The Future Of European Feminism

European Alternatives conducts a regular strand of research into feminism and gender relations across Europe, and the opportunities that might arise from a pan-European approach to such issues. Our work includes the commissioning and publication of regular articles, as well as the organisation of conferences and special events, such as the 2008 European Feminist Summit, held in London in March 2008.

EUROPEAN FEMINIST SUMMIT – 15th MARCH, LONDON

On the 15th of March, as part of the 2009 London Festival of Europe, we organised a European Feminist Summit in Hampstead Town Hall, London. Here is a brief report from the event. Alternatively you can also download a PDF of the European Feminist Summit - Download Here

Where this project began

Let us introduce a bit about ourselves, the organisers of the European Feminist Summit (EFS) and members of the European Alternatives Project Board. We’re four friends, from four different countries (France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Canada), who studied urban planning together in London. Perhaps not the most obvious characters to end up organising a European Feminist Summit, but it seemed quite natural at the time!

The idea for the Summit came originally from an interest in upping the feminist content and gender balance of the existing London Festival of Europe programme. We all agreed that many of the ongoing discussions about ‘Europe’ could use more of a gender lens, that the impact of EU-level gender mainstreaming was debatable, and that highlighting feminist voices working on current issues at the crossroads of ‘Europe’ and feminism would be an excellent way to stimulate some interest and awareness in these issues.

As we got down to the business of deciding on themes for this year’s event, we had many heated and exciting brainstorming sessions. As you know if you attended the event, we finally agreed to an overarching interest in intergenerational feminisms and dialogue, and two specific themes, media/art and sexuality, and business/ politics and policy.

The event itself was charged with the kind of energy you get from gathering a bunch of people who perhaps don’t often come together, to discuss topics from points of view not always familiar, or compatible, or even easy to agree with, but which certainly stimulate discussion and thought.

We very much enjoyed the event and the charged discussions that it encouraged and we hope you got something out of it as well.

You can visit the London Festival of Europe’s journal, Europa Click Here

Also check out the related video and articles below.

Even visit our brand new blog Click Here for follow up content from the March 2008 Summit (including photos, video, audio) and info on future events!

Warmly,

Ségolène Pruvot, Federica Ambrosini, Anne Koeman and Shandi Miller

Gender Equality

Gender equality in Europe is about more than statistics. It is about changing perceptions and stereotypes.
This article follows the International Feminist Summit recently organised by European Alternatives in London.

Where are all the European Feminists?

Every European government and institution is committed to equality, but yet discrimination remains.
European Alternatives launches its Future of European Feminism...

SUMMIT OVERVIEW

Alexandrine Guyard Nedelec and Federica Ambrosini

Opening plenary:

Speakers in the joint opening session underlined the importance of understanding the history of past and present feminist issues and timelines of change, some discussed Europe as an ideological space and raised issues linked to migration and identity, and others analysed women’s participation in executive positions and introduced some of the lobbying activities organised for gender equality at European level. From this broad foundation, the audience moved into one of two workshops: Sexualisation in the arts and media, and Feminist engagement in the world of politics and business.

Workshop 1: Sexualisation in the arts and media

Rosalind Gill opened this session, which was dedicated to sexualisation in media. Using a number of images taken from recent advertisements, Rosalind argued that we live in a society that expects women to concentrate on their sexual attractiveness rather than on their capabilities and actual potentials. She explained how women are seen as passive objects rather than as having an active role.

A lively debate arose from her talk. The audience agreed on the role that media have on creating role models that are only about beauty, youth and attractiveness. They analysed the current media domain and expressed real concern about the impact that such imposed role models have on younger generations.

Claire Fox closed the first session with a talk on free speech and censorship in which she stated that the language and censorship used by feminists had sometimes incited abusive actions rather than promoting dialogue and paving the way towards equality. Claire aimed to provoke the audience and suggest an alternative approach to the subject, and there is no doubt that she managed to stimulate a very animated and controversial debate. The audience initially ignited against Claire’s statements in favour to freedom of speech/images, particularly as this argument had followed Rosalind’s presentation against the supersexualisation of women. However, with more debate opinions split. Some audience members disagreed strongly with Claire’s speech and advocated a restrictive approach to censorship; other members of the audience appreciated Claire’s provocation and approached the topic from new points of view including the role of education and importance of critical thinking.

