All Feminists Are Under Attack’: Ultra-right Threat in Milei’s Argentina Forces Writer into Exile

THE GUARDIAN: The new president’s rightwing supporters are targeting journalists and women’s rights activists – but the fight goes on

Female journalists who write about gender issues say they are having to deal with a toxic wave of threats against them in Argentina. Some are fighting back, others are lying low and one has gone into self-imposed exile for her safety.

“We are facing a witch-hunt from the ultra-right,” said the author, journalist and activist Luciana Peker, who recently left Argentina for an undisclosed location due to the weight of threats against her.

Argentina became the largest Latin American nation legalise abortion in 2020, but its newly elected far-right libertarian president, Javier Milei, campaigned to overturn the law saying he would call a referendum on it if necessary. » | Uki Goñi | Monday, January 8, 2024

China’s Male Leaders Signal to Women That Their Place Is in the Home

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Communist Party’s solution to the country’s demographic crisis and a slowing economy is to push women back into traditional roles.

At China’s top political gathering for women, it was mostly a man who was seen and heard.

Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, sat center stage at the opening of the National Women’s Congress. A close-up of him at the Congress was splashed on the front page of the Chinese Communist Party’s newspaper the next day. From the head of a large round table, Mr. Xi lectured female delegates at the closing meeting on Monday.

“We should actively foster a new type of marriage and childbearing culture,” he said in a speech, adding that it was the role of party officials to influence young people’s views on “love and marriage, fertility and family.”

The Women’s Congress, held every five years, has long been a forum for the ruling Communist Party to demonstrate its commitment to women. The gesture, while mostly symbolic, has taken on more significance than ever this year, the first time in two decades that there are no women in the party’s executive policymaking body.

What was notable was how officials downplayed gender equality. They focused instead on using the gathering to press Mr. Xi’s goal for Chinese women: get married and have babies. In the past, officials had touched on the role women play at home as well as in the work force. But in this year’s address, Mr. Xi made no mention of women at work. » | Alexandra Stevenson | Thursday, November 2, 2023

I should like to draw your attention to the fact that I have been saying this for a very long time. In fact, I recently stated something similar on this very blog. Allow me to restate it here:

“Western women need to start giving birth again. They need to start making babies instead of making careers. Feminism lies at the root of so many of our problems in Western societies. – © Mark Alexander” – Mark Alexander, October 28, 2023

Clearly, Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party have similar ideas and solutions for their own demographic problems. Fact is, far too few babies are being born in the West and in the East too. This was bound to manifest itself as a huge problem in time. Women cannot be both career girls and procreating, fertile mothers. It is either one or the other.

It is an economic fact of life that industry and commerce require sufficient labour. Regardless of technological advancement, this will always be so.

Politicians, especially on those on the right of the political spectrum, talk incessantly about the need for economic growth. This is quite understandable. However, what is not easy to understand is that they talk about economic growth as though it were simply a consequence of a reduction in taxation for the CEOs at the top. But it is not. What these politicians fail to understand is that without sufficient labour, CEOs, however clever and however entrepreneurial, cannot turn a profit at all!

Consider a colony of bees! There is the queen bee and then there are the worker bees. And so it is for humans, too. Where would companies be without the workers? And where do the workers come from when all women are out working?

To solve that, there is but ONE solution. We have to bring them in from abroad. And that is precisely what we have been doing for decades. But we should all know by now that bringing in foreigners by the drove can cause friction in societies, simply because immigration brings with it people entering the country with different religious backgrounds. When people have different religious backgrounds, they naturally have different values. Their aims, goals and ideas of how to live vary, often considerably, from those of the indigenous population's. Fact is, immigration should be allowed in proportion to the size of the country and the size of the indigenous population. If these principles are not adhered to, thre will be trouble ahead.

