This could be the century of women

Are you by any chance called James or John? If so, then you may have won the lottery of life. The number of chief executives of US Fortune 500 companies called James exceeds the number of chief executives who are women.

And according to research for the New York Times, the number of top CEOs who are called John and the number who are women are roughly the same.

In Britain feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez estimates that the number of statues in public places in Britain of men called John exceeds that of all women put together.

If statues of Queen Victoria are discounted then only three per cent of public statues in Britain celebrate the achievements of women.

Half the population are significantly under-represented in business boardrooms and on public plinths – indeed, anywhere power resides

It does not take a mathematical genius to work out that half the population are not only significantly under-represented in business boardrooms and on public plinths but also in the UK Parliament and American Congress; indeed, anywhere power resides.

As Wendy L. Rouse details in Her Own Hero: The Origins of The Women’s Self-Defense Movement, such stories were becoming almost common at the dawn of the twentieth century. A rise in women’s employment and social independence coincided with increased immigration, which led to a confluence of racist and sexist anxieties that left white upper and middle class Americans with a discomfiting awareness of their bodily vulnerability. With Teddy Roosevelt, a devotee of muscular feats, serving as president, a newly physical, newly public life was promoted, and urban media outlets obligingly documented the remarkable confrontations that ensued—many of them involving women beating off their would-be attackers.  The individual triumphs described in Her Own Hero are the sort of satisfying stories that would go hugely viral today. One Washington heiress hated Roosevelt so much that she committed to replicating every physical feat the president bragged about, including “riding a relay of fast horses several hundred miles,” just to spite him. In 1905 Harlem, while an impromptu gathering of onlookers cheered, a 95-pound Japanese American woman downed an assailant, twice. (The man was later revealed to be “a prominent athlete and boxer,” and a court sided in her favor against him.) A year later, also in New York, an 18-year-old punched a man several times in the face after he followed her on the street, and in Nebraska, in 1913, a woman stabbed a man with a hat pin because he pinched her arm and called her “some cute chicken.”

It’s curious to read stories like this and feel something akin to envy, but these sorts of displays aren’t as common today—I can only dream of waking up tomorrow morning to read about a petite woman on the sidewalk throwing a man into a rack of Citibikes. But aside from these flares of highly physical girl power, Her Own Hero’s century-old moment looks a lot like our own. For instance, the era’s intense public and official fixation on the alleged threats posed by immigrants and men of color belied the fact that “native-born Anglo men were the primary perpetrators of harassment and violence against women on the streets.” Unremarked upon by most newspapers and politicians was the fact that the workplace was far more dangerous for women, with their own homes more dangerous still. In 1905 Chicago, sixty-seven percent of recorded female murder  victims were killed at home or at work. (Fast forward to 2015: Homicide was the second most common cause of death for women in the workplace across the United States.) Then as now, women were most at risk of harm from men they knew. Just ask little Lillian with the fractured skull and fingernails full of her family friend’s skin.

As the New York Times put it: “Fewer Republican senators are women than men named John - despite the fact that Johns represent 3.3 per cent of the population while women represent 50.8 per cent. Fewer Democratic governors are women than men named John. And fewer women directed the top-grossing 100 films last year than men named Michael and James combined.”

At this point a (probably male) reader might argue that there are plenty of prominent and successful women in the world. In Britain the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, is, of course, a woman. So is the British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and the former First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster. Nevertheless, the facts of under-representation in positions of power speak for themselves.

Over the past couple of years, Ms Criado Perez hit the headlines in Britain with very successful campaigns to recognise women who have played an important role in Britain’s cultural life.

One was the novelist Jane Austen. Thanks to Ms Criado Perez, Austen now has her face on a British £10 note.

Another campaign celebrated Millicent Fawcett, who fought more than a century ago for women’s right to vote. This right was finally extended to all British women over the age of 21 in 1928. A couple of months ago, Fawcett’s statue was unveiled in Parliament Square, central London. She has become the first woman to be celebrated there, among male worthies including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Benjamin Disraeli, Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. The statue bears one of her most famous phrases: “Courage calls to courage everywhere”.

There are encouraging signs for women in other countries too. Saudi Arabia has moved to allow women to drive and taken measures gradually to change elements of more conservative culture. We should support the reforms and praise them when they happen because changing cultural traditions is one of the most difficult steps for any society to take.

In the US and western Europe, the MeToo movement has exposed the fact that sexual harassment of women by powerful men has been an abominable but common practice for years, especially in politics and the entertainment industries.

That culture is now, thankfully, changing too but it will be a long fight. A friend of mine, for example, is among a number of women trying to change the ethos of British universities to ensure the harassment she herself suffered years ago is not repeated for the female students of today.

