Although it is evident that women’s rights (in the UK) have remarkably improved, especially in the past 100 years, it remains a pressing issue. This is apparent in the recent event at Topshop (in October), the perpetuating gender pay gap and people’s personal experiences of gender inequality.
Even though in 2018 the centenary of women gaining the right to vote (in Great Britain and Ireland) is celebrated, there are still examples that prove that gender inequality has not been completely resolved. A striking example was the event at Topshop on Oxford Street that took place on the 4th October 2018. Scarlett Curtis was promoting her new book (‘Feminists Don’t Wear Pink’) by selling feminist merchandise in a Topshop store in London; however, “Topshop removed an in-store pop-up in London used to promote feminism with publisher Penguin after 20 minutes.” (Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45765336) Moreover, it is indicated in an article by the Telegraph that Sir Philip Green initiated the dismantling of the stall as he thought that it was “too controversial”. However, this was followed by a backlash from fans and Scarlett Curtis herself who said that it is an “example of the alive and kicking patriarchy.” Although, Topshop have apologised and have donated £25,000 Therefore, this shows that despite the major advances in women’s rights, there is still an underlying issue with feminism as it being promoted so overtly is still not completely accepted by society.
The gender pay gap is also indicative of the issue of gender inequality in the workplace and also perhaps exhibits societal attitudes towards men and women that are still prevalent in the 21st century. A BBC article (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43668187) shows that “78% of companies pay men more [than women]” which shows the pervading imbalance between the genders. However, this issue is being addressed through mitigation as “more than 10,000 firms have provided details of their gender pay gap”. (Source: BBC News) Furthermore, in the interviews that I held, when questioned about feminism, most people raised concerns about the gender pay gap. Additionally, this is particularly worrisome as in an article by the Independent, it is stated that it is estimated that the “gender pay gap will take 100 years to close.” Consequently, this is distressing as this problem is likely to affect future generations.
I held some interviews about this topic, and the interviewees expressed their stance on feminism as well as their concerns. Overall, the consensus was that there are still improvements that can be made as one person said, “I think feminism has improved a lot, but I feel like people think that feminism isn’t an issue at all anymore, but it still is.” Similarly, another person said “It’s improved but we’ll probably never have full equality…” Therefore, it seems that feminism is still an important issue that needs to be addressed.
