Abstract
This chapter considers the longevity of a number of campaigns established within the fourth wave moment. It also considers activity that will far outlive the intensity of this wave, such as the work of Daughters of Eve and trans activism, both of which have significant legislation and political changes to effect. It also addresses the unique cultural, social and political constellation for this fourth wave, acknowledging that changes within government, austerity cuts, and activists themselves, might prompt this surge to dissipate. The fourth wave is highly contingent, representing an increase in affective intensity amongst feminists that cannot be sustained indefinitely.
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Notes
- 1.
Rape Crisis reports that only 15% of rape victims report the crime to the police: http://rapecrisis.org.uk/statistics.php. In 2015, rape was up on the previous year by 29%, which police believe indicated victims’ increased willingness to come forward, as opposed to an increase in the crime itself: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2015. Although there was a 9.9% increase in conviction for rape on the previous year, the rate fell overall, given the increase in reported crimes: http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/latest_news/highest_ever_numbers_of_violence_against_women_cases_being_prosecuted_and_convicted_in_england_and_wales/.
- 2.
In the case of Ched Evans, his victim’s identity has been revealed three times, which contravenes the victim’s right to anonymity. The victim has been named by fans of Evans who resent the impact that conviction has had on his football career. The victim has been found, trolled and abused by people who believe that the sexual encounter was her fault.
- 3.
A report into the Oxfordshire sex rings, commissioned by Maggie Blyth, stated how the children involved were often subjected to snide remarks from professionals, who deemed relationships between 13-year-old girls and grown men to be ‘age appropriate’, while also claiming that girls of 14 were not only consenting, but the aggressors, in sexual encounters with the men involved: http://www.oscb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/OSCBPressReleaseFINAL.pdf. In 2014, Greater Manchester Police & Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd called for a report on the problem of child exploitation. Ann Coffey prepared the report, which indicates that one of the issues with children reporting is that females are seen as complicit as opposed to victims: http://www.gmpcc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/81461-Coffey-Report_v5_WEB-single-pages.pdf.
- 4.
For further evidence of this, see Labour List reporting here: http://labourlist.org/2015/03/the-harsh-uncomfortable-truths-about-child-abuse-in-oxfordshire-and-rotherham/.
- 5.
Read Laura Bates discussing the subject here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2014/mar/14/men-fight-against-everyday-sexism-gender-inequality.
- 6.
Sandberg posted her statement on Mother’s Day of 2016: https://www.facebook.com/sheryl/posts/10156819553860177
- 7.
4chan is a range of anonymous forums that allow for any kind of material to be posted. They have been instrumental in disseminating naked photos of female celebrities, often taken without consent, as well as encouraging swathes of participants to bully specifically targeted feminist activists. 4chan is notable for its especially anti-feminist outlook, with a number of schemes (such as piss for equality) where they have created faux social media activism in the hope that women will humiliate themselves through participation.
- 8.
For further information on Daughter’s of Eve see their ‘About’ page here: http://www.dofeve.org/about-us.html.
- 9.
Laverne Cox rose to fame through a Netflix program, ‘Orange is the New Black’ that focuses on women’s experiences within American jail. She is the first trans woman to have appeared on the cover of TIME magazine, and is an active advocate of trans rights. Caitlyn Jenner initially rose to fame as Bruce Jenner, on the reality TV programme ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’. In 2015, Jenner came out as a trans woman, and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in July, announcing her name change to Caitlyn. Jenner is also a very visible trans advocate and has made a television show, ‘I am Cait’, on the subject of her transition.
- 10.
Paris Lees is a very visible trans activist within the UK. She established a trans campaign ‘All About Trans’, and in 2015 was top of the Independent’s Pink List, which celebrates LGBT public figures in the UK. In 2015, the food blogger Jack Munroe came out as trans. Munroe identifies as non-gender binary, neither as a woman nor a man.
- 11.
An EU LGBT survey, ‘Being Trans in the European Union’ found that over 50% of trans people had been discriminated against on account of their status within the last year: http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-being-trans-eu-comparative-0_en.pdf. A 2016 report, released by the House of Commons, indicated that transgender hate crime was massively underreported, and often part of everyday experience for trans people: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmwomeq/390/390.pdf.
- 12.
In speaking about the report, Miller has stated that her Twitter feed was inundated with criticism from women. They claimed that in protecting trans people, she was allowing violent men to hide behind trans identity in order to gain access to more potential female victims: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/maria-miller-says-only-hostility-to-transgender-report-came-from-women-purporting-to-be-feminists-a6830406.html.
- 13.
For further guidance on UK approaches to pornography, see the CPS website: http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/prostitution_and_exploitation_of_prostitution/.
- 14.
The relationship between Islam and feminism, as well as the migrant crisis’ impact on the politics are both different issues, even though they are often conflated by the mainstream press. In right-wing publications, the migrant crisis is often positioned as an influx of non-refugees moving to the UK in order to create communities that operate under their own laws, ignoring those of the country at large. The argument, in these instances, is that these migrants have religions and cultures that marginalise and subordinate women, qualities which they are still maintaining within the UK. In the UK, there are charities and foundations that work specifically with the intersections of gender, religion and culture, including Daughters of Eve, but extending to other charities such as Karma Nirvana, that work exclusively on forced marriage and honour-based abuse. The problematic of gender, religion and culture, however, has been exacerbated by incidents of mass sexual assault in European cities as well as reports of abuse in migrant centres, allegedly perpetrated by migrants. These incidents have resulted in a spate of right-wing politicians using feminism as a means by which to justify xenophobia and exclusionary politics.
- 15.
For further information on the Women’s Equality Party see their website: http://www.womensequality.org.uk.
- 16.
Fawcett reports that 9 November is equal pay day: the date from which women are no longer earning, relative to men, given the gender pay gap. The organisation also calculates that the current gap for workers is 13.9%.
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Chamberlain, P. (2017). Feminist Futurities. In: The Feminist Fourth Wave. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53682-8_6
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