The second section focused on sexualisation in the arts. Contrary to the previous session where general topics were explored, these two speakers illustrated their personal experiences in the audiovisual and art worlds.

Claudia Pampinella presented the experience of L’Altravista, an Italian company created by a group of women working in the audiovisual/communication market. Claudia illustrated the subjective/feminine approach that L’Altravista take in their work and how this has helped them to win prizes and attract new work. However, she also explained some of the struggles of working in a very male-dominated field.

Mo Thorpe concluded the workshop showing an example of her work as an artist (the video ‘Love Stories’) and speaking about her experience in the Feminisms and Subjectivity Research Group at the Chelsea College of Art. Mo explored the issue of identity as a result of more interactive relationships between artist/writers/artwork and viewer.

The discussion that followed these two talks was about further understanding the work of the speakers and the perceptions the wider public may have of their ‘subjective’ approaches.

Workshop 2: Politics and Business

In this workshop, different kinds of state intervention were put forward, then the specificities of women’s input were discussed, and a number of controversial ideas finally triggered passionate questions from the audience.

Heleen Mees presented the paradoxical situation of the Netherlands, where feminism appears to be engaged in a power struggle with traditional values, and where flexible work and social benefits have had unexpected gendered consequences. Second, Teresa Rees focused on the lack of women in top jobs in Europe as a result of drop-outs and the glass ceiling; she looked at three models to achieve gender equality, namely equal treatment, gender mainstreaming and transparency. Nima Sanandaji then examined the situation in Sweden, where he claims feminism is intellectually strong, but weak as regards policy making; he made the case for a free, competitive market benefiting women. Last but not least, Peter Tatchell promoted queer liberation as a way of ending oppression and subjugation by putting an end to the aggressiveness emerging from culturally conditioned macho values and therefore as a possibility of emancipating the whole of humanity.

In terms of intervention, the papers presented different views, which ranged from minimalist intervention as in the US, to the equality duties imposed upon public bodies by the European legislation, or to the double-edged consequences of welfare benefits, as in the Netherlands. It goes without saying that positive action was part of the debate, with its pros and cons, and questions centred on its usefulness and impact. It was stressed that feminism should adopt a positive attitude, as everyone agreed that negative criticism alone couldn’t help move these debates forward. The importance of legislation was also discussed—it was argued that current frameworks put all the burden of childcare onto women instead of developing fathers’ rights, which would enable a more equal share of childcare responsibilities.

Speakers and audience enquired whether women participated in the business and political spheres in a distinct way and how perception and practice have changed since the previous generation. Involving more women in top and managerial positions thus appeared as a way of advancing another conception of work, consisting of a better work-life balance.

Controversy sparked around several issues. It was questioned whether feminism had to be on the side of seriousness or on that of fun – should feminism consider organising festive meetings a top priority, or should it on the contrary focus on more sober topics such as economy and politics? The influence of the free market on women workers and entrepreneurs on the one hand and of extensive protection by welfare states on the other one were analysed in terms of the incentive they provide to get women to work and participate in an active way in society. Discussion was thus at its height, considering whether leftwing or rightwing ideas and policies were more likely to further women’s issues or hold them back, and the participants deliberated on the assets and weaknesses of the private and public sectors. The most heated discussion revolved around the issue of genetics and around the dangers linked to the interpretation of scientific studies, which can often lead to blind determinism.

In the end..

There is no doubt the European Feminist Summit met its goal of stimulating debate. In a nutshell, the workshops demonstrated that feminism is alive and well, and that there is scope for debate between ‘generations’ of feminists, as well as between differing streams within feminism. Diverging opinions seem divisive at first glance, but can be credited with triggering constructive dialogue between feminists, and among society at large.

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