A German polician for whom I had the greatest respect and admiration was the late German Chancellor, Helmut Schmidt. He spoke clearly about the dangers of immigration. In fact, it was only yesterday that I placed a #short up of his words on this very blog. For those who speak German, please click here. One of the things I so admired about Helmut Schmidt was that he was unafraid to uttter uncomfortable truths.

So, in summary, Xi Jinping and his Communist Party are absolutely right about this: society should start re-thinking the role of women in society. It is more important that a woman be productive giving birth than it is for her to be productive in the workplace. Men can run offices and businesses; but men cannot give birth to babies. – © Mark Alexander

A Current Affairs - Pauline Hanson Is Back and She's Making Some Noise

Pat Condell: Women Defend Yourselves

Feminist Whores For Islam

Is This the Best that Canada Can Kick up for PM? Pathetic! Embrace Feminism to Improve Decision-making, Says Justin Trudeau

Canadian prime minister uses platform at World Economic Forum in Davos to stress importance of gender equality in politics and business

Read the Guardian article here

Are Female Converts to Islam Part of a New Wave of Feminism?
THE INDEPENDENT: You’d think after watching BBC Three’s Make me a Muslim documentary, being a female convert to Islam is so riddled with fault lines. Not really. My recent interviews with Muslim converts offered a rare glimpse into the lives of three women who would flatly reject such comparisons. And they’re all buzzing with spiritual ecstasy, retelling what caused them to halal-ify their wardrobes and Islamise dress codes.

“Being Muslim keeps me from wanting to impress others and gives me more personal confidence,” says Chantelle, a 19-year-old convert from Hackney. Today, she goes by the name Khadija, as a sign of respect for Muhammad’s first wife and insists there’s more to British women trading bare midriffs for abayas than what meets the eye. “I wear the hijab because I want to. Because it’s between me and Allah. It’s not a fashion statement. Yes, I don’t go to clubs and don’t sleep around. It gives me a comfort which I know so many of my friends would love to have.” » | Hasnet Lais | Friday, February 08, 2013

The Church has a hell of a lot to answer for. Church leaders have abandoned their purpose, have abandoned their raison d’être. Namely, the preaching of the Gospel, which states that there is no salvation but through Jesus Christ. Instead, they have taken rôles as left-wing political activists. And this is the result: People looking to other faiths for their spiritual sustenance. How stupid and traitorous the Church has been! The Protestant Church has been defiled by the progressives. Little wonder there is a mass exodus from mainline Protestant Christianity. Many Catholics are converting to Islam because of disillusion. Catholics have a lot to answer for too. In a Western society where women have to look to Islam for spiritual sustenance, there is a deep underlying problem. That problem is NOT being addressed. And with current leadership, it won’t be. Expect to read about more Christian converts to Islam! – © Mark

Feminists Betray Islamic Women
HUFF POST – THE BLOG: Last week, Afghan girl Mah Gul was beheaded on the instruction of family because she rejected prostitution. Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head by Pakistani Taliban gunmen in the Swat Valley because she campaigned for women's secular education. Absence of outrage by Muslim leaders is shameful, but why are so many Western feminists silent?

In Swat, the Pakistani Taliban systematically restricted girls' education. During 2008, they destroyed about 150 private schools and converted others into madrassas, or religious seminaries. Government schools were closed down, teachers murdered, acid was thrown on to the faces of schoolgirls and several officials were beheaded.

A local Islamist leader explained: "Female education is against Islamic teachings and spreads vulgarity in society."

The attack on Malala and two companions on a school bus has shocked Pakistan, especially in view of the bloody war in Swat fought by the army in 2009 to unseat the Taliban and enforce national law. In Pakistan, more than half the adult population is illiterate and in rural Sindh and Balochistan, femaleliteracy rates are less than 2 percent. "Honor killings," bartering of women for land and animals, domestic violence and rape are endemic.

