Tag Archives: EDI in the News

Gender Equality, LGBT+

Boys in dresses?

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Last week John Lewis became the first UK retailer to abandon gender categories on their own-brand children’s clothing. Their head of children’s wear explained the decision, stating ““We do not want to reinforce gender stereotypes…and instead want to provide greater choice and variety to our customers.” Hoorah to that!

A quick Google search for ‘boys dresses’ to find a suitable picture for this post resulted only in what you see above. Something out of Tudor times. Or from another continent. John Lewis are the first UK clothing chain to acknowledge that perhaps the enforced labelling of what a boy or girl ‘should’ wear is similarly archaic and culturally constrained. Rather than re-designing their clothing range, they have simply ditched the labels and abandoned the separate sections characteristic of most clothes stores.

But is this ‘political correctness’ gone mad? One MP has criticised the decision saying “Boys and girls labels and signs are informative. I think removing them could be very confusing for the consumer… I cannot see many customers buying a dress for their six-year-old boy.” He is, perhaps, missing the point. Which is exactly that we need to move away from this mentality that a certain type of clothing is meant for one sex or the other.

We should also give parents some credit. Moving the pasta next to the jam in a supermarket doesn’t send your average adult into turmoil because they wouldn’t expect those two things to be together. They might need to ask the first time. But then they’ll get it. Perhaps no boy really wants to wear a skirt. But is that because none of the other boys are doing it yet? Or because mum or dad walks straight past the ‘girls’ section in the store? Maybe little girls do want to wear pink flowery dresses, and that’s fine.They’re still on the shelves. It’s just now, they will be on the shelf next to the purple dinosaur top or the pink star shorts. And parents won’t be dictated to as to which child they’re designed for.

 

Disability and Illness, Social Mobility

Annual event?

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Empty conference

With the new academic year just about upon us, the Guardian has published two articles online this week about the accessibility of academic conferences. The first focuses on disability and how too many conferences, perhaps without intention, exclude a large disabled contingent simply by the nature of their design. The article claims that accessible routes on transport, access to rooms and lecture halls, and often long and intensive days all act as significant barriers for anyone with a disability. Importantly, the article also address the more ‘hidden’ disabilities, such as the social difficulties someone with autism might face at a large conference dinner, or the stresses associated with needing to follow a strict diet without reassurance this will be provided.The fact is that worries about these potential obstacles to a smooth conference are preventing certain academics from attending them. Which means we are missing out on their expertise, ideas and knowledge when relatively simple measures could be put into place to make their experience better. It might not be intentional. But it’s still discrimination.

Another barrier to access at conferences highlighted in a different article is a financial one. In recent years, the nature of conferences has changed considerably, moving from small University-based gatherings to delegations in their thousands at expensive hotels, complete with a programme of social events. Costs have soared. Which means that many early career researchers with miniscule budgets for academic travel are being excluded by default. This means that the delegations tend to be comprised of the Big Grant Guys: The professors and senior academics who attend every year to network with the same people and present work from the same labs. Which is all well and good, if it was interspersed with some new faces to learn from them who would bring their own fresh ideas. But if they can’t afford to go, does anything really move forwards?

Our EDI team in the Faculty of Medical Sciences has been working on an events Code of Practice (CoP) to address exactly these issues. We want to make sure that nobody  is excluded from attending an event, regardless of their background or disability. Where possible, all of our events and workshops are free to attend and we work closely with units across the faculty to find ways to better support early career researchers to attend external conferences. Our new CoP encourages event organisers to think carefully about sectors they are recruiting from to ensure as diverse a mix of speakers and delegates as possible. It also prompts organisers to consider aspects such as accessibility for disabilities, and providing a sensitive and comfortable environment for all.

We would encourage more conference organisers to consider the wider spectrum of potential delegates in future, to provide accessible and affordable access to what are incredibly useful forums for change and ideas…

Social Mobility

Bigger than bullies

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Lego police 

A report on today’s BBC news has highlighted how ‘almost 40%’ of 10-17 year olds are worried about crime. Was theft, stalking or assault something that you worried about as a teenager? Or has something shifted in society to make this a prime teenage cause for concern?

The findings come from The Children’s Society annual report, which notes the disturbing finding that happiness amongst the 3000 children surveyed every year is falling, and that other concerns such as parental debt and money struggles are a large anxiety for many. These are adult concerns that children as young as 10 years old are worrying about. As practitioners in the educational and medical professions, we need to be aware of these difficulties and start to think about how we can offer support.

Where crime is concerned at least, the reality might not be as bleak as the perception. 17% of children reported a crime in the last year, suggesting that the probability of being a victim is nowhere near as high as the number of children worrying about it. The report suggests that the prevalence of social media may be to blame in highlighting and exaggerating crimes without really providing a context or reassurance for children. Nonetheless, the fact remains that many children, often from already deprived or vulnerable backgrounds, are living in fear of crimes that are stealing away the innocence of their childhood.

Given that many individuals will leave home to come to University, reassurance and support about crime and money worries should be an important consideration, especially in ensuring the most vulnerable and affected have a safe and protected route into education. Many Universities now have active campaigns to ensure safety on campuses, but perhaps outreach work could begin earlier to address and ameliorate some of the underlying issues and concerns. If we are serious about encouraging a more diverse cohort into Higher Education, we need to be pro-active in understanding where they’re coming from. Reports such as this one can be a great place to start…

Parenting

“Multiple Barriers”

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Breastfeeding

An online article in The Guardian today raises the question of why the UK has such a low rate of breastfeeding, especially post 6 months? Of the 10 countries being compared, the UK’s rates were in the bottom 3, especially for longer-term breast feeding at 12 months. In their letter to The Guardian, 17 signatories from health and government sectors called for the government to address this issue, citing ‘multiple barriers’ as being in the way of a more accepting and progressive attitude to breastfeeding.

