| Origins:
FEM Conferences was founded to bring together the many different gender campaign
groups in order to explore the links between their work, and provide a unified
forum for women and men to learn about and discuss gender discrimination and feminism.
To date there have been three hugely successful FEM Conferences: FEM 04, FEM 05,
and FEM 07. The
FEM Conferences were founded in 2004 by Kat Banyard, a university student at the
time, and are organised by a large network of dedicated volunteers. FEM Conferences
was featured in a Guardian article
about feminist activism and Kat was profiled in an Observer Woman feature titled
'The
New Feminists'. FEM
08 is organised by a dedicated group of volunteers:
Bryony Shanks, Daryl
Gowlett, Jennifer Rickard, Jess Baily, Jess Green, Josie Paszek, Kat Banyard,
Kate Dommett, Kate Law, Kim Bloor, Kirsty Bowen, Nick, Rose Holyoak, Sam Lyle,
Sarah Blakemore, Sarah Viner, and Tom Moulton.
Why
are the FEM Conferences necessary? Despite
women's many advances, gender inequality remains embedded in society: -
Women do two-thirds of the world’s work, yet earn just 10% of the world’s
income and own 1% of the world’s property
- 75% of the world’s
illiterate people are women
- Violence against women causes more deaths and
disability among women aged 15 - 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic
accidents or war
- Women hold only 14% of parliamentary seats worldwide
- 80% of those displaced by violent conflict and disasters are women. Aims:
The FEM Conferences provide a central forum for the varied campaign groups
and individuals involved in the feminist movement to come together and share experiences
and knowledge. The aims of FEM Conferences are to educate, inspire and motivate
individuals - both women and men, young and old - to get involved in the campaigns
for gender equality in the 21st Century. | |