Many intellectual feminists value cultural practice, but as Afghan women's rights activist Sima Samar asserted, this respect does not apply to traditions that oppress women and violate human rights. Some feminists have joined an unholy alliance with political Islam, disregarding the oppression of women and homosexuals in favor of overarching aims to rid the world of colonialism, neo-colonialism and capitalism. Read on and comment » | Ida Lichter *, M.D. | Wednesday, October 24, 2012

*Author, 'Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression'

Hillary Clinton Launches Tirade Against 'Whining' Women

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has launched a tirade against "whining" women who complain about the difficulty of balancing family and work commitments.

Despite a lifetime advocating women's rights, the US Secretary of State showed little patience with other mothers who struggle to juggle the dual roles demanded by modern life.

'I can't stand whining," she told Marie Claire magazine. "I can't stand the kind of paralysis that some people fall into because they're not happy with the choices they've made.

"You live in a time when there are endless choices ... Money certainly helps, and having that kind of financial privilege goes a long way. But you don't even have to have money for it. But you have to work on yourself ... Do something!" » | Alex Spillius | Friday, October 19, 2012

My comment:

Might the world be a better place today if Hillary had decided to stay home and bake cookies for Bill? Just pondering. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Vatican Rebukes US Nuns for 'Feminist Themes'
An umbrella organisation representing over 80 per cent of US nuns has earned a sharp rebuke from the Vatican for "serious doctrinal problems" and the prevalence of "radical feminist themes" in their work. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, has come under fire by Rome for among other things, staying "silent" amid what the Catholic Church called a "lively debate" over the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage in the United States. The views of the organisation, including the ordination of female priests, goes against the views taken by Bishops, whom the church called "authentic teachers of faith and morals". Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey reports from New York City.

Chávez Wins Venezuelan Women's Hearts
Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, continues to enjoy high popularity among the nation's women, as thousands vote for him and carry his message of socialism to the masses. For 13 years now, Chávez has been able to count on the support of working class women, most notably, in 2002 when they marched for his safe return during a failed coup against him. The socialist leader's female constituency say its because Chávez includes them in the decisions that most affect their lives. At 70 per cent, the majority of representatives on Venezuela's communal councils are women, and the Chávez government funds over 3,400 female-run kitchens that each feed up to 100 women and children per day. Though his supporters say Chávez's initiatives show that feminism and socialism go hand-in-hand, his critics say the Venezuelan president's overtures to women are merely political ploys for continued support. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from Petare.

Rowan Williams: Fixation with Gay Rights, Race and Feminism Threatens Society

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A fixation with gay rights, feminism and separate racial identities is threatening to “fragment” British society, the Archbishop of Canterbury has claimed.

Dr Rowan Williams warned that identity had become a “slippery” word and that, while much had been achieved for minority groups, it was time to focus on the common good.

He also attacked a culture of dependence on welfare handouts, which he said was harmful to society, in an address to members of the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.

Addressing a group of teenagers during the visit, he also spoke about the possibility that Britain could break apart as Scottish and Welsh nationalism grows in importance.

Dr Williams, who is stepping down as leader of the Anglican Communion later this year, has made a series of outspoken interventions since announcing his resignation.

He signalled last week that he plans to use his final months in office to speak out forcefully on issues which on which he feels passionate. » | John Bingham | Religious Affairs Editor | Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Feminist Group Take Topless Protest to Davos
Ukrainian protest group Femen protest half-naked at Davos as they demand more female representatives at the World Economic Forum and on political bodies worldwide.

Read the short article here | Saturday, January 28, 2012

En Arabie saoudite, une féministe chez les Saoud

LE MONDE – LE MAGAZINE: EN COULISSES – La princesse saoudienne Amira plaide la cause des femmes dans son pays. Un engagement à portée limitée même si le roi vient de leur donner le droit de voter aux élections municipales.