So what are some of those barriers? Certainly, practicality is a big one. Maternity benefits vary dramatically depending on the UK job sector one works in, so that many mothers cannot afford to take longer than 6 months (or even less) leave. A return to work is often what coincides with an end to breastfeeding, indicating that there are not enough support mechanisms to continue doing so within the workplace. Things such as on-site childcare facilities, spaces to breastfeed or express milk, secure places to store milk and, most importantly, feeling comfortable to do these things at work. The workplace has a social responsibility to ensure these things happen, but perhaps this needs to be something the government should more formally address.

Access to accurate information might also be a barrier for some women. Whilst the WHO does huge amounts of work around the world to educate and support women to breastfeed, there is more that could be done on a local level to ensure this information is getting across. Not every mother in the UK can read an information pamphlet or access the Internet. Not every mother in the UK Has English as their first language or the intellectual ability to understand a barrage of medical terminology and acronyms. Not every mother has the physical ability to access medical centres or seek help. Even when they do, the advice can sometimes be conflicting and unclear. More work needs to be done by local organisations to reach out to the diversity of groups who might need support the most.

It’s not just the information (or lack of) that might stand in the way of continuing to breastfeed. Actual, real hands on support on how to do it, with some friendly faces, is definitely needed more. Of the reasons cited in a mumsnet survey as to why mothers had ceased breastfeeding, most were around the physical drain it put on them: Feeling beyond exhausted; frustration over the baby not latching on; concerns over the baby not feeding enough; extreme pain when expressing.These are part and parcel of breastfeeding but can be incredibly off-putting and downright frightening, especially for new mums. Some GPs could certainly do more to take concerns over breastfeeding more seriously. In one personal story, a new mum had to go to her GP 3 times complaining of mastitis before she was taken seriously enough to be prescribed antibiotics. She was originally sent away having been told “You’d be in more pain if it was mastitis” and was told on her 2nd visit “You’re a new mum. Of course you will worry. But breastfeeding does just hurt”. These are definitely not the helpful or supportive comments that might encourage one to persevere with the breastfeeding. As it turns out, this particular mum did carry on, because she was absolutely determined to and had excellent support to help her at home. But not everyone is in that position. Having more support in place to talk through these issues with other mums as well as friendly, empathetic healthcare practitioners could make all the difference.

Last but probably worse, is the social stigma that stands in the way of breastfeeding. Perhaps one of the most worrying findings to come out of Professor Modi & colleagues’ research was young children’s perceptions of breastfeeding as being ‘yukky’. A lot of mothers simply do not feel comfortable enough to breastfeed in public for fear of the looks or comments they might receive; this means that, if their daily routine is largely in the public domain, they have no choice but to squirm their way in a state of stress through what should be a bonding and positive experience, or just stop. Professor Modi suggests that we need to be addressing and removing this stigma in our future generations by teaching children from a young age that breastfeeding is perfectly normal. Even better, exposing children to it in their siblings or friends’ parents so that they can see it’s a perfectly natural process.

Breastfeeding has increasingly become a much debated issue in the media. And there will be women who, for any number of personal or health reasons, choose not to do it. But that’s what we want to see: Women having a choice. In an ideal future, we would like it to be the case that the only women who don’t breastfeed are the ones who have made an informed decision based on their own needs, rather than a lack of help or support. No woman should have to stop because something is standing in the way.

LGBT+

We no longer say ‘thee’ and ‘thou’…

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Tube sign

Last week, Transport for London (TFL) announced that they will be adopting gender-neutral announcements across their network and ditching the old “Ladies and gentlemen” salutations. Really, it’s about time. If you even, for one minute, leave aside the fact that this traditional greeting excludes those sections of society who do not identify as being either of those things, it’s at the very simplest level, old-fashioned and out-dated language. One does not wonder, as they stand on a dusty tube platform “Wherefore dost thou methods of transportation be of such a tardy nature?”. So there’s really no need for the announcements to follow a similarly Shakespearean format. The Globe might be around the corner, but that kind of prose is best left to the actors.

The decision to abolish gender-entombed terminology has been met with heated discussion on various online forums and articles, with some individuals claiming that they are a lady/gentleman and why should they be ‘excluded’ by taking away this title? But surely the alternative greeting ‘Good morning everyone’ is nothing but inclusive? It even incorporates those pesky tube rats.

‘Be’ is a voluntary organisation based locally here in the North East that supports the needs and development of Trans and non-binary individuals. In response to some of the backlash appearing online, they have written a thought-provoking blog post addressing some of the comments and issues raised over the past week. Their message is clear: Language matters. And by making what are really only minor changes to how we address one another, we can have a massive impact on how comfortable we make one another feel.

As Northern Pride hits the Town Moor for 3 days of celebrating diversity with music and fun this weekend, perhaps this is exactly the time when we need to take a second to mind what we say. Volunteers from FMS will be going along to support a range of stalls and events happening over the weekend and cheer along the Frontrunners race . So we’re certain that the only salutations to be heard there will be ‘Go for it. You’re bloomin’ great!’