Literature Review: 'The Equality Illusion: The Truth about Women and Men Today'

Since hitting my early 20s, I thought it was really important to try and educate myself about an idealism that I've been ambivalent towards for much of my adult life so far: Feminism.

Whilst I've certainly experienced a few things that you could call Feminist Frustrations, I wanted to explore some good literature on this subject. So I started with 'The Equality Illusion' by Kat Banyard.

Overall I'd say it's a fantastic read- a great introduction to ladies such as myself who are relatively new and naive to a world of Feminist debate. I came away from it feeling excited to know more. The journey continues. 

In a nutshell...

This book is about why modern society needs Feminism; as told through numerous interviews and 'days-in-the-life of' victims of rape, domestic abuse and workplace discrimination. It is supported by a lot of research and shines a light on campaign groups in the UK working to achieve gender equality.  

First Impressions

The introduction summarises some key metrics on (lack of) political representation and sexual violence that seek to bring down the 'illusion' that we might not need Feminism- that we have gender equality already after getting the Right to Vote and Equal Pay (at least in the UK).

To me, this is quite a narrow view to take anyway but one that might suit you just fine if you don't identify with an urge to help women in poverty or think sexual violence is brought on by the victim or perhaps accept sexualisation of everyday society.

But Banyard points out some stuff that starts to make sense to me... that maybe a belief that we don't need Feminism is because:- 

1. Few children are taught about how gender inequalities exist- and thus how to identify it let alone remediate it. 

and

2. People can misconstrue issues such as poverty, sexual violence and lack of access to not have any real roots specifically in gender inequality- i.e. that Feminism has nothing to do with it. 

The approach that Banyard takes in this book is to record the journey and findings of interviews she has with women whose 'existences are deep-rooted in inequalities.' This being through her work with the Fawcett Society, the UK's leading campaign for women's rights. 

Key Takeaways 

Imagine those 5 minutes when you're gathering your coat and leaving the cinema after a movie. These are perhaps the lasting impressions I have of this book. 

• It seems really hard to pinpoint where gender inequality actually comes from (and then assign responsibility) because there are so many insidious influences in everyday life that have varying degrees of influence on people. 
• 'The schooling women receive in the need for them to be beautiful starts at a young age and will continue to be delivered throughout their lifetime by a range of instructors, from magazines to managers.' 
• Does the cumulative impact of this explain why people feel the need to get cosmetic surgery?....or is it really just all about empowerment and the right to make a choice on your appearance? My guess is it's really dependent on the individual and can't all be explained by a blanket conclusion. 

• I really hope that teaching policy actively addresses this 
• I was fortunate to grow up in a family and community that didn't really present barriers for young girls to participate in certain activities. I grew up thinking I could have whatever ambition and aspirations I wanted. But on the flip side, I was never taught to identify when sexism and gender inequality actually happens and how that can affect someone. 
• Behaviours that compose everything you might associate with inequality are surely at least in some way shape or form picked up during childhood right?! "Cambridge University Professor Diane Reay found that girls received harsh criticism from teachers when they didn't conform to stereotypical gender behaviours. Teachers described girls who misbehaved as 'bad influences,' 'spiteful,' and 'scheming little madams,' yet when boys misbehaved in similar ways, they were described as 'mucking about.' 

• There's gotta be a better way to bridge the gap between Employment vs. Family
• "Sir Alan Sugar argues 'If someone comes into an interview and you think to yourself there is a possibility that this woman might have a child and therefore take time off, is it a bit of a psychological negative thought...you're not allowed to ask, so it's easy- just don't employ them." I would agree that from a business perspective, anyone looking for a job who might take a lot of time off might present a 'risk' but surely there can be better ways to make this 1) less of a taboo to talk about in the first place and 2) Offset the perceived risk with strategies such as job-sharing 
• My favourite bit of the book is where Banyard cites a couple of university professors: "The term 'glass ceiling' fails to capture fully how women are excluded from power in the twenty-first century. They suggest 'labyrinth' as a more accurate metaphor."  This totally encapsulates my 'foot-in-the-door' moment of what turned me on you could say about Feminism. I recently finished a graduate scheme with one of the biggest financial companies in the world. From the successful senior women I've spoken to I always thought the term 'Glass Ceiling' was ridiculous...and that there's much more to it than that. Indeed Banyard cites 'the cumulative effect of outdated structures at every level' painting a more accurate (yet complicated!) picture of female workplace challenges. 

• No one 'owns' Feminism 
• There is no one organisation or person who has the definitive say on how to fix a problem that a lot of people think doesn't exist. 
• But there are different outlets in the UK who try to at least from their angle of interest and sphere of influence, make a contribution. And that contribution is like a cultural shift....so if this problem is collectively, the impact of a whole mess load of different issues, then any efforts to fix it has to likewise be in small, drip-fed, multi-faceted different tactics.