The writer has extensively covered gender issues

 

This could be the century of women

Are you by any chance called James or John? If so, then you may have won the lottery of life. The number of chief executives of US Fortune 500 companies called James exceeds the number of chief executives who are women. And according to research for the New York Times, the number of top CEOs who are called John and the number who are women are roughly the same. In Britain feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez estimates that the number of statues in public places in Britain of men called John exceeds that of all women put together. If statues of Queen Victoria are discounted then only three per cent of public statues in Britain celebrate the achievements of women. Half the population are significantly under-represented in business boardrooms and on public plinths indeed, anywhere power resides It does not take a mathematical genius to work out that half the population are not only significantly under-represented in business boardrooms and on public plinths but also in the UK Parliament and American Congress; indeed, anywhere power resides. As Wendy L. Rouse details in Her Own Hero: The Origins of The Womens Self-Defense Movement, such stories were becoming almost common at the dawn of the twentieth century. A rise in womens employment and social independence coincided with increased immigration, which led to a confluence of racist and sexist anxieties that left white upper and middle class Americans with a discomfiting awareness of their bodily vulnerability. With Teddy Roosevelt, a devotee of muscular feats, serving as president, a newly physical, newly public life was promoted, and urban media outlets obligingly documented the remarkable confrontations that ensuedmany of them involving women beating off their would-be attackers. The individual triumphs described in Her Own Hero are the sort of satisfying stories that would go hugely viral today. One Washington heiress hated Roosevelt so much that she committed to replicating every physical feat the president bragged about, including riding a relay of fast horses several hundred miles, just to spite him. In 1905 Harlem, while an impromptu gathering of onlookers cheered, a 95-pound Japanese American woman downed an assailant, twice. (The man was later revealed to be a prominent athlete and boxer, and a court sided in her favor against him.) A year later, also in New York, an 18-year-old punched a man several times in the face after he followed her on the street, and in Nebraska, in 1913, a woman stabbed a man with a hat pin because he pinched her arm and called her some cute chicken. Its curious to read stories like this and feel something akin to envy, but these sorts of displays arent as common todayI can only dream of waking up tomorrow morning to read about a petite woman on the sidewalk throwing a man into a rack of Citibikes. But aside from these flares of highly physical girl power, Her Own Heros century-old moment looks a lot like our own. For instance, the eras intense public and official fixation on the alleged threats posed by immigrants and men of color belied the fact that native-born Anglo men were the primary perpetrators of harassment and violence against women on the streets. Unremarked upon by most newspapers and politicians was the fact that the workplace was far more dangerous for women, with their own homes more dangerous still. In 1905 Chicago, sixty-seven percent of recorded female murder victims were killed at home or at work. (Fast forward to 2015: Homicide was the second most common cause of death for women in the workplace across the United States.) Then as now, women were most at risk of harm from men they knew. Just ask little Lillian with the fractured skull and fingernails full of her family friends skin. As the New York Times put it: Fewer Republican senators are women than men named John - despite the fact that Johns represent 3.3 per cent of the population while women represent 50.8 per cent. Fewer Democratic governors are women than men named John. And fewer women directed the top-grossing 100 films last year than men named Michael and James combined. At this point a (probably male) reader might argue that there are plenty of prominent and successful women in the world. In Britain the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, is, of course, a woman. So is the British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and the former First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster. Nevertheless, the facts of under-representation in positions of power speak for themselves. Over the past couple of years, Ms Criado Perez hit the headlines in Britain with very successful campaigns to recognise women who have played an important role in Britains cultural life. One was the novelist Jane Austen. Thanks to Ms Criado Perez, Austen now has her face on a British 10 note. Another campaign celebrated Millicent Fawcett, who fought more than a century ago for womens right to vote. This right was finally extended to all British women over the age of 21 in 1928. A couple of months ago, Fawcetts statue was unveiled in Parliament Square, central London. She has become the first woman to be celebrated there, among male worthies including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Benjamin Disraeli, Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. The statue bears one of her most famous phrases: Courage calls to courage everywhere. There are encouraging signs for women in other countries too. Saudi Arabia has moved to allow women to drive and taken measures gradually to change elements of more conservative culture. We should support the reforms and praise them when they happen because changing cultural traditions is one of the most difficult steps for any society to take. In the US and western Europe, the MeToo movement has exposed the fact that sexual harassment of women by powerful men has been an abominable but common practice for years, especially in politics and the entertainment industries. That culture is now, thankfully, changing too but it will be a long fight. A friend of mine, for example, is among a number of women trying to change the ethos of British universities to ensure the harassment she herself suffered years ago is not repeated for the female students of today. The writer has extensively covered gender issues