous Women’s groups Object! and UK Feminista showcased their new campaign, ‘Lose the Lad's Mags’...

Is Change.org the way for women to be heard

If you’re not happy about something you change it right? That’s why women in their thousands have been signing their way to equality through the UK’s largest e-petition site change...

Slut shaming: Girls, are we really OK about having sex?

If we asked if you’ve ever called someone a slut - despite the fact you’d quite like the right to sleep with whoever you like yourself - the chances are that you have. Slut shaming...

Life As A Dominatrix: Meet The Real-Life Christian Grey

When you think of a dominatrix what do you think of? Black leather catsuits, whips, chains and an old Etonian boy being spanked? Well, actually, that’s not always the case. We...

Everyday sexism

Have you ever walked down the street and been wolf whistled by a pervy guy? Has a waiter ever given the bill to your boyfriend even though you asked for it? Everyday sexism: Tell...

Women's issues in American politics: 1988 - 2008

Women have been campaigning for equal rights in America since the mid 1800's. The right to vote was brought in as early as 1893 in some states but there is yet to be a female...

Do lads mags make men hostile to women?

Harmless banter or the stuff of sexism? Lads mags are something that every teenage boy and young man dabbles with, flicking through the pages of Loaded, FHM and Nuts can seem...

Three women win Nobel Peace Prize 2011

This year's Nobel Peace Prize 2011 has been awarded to three pacifist activists and defenders of women's rights: Three women win Nobel Peace Prize 2011 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,...

Topless campaign for women's right to bare all

Go Topless campaign We're all for equality but we had to raise an eyebrow when we heard topless LA 'feminists' revealed all at Venice Beach, as part of their campaign to sunbathe...

Fair trade

The term 'fair trade' has been around for several years now: fair trade coffee, clothing, bananas, etc... most of us know a bit about the products but not a lot about the principles...