A MAN'S WORLD: THE ILLUSION OF CHANGE IN THE ART INDUSTRY: OPINION PIECE

@ Keila Hotzel

Written by Kelly Bryan for The Rising Womxn Zine

 

In recent years we seem to have entered a world which asserts its inclusivity, acceptance and diversity. Although the art industry has been dominated by males since it was established, many museums and art foundations seem to emulate this pretence of equality, somewhat flaunting their new and accommodating attitude to the general public. You may have noticed their claims to be ‘actively striving towards’ gender equilibrium; representing female and male artists equally. They suggest, in fact, that we are on the brink of gender parity within the art world.  

 

You are forgiven for internalising these claims, presuming them to be true. Many of us wish that gender equality in the art world was a reality, therefore, when we notice persuasive articles suggesting this to be the case, why would we question them? In fact, I have fallen subject to their lies on multiple occasions, celebrating their vigorous and successful work towards abolishing gender imbalance within the art industry. However, in reality, little practical or effective action has been taken within the majority of institutions. The art system is still fundamentally a man’s world. 

 

The National Museum of Women in the Arts reported that in the modern day, 51% of visual artists are female. However, this optimistic statistic simply exposes how the representation of art made by women is drastically disproportionate. Of all the galleries in London, 78% represent more men than women, they simply fail to adequately acknowledge and celebrate the talents of female artists. These institutes not only neglect the representation of these females, they also severely undervalue them compared to their male counterparts. Artnet News states that between January 2008 and 2019, art auctions around the world made a total of $196.6 billion in sales. A mere 2%, equating to just $4 billion, was made from the sale of artwork created by women. Not only is the female art market much smaller, it is also highly concentrated on just a few artists. Worryingly, just five women made up $1.6 billion of the $4 billion total sales over almost twelve years.

 

As you can see, the statistics point to a reality far from the utopian world proposed by the art industry. Why? you may ask, well, there are a variety of complex reasonings. Many of these are based upon the patriarchal and intolerant societies which excluded women from professions and education inside the art industry until the 1870s. For the purpose of this article, I will briefly list a few causes of gender imbalance in art, although it should be noted that each explanation warrants its own article entirely;

 

-       Throughout history, women have been defined as the subject of art, rather than its creator. According to a 1989 report by Guerrilla Girls – an anonymous feminist group composed of female artists – the Modern Art Section of the Met.Museum showcases less than 5% of female artists, and yet 85% of their nude artwork represent female bodies.

 

-       There remains the incorrect belief that art institutions are selling to a uniform audience, made up entirely of white, middle-aged men. Consequently, the industry sees it fit to predominately sell work created by white males for their perceived white, male audience.

 

-       Art history has been persistently uninterested in the art produced by women. The oppression faced by females throughout history constitutes an underrepresentation of females in the industry with fewer records relating to female artists in comparison to males. Consequently, female artwork is rarely conserved, collected or tracked. 

 

The key point here is society’s perception of gender inclusivity in the art world and the actuality that there is a disconcerting lack of progression in this area. The stories we are told about positive movements in the art world should not be taken at face value; we must investigate, ask questions and hold accountable those who simply make bold and false narratives.

 

The understanding that marginalised artists have been given unbiased representation within art organisations is simply a myth; a poignant reality to accept. However, it also acts as an awakening; the first step to tackling this issue is recognising it. We must look at which point art institutions sit in terms of gender parity, rather than where we perceive them to be. This will pave the way for effective and sustainable change. 

 

“What can be done to enhance gender inclusivity in the art world?” I hear you ask, well, my friend there is an effective starting point all art organisations could and should implement into their systems. A Spotlight Series would highlight and celebrate the achievements and talents of female artists, exposing their excellence for all to see and appreciate. It is important to note that this process does not provide female artists with a voice, as I see so many institutions suggesting. These women already had a voice, it was just being ignored, lost in a sea of male hierarchy and ignorance. The Spotlight series would provide a platform to be heard, to advocate female art so these talented, ambitious and driven women can finally be celebrated.  

 

BALANCE AND BOLUS: NORMALISING ILLNESS

@The Rising Womxn Zine / Balance and Bolus

Written by Emily Stephens (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine

Type 1 diabetes causes the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood to become to high. It happens when the body can’t produce enough insulin, a hormone which controls blood glucose. Those who suffer with the illness need daily injections of insulin to keep blood glucose levels under control and managing type 1 diabetes can take a long time to get used to. 

 

Diabetes has long been associated with being overweight and obese by the media, but this simply isn’t true – people leading a perfectly healthy lifestyle are also exposed to diabetes.

