“Machismo kills more than coronavirus” was one of the slogans held aloft in huge protests for Women’s Day in Spain, held on March 8 – well after COVID-19 was starting to ravage the country.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, weak after forming a minority government didn’t want to risk his fragile hold on power by banning large gatherings. Instead, he allowed thousands to attend soccer games in early March as well as permitting a 120,000 strong feminist rally in Madrid to proceed.
But now he faces a possible criminal charge for allowing this to happen. The Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to open an investigation into Sanchez’ action in allowing this massive demonstration.
Malaysia suggests women should avoid nagging during lockdown
Next the Malaysian government found itself in hot water with the feminists after issuing lockdown advice to women suggesting they avoid disagreements with their husbands, for instance, by refraining from “being sarcastic if they need help with household chores.” Government officials were promptly reprimanded, told they should be concentrating on protecting women locked up with abusive men, and the posters were removed from public circulation.
No campus due process due to COVID-19
In the United States the National Women’s Law Center is arguing that efforts to reform campus kangaroo courts should be set aside due to COVID-19. Here’s saveservices.org, reporting on the latest moves by activists.
“‘The dog ate my homework’ is one of the oldest excuses students use to rationalize their delay in turning in an assignment. The coronavirus pandemic is one of the newest excuses universities and others are using to request the Department of Education suspend the Title IX rule making process, aimed at restoring due process in the handling of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases on college campuses.”
Meanwhile in Australia
Here the National Cabinet has announced $150 million more funding to support the domestic violence services, following a flood of media stories reporting on the dangers of women being locked up with violent men.
See attached, a gender justice law professor from UNSW arguing that the Coronavirus cabinet must apply a gender lens to dealing with the crisis. Professor Louise Chappell suggests that we need more women amongst the relevant decision makers, even more funds for domestic violence support, more attention paid to women health care workers, more recognition for the burden of women dealing with unpaid care labour, and “provisions for girls and women’s menstrual rights” – making sure supermarkets carry sufficient sanitary products.
No ceasefire in feminist attacks on men
The famous Canadian men’s rights activist and former Ottawa English professor, Janice Fiamengo, has produced a new video, expressing dismay that the world-wide health crisis has not led to a ceasefire in the attacks on men. She says it is obscene that the “poor me” rhetoric still dominates, with article after article appearing suggesting women are most affected by the virus, despite the fact that men comprise up to 70 per cent of COVID-19 deaths.
As Fiamengo points out it has hard to imagine a scenario where a pandemic was causing women to die in much higher numbers than men and have that not be a front-page news item and major focus of investigation.
Here’s Fiamengo spelling out the craziness of what is going on:
“I have yet to read an article on gendered impacts that paused over men’s higher mortality rate, lamented it, quoted anybody distressed about it, or suggested that special measures might be taken to protect men.
“I have yet to see a feminist journalist suggesting women could take over most activities involving potential exposure given women’s greater immunity.
“I have yet to see a feminist article worrying about the men who face risks in their jobs.
“Instead the articles move with jaw-dropping indifference about men to discuss what are glibly called the ‘secondary impacts’ or the ‘social impacts’ of the virus on women.
“Many of these impacts are speculative and short-term and hardly compare in severity to dying. The most serious is that women comprise the majority of healthcare workers and thus are ‘on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight’, as one World Economic Forum article put it. The other frequently repeated complaint, far less onerous, is that women are the primary caregivers for children and other relatives, especially elderly relatives and are thus disproportionately burdened by school closures and the pressures of looking after sick parents. These may be true as far as they go but they certainly leave a great deal left unsaid.”
Here’s Fiamengo’s excellent video: Coronavirus: More Men Die, Women Most Affected – The Fiamengo File Episode 116
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1_B9ICpzP8&list=PLHt1Hh27h4Bs5mBB3yqacXvLpgfLxPS-_&index=13&t=0s