Naguère, les princesses dispensaient leurs bienfaits par le biais de sociétés de charité, aujourd'hui, elles accèdent au ministère de la parole grâce à Twitter. L'Arabie saoudite s'est trouvé une égérie en la personne de la quatrième épouse du richissime prince Al-Walid Ben Talal Ben Abdelaziz Al-Saoud, Amira. Née en Arabie saoudite, diplômée en droit des affaires d'une université du Connecticut, cette princesse de 27 ans, très médiatisée, a été la première à se féliciter, sur Twitter, de l'annulation en septembre par le roi Abdallah d'une peine de dix coups de fouet prononcée à l'encontre d'une Saoudienne. Sa faute : avoir pris le volant dans un pays où une fatwa interdit aux femmes de conduire. … » | Gilles Paris | sans date

Ugly Female Candidates 'Repel Voters', Says Former Polish Prime Minister

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A former Polish prime minister has angered feminists by saying unattractive women candidates "repel voters", just weeks before the country's general election.

During a television interview Leszek Miller, once leader of the left-wing and officially pro-women Democratic Left Alliance, said parties should avoid fielding less-than-beautiful candidates.

"If the parties revolve around unattractive women, then this is something anachronistic and will repel voters," he said as Poles prepare to vote on the October 9 election.

The comment riled women, who have often complained that conservative and old-fashioned attitudes in Polish public life hold women back. » | Matthew Day, Warsaw | Wednesday, September 21, 2011

What Women Really Want: To Marry a Rich Man
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Women still want to marry men who are better educated and earn more money than them, a report finds today.

The idea that women dislike being financially dependent on men is a myth, with more choosing to “marry up” now than did so in the 1940s, according to Dr Catherine Hakim from the London School of Economics.

After decades of gender equality campaigning many women now find it hard to admit that they want to be a housewife more than they want a successful career of their own, she said.

The study comes after the Coalition announced a series of measures intended to narrow the pay gap between men and women.

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, said large companies could be forced to declare how much more they pay men and announced that firms would be able to use “positive action” to recruit new staff from under-represented groups for the first time.

However, Dr Hakim criticised David Cameron for backing the idea of quotas to ensure that more women gain seats on the boards of leading companies. Men dominate top positions because many women simply do not want long careers in business, she said.

Despite 40 years of reforms to promote gender equality at work, a woman’s financial dependence on a man “has lost none of its attractions”, she said. >>> Tim Ross, Social Affairs Editor | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

CENTRE FOR POLICY STUDIES: Feminist Myths and Magic Medicine: The flawed thinking behind calls for further equality legislation >>> Catherine Hakim

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH BLOGS: So the feminist man-haters and victim-mongers were wrong all along >>> Cristina Odone | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

German Feminist Calls Family Minister 'Hopeless' and 'Incompetent'
THE GUARDIAN: Alice S[c]hwarzer responds after her claim that heterosexual sex involves 'inevitable' subjugation of women was called 'absurd'

Germany's leading feminist campaigner and its minister for families, pensioners and women have locked horns over the role of feminism in relationships and the workplace, unsparingly attacking each other's views in a row that has escalated into a nationwide debate.

Alice Schwarzer, considered the country's foremost women's rights campaigner, labelled Kristina Schröder "hopeless" and "incompetent" after Schröder said she thought some of her views were wrong.

Schröder, 33, of the Christian Democratic union, was recruited by Angela Merkel and became the youngest woman ever in a German cabinet. She told Der Spiegel that she could not agree with certain views expressed by Schwarzer, including that "heterosexual sex was hardly possible without the subjugation of women".

Schröder said: "It's absurd to define something that is vital to the survival of humanity as subjugation." She said she was unconvinced by the feminist argument that rejecting heterosexual relationships in favour of homosexuality was a "solution to the disadvantage to women", and blamed boys' underperformance in school on the disproportionate number of female carers and teachers. She also rejected the idea of quotas to improve the standing of women in the workplace. >>> Kate Connolly in Berlin | Tuesday, November 9, 2010

World Ruled by Women Would Be a Better Place, Says Martin Amis
THE TELEGRAPH: Martin Amis has declared himself a feminist and claimed that the world would be a better place if every country was ruled by a woman like Angela Merkel.