 

Balance and Bolus - created by Ciara Cray (she/her) started as a website to show how she balances life with Type 1 Diabetes. ‘I wanted to share my experience studying to be a Registered Dietitian and eventually Certified Diabetes Educator mixed in with my experience as a Type 1 Diabetic. I took these two goals and ran towards them while just being myself on Instagram. I have always been a very positive but emotional person, so I share a lot of my ups and downs. A lot of the ups include my humour and weird dance videos that make people laugh, my emotions are shown through serious talks about life and diabetes. I basically try and show everyone what my life is like and that just so happens to involve being diabetic. I also love to talk, so this gives me a place to have conversations with diabetics like me every single day.’

@balanceandbolus

 

Ciara created Balance and Bolus after she graduated with her first bachelor’s degree and was feeling a little lost. ‘I wanted to combine this passion I had behind food with the knowledge I had on Type 1 Diabetes so I started a blog that I thought would be a good outlet for me while I sort out my next move. I ended up deciding to pursue being a Registered Dietitian (R.D) and wanted to talk about that mixed with living with Diabetes on what became Balance and Bolus. It wasn’t until a friend of mine suggested I share my blog posts on Instagram that I decided to start an account there and was amazed by all the diabetics in the community who were helping others. So, I decided to put myself out there, share what I knew and what was learning.’

 

@balanceandbolus

 

Long standing stigmas surrounding diabetes can make it very hard for sufferers, especially younger girls in particular. With the constant assumption of diabetes being linked to being overweight or unhealthy, this creates a whole problem surrounding body confidence and body positivity. ‘Women are constantly under the microscope. We can’t be too skinny, but we can’t be too fat. We can’t have too small of boobs but if we have big boobs then we’re...promiscuous? Being a woman is hard and to have a disease as a woman that is stigmatised as being from an unhealthy weight can definitely grind the gears a bit. We walk around already feeling judged and now this? But I also think that this disease with the carb counting, and body awareness can make it difficult to ignore food and the effect food has on our body which has definitely led to bouts of disordered eating for me. All the more reason to start a brand that works to help people with this and the stigmas around the disease.’

@balanceandbolus

 

Ciara has managed to grow a big following on social media, reaching 10.3k on Instagram. When asked about how important it is to share her experience with diabetes as a newfound influencer, she said, ‘I really had no intention of building a following like this. I had no idea what it would entail or the lives I would touch. But now that I’m here, I can’t help but think that I must be doing something right. I must have something worthy of saying or else why are all these people here? So, I have to use that. I’ve always had a bubbly and at times loud personality. I love to talk. I need to use that now. I didn’t always know what I wanted to do in life, but this just feels right. Keeping the conversation going is how we educate people, how we bring awareness and allow those diagnosed with this disease (and weren’t given a say in the matter) to live the best life they can be.’

 

@balanceandbolus

 

Much like the breast-feeding in public debate, we wanted to know if Ciara had ever faced similar backlash from checking her bloods in public. ‘I will check my blood sugar absolutely anywhere I please. I haven’t personally been told to do my blood checking elsewhere, but I know people who have. I’ve also felt guilt around checking in public before, so I’ll excuse myself to the bathroom. I don’t think we should have to do that though. This is our body; we’re trying to stay alive. Look away.’

@balanceandbolus

 

Ciara’s main focus is to normalise the conversation around illnesses, in particular diabetes. ‘I think I actively normalise my illness by showing my weird, wild, sometimes just boring and relaxed life with diabetes. I do all the things that someone who produced their own insulin would do. I exercise, I work really hard, I study, I watch hours of Netflix, I go on vacations and travel. But I do it all with a broken pancreas. So, I hope that people can see that, I mean people without diabetes too, and be like oh, I guess having that disability doesn’t stop someone from living a life to the fullest.’

 

 

To find out more from Ciara and her amazing work, visit her website www.balanceandbolus.com or follow her on Instagram @balanceandbolus

 

 

ROSA, THE UK FUND FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS: CASE STUDY

@Rosa UK

Written by Emily Stephens (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine 

Rosa is a grant-making charity that funds grassroots women’s organisations helping to make the UK fairer and safer for women. We pool funds from companies, individuals, trusts and foundations, and invest in women’s organisations who are working to tackle the issues of our time. These organisations provide a huge breadth of specialist services for women across the UK – including emergency help for victims of domestic and sexual violence, employment training, legal advice, and specialised support for marginalised women. Since 2008, Rosa has awarded more than £4 million to more than 350 women’s organisations across the UK. Rosa UK told us the reason why the charity was created was, ‘the fact that, in 2008, there were no grant-making charities dedicated to investing in the women’s sector, supporting organisations aiming to make the UK fairer and safer for women and girls.’

Specialist women’s organisations are vital because inequality is still everywhere. Examples of the intersectional issues affecting women and girls in the UK include: 

• Nearly two-thirds of women aged 18 to 24 have experienced sexual harassment at work. Black and other minoritised women face specific problems in making their complaints about sexual victimisation heard, because racialisation adds to the trauma of sexual harassment and violence 
• Women are the majority (66%) of low-paid workers, and Black and other minoritised workers are over a third more likely to be on temporary or zero-hours contracts 
• During the pandemic, a lack of childcare has played a role in almost half of women’s layoffs 
• There’s no region in England where the average home to rent is affordable for a woman on median earnings 
• BME women are more likely to be living in poor households. In 2015/16, 50% of Bangladeshi households, 46% of Pakistani households and 40% of Black African/Caribbean households were living in poverty compared to 19% of White British households 
• Migrant women face a triple threat of reporting, detention, and deportation under the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) rule that prevents them from accessing public services
• Black women are five times more likely to die during childbirth 
• Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is already recognised as a pandemic by the WHO. But during major health pandemics such as Covid-19, VAWG becomes more severe as women’s insecurities and the vulnerabilities increase. For Black and minoritised women and girls, the risk of violence is also a matter of race. 

@Rosa UK

Cuts to public services have led to more women turning to voluntary organisations for help. At the same time, funding cuts to the women’s sector are forcing those specialist organisations to shut down. When they do receive money, it’s often short-term – making it difficult to sustain the work and ultimately slowing down progress. 

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, a joint survey conducted by Rosa, Women’s Resource Centre and Women’s Fund Scotland found that 70% of specialist women’s organisations are worried about surviving the crisis. 37% of those surveyed were organisations led ‘by and for’ Black and other minoritised women, and more than half of the respondents have an income of less than £100,000. 

These specialist organisations led ‘by and for’ Black and other minoritised women are experiencing particularly high demand due to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on these communities. Rosa UK said, ‘For many survivors of abuse accessing these specialist services, for example, the abuse intersects with a range of other areas of disadvantage: the threat of deportation, racial discrimination, poverty, forced marriage, trafficking, language and cultural barriers. Many of these women can’t get the support they need from mainstream services.’

Meaningful social change requires working from the margin to the centre. ‘Our grantees are the ones working directly in communities to support women and girls who need it most. It’s only by listening, and sharing knowledge and stories, that we can understand the experiences of women living in the UK today. When we understand the lived experiences of all women, and in turn all people, we have a clearer perspective of what needs to change to benefit society as a whole.’ 

Rosa’s role as a feminist funder is to recognise women’s organisations are the experts, and amplify their knowledge and voices. ‘In turn, this moves forward our collective effort to influence the hearts and minds of the public and people in power. We hope encouraging people to challenge their beliefs and understand the experiences of a cross-section of people will help to influence policy, dismantle structural inequality, and ultimately create a fairer and more equal society.’

Gender equality is always a topic of debate not only in the UK, but globally. ‘Intersecting inequalities around gender, race, disability, sexuality, gender identity and age are the root causes of the issues affecting women and girls in the UK. VAWG, for example, is intimately linked to women’s persistent inequality, so ending it requires improving women’s economic and social equality – via equal pay, fair housing and welfare policies, and better employment, education and training.’

@Rosa UK

Women’s voices are often forgotten when it comes to decision-making in society. Research from the Fawcett Society’s Sex and Power report reveals the stark inequalities that exist in the UK today. Women now make up 34% of MPs and 30% of Cabinet Ministers – but progress is still too slow. There are no women of colour in the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales or Northern Ireland Assembly. Only a fifth of senior civil servants participating in the Civil Service Board are women (21%) and just over a third of permanent secretaries (35%). In business, women make up just over one in 20 CEOs of FTSE 100 companies (6%). None of these CEOs are women of colour. Those are just a handful of the report’s findings. 

Rosa UK said, ‘Without direct intervention – including quotas, targets, greater flexible working, the collection of intersectional data and improved pay gap reporting – progress will remain far too slow. Campaign groups like The Fawcett Society are the ones pushing for this change. Smaller specialist women’s organisations are also providing support directly into the communities they serve. BelEve, for example, supports young women and girls in Lewisham with mentoring, workshops, and events designed to get more girls to achieve their potential.’

With Black Lives Matter being a focal point for many of us in society at the moment, it is important for us all to support marginalised women and charities that work directly with this community. Rosa UK said, ‘we can’t deal with gender inequality and women’s rights without dealing with race, class, ability, identity, and immigration status, as well as gender. Until we stand in solidarity with all women, no woman will be free from inequality. We know, for example, that structural inequality reproduces disproportionately across diverse communities and worsens existing racial inequalities. We know that right now, specialist organisations run ‘by and for’ Black and other minoritised women are experiencing particularly high