The author singled out the German chancellor for particular praise as he called for a new era of female-dominated politics.

“I have a dream. I see a day when politics is feminised, where female values move into the public sphere in a way they haven't quite done yet,” he told the audience at the Telegraph Ways With Words literary festival.

“I think there have been 20 female heads of state since the Second World War – some by inheritance, some by widowhood.

"But they have all had to pretend they are tougher than men. That’s why Hillary Clinton said if Iran tries anything she will wipe them off the map. Margaret Thatcher was quite devoid of feminine qualities.

“In an imaginable future, the values of women will rise. I met Angela Merkel and I sensed with her that she did bring certain feminine qualities to bear on the political situation in Germany. I want every country to be ruled by an Angela Merkel.” >>> Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor | Monday, July 12, 2010

Let's Face Facts, the Burqa Is an Affront to Feminism
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Who knows the difference between ethics and morality? Belgium does, for one. Technically, there's not a lot in it. The dictionary makes ethics and morality synonyms, each relating to our cumulative attempts to tell right from wrong and act accordingly.

Aristotle's Ethics examines what it means to be good; for him, and many thinkers since, ethics and moral philosophy are one.

In everyday life, though, we tend to distinguish on a public-private basis. ''Morality'' tends to imply a code that is personal, often sexual and, just as often, religious in origin. ''Ethics'' meanwhile, denotes a public and generally secular amalgam of these values. The baked crust, if you will, atop the pie. Hence talk of professional and corporate ethics, ethical investing and, of course, ethics taught in religion's place in schools.

The St James Ethics Centre's chief, Simon Longstaff, argues similarly, defining ethics as ''a conversation . . . [on] the question, 'what ought one to do'?'' Moralities, he says - and he stresses the plural - are the voices in that conversation; one Jewish, one Christian, one Hindu, one Muslim and so on.

Ethics, in this sense, come into play where there is conflict between moralities, or between rules within a morality - as when the truth imperative cuts across kindness. >>> Elizabeth Farrelly | Thursday, May 13, 2010

French Feminist Warns Green Movement Forcing Women to Stay at Home
THE TELEGRAPH: Elisabeth Badinter, a leading French feminist, has warned the green movement is threatening decades of improvements in gender equality by forcing women to give up their jobs and become earth mothers.

Elisabeth Badinter: Mrs Badinter contends that this politically correct cabal is burdening mothers with intolerable guilt unless they stay at home and breast-feed for as long as possible. Photo: The Telegraph
Mrs Badinter claims a "holy reactionary alliance" of green politicians, breast-feeding militants, "back to nature" feminists and child psychologists is turning Frenchwomen into slaves to green "fads" like re-usable nappies and organic food.

In her new book, Conflit, la Femme et la Mere (Conflict, the Woman and the Mother), Mrs Badinter contends that this politically correct cabal is burdening mothers with intolerable guilt unless they stay at home and breast-feed for as long as possible.

Their perfect French mother, she writes, "breastfeeds for six months and doesn't put her baby in a crèche or not too early, because baby needs to be with mum and not in a nest of germs; she is wary of all things artificial and is ecologically-minded. The jar of baby food has become a sign of selfishness; we're back to the purée mashed by mum."

Women in childbirth are even made to feel that epidurals are wrong, she goes on, adding: "We don't need to bow down to nature."

Those who choose to stay at work or to not have children are ostracised.

"It's as if we were all female chimpanzees," says Mrs Badinter, 65, who is widely admired in France for her outspoken views. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Thursday, February 11, 2010

leJDD.fr: "J'accuse un certain féminisme réactionnaire" : Elisabeth Badinter dénonce, dans un livre à paraître cette semaine, la tyrannie de la maternité et les nouvelles contraintes qui pèsent sur les femmes d'aujourd'hui. >>> Marie-Christine Tabet | Dimanche 07 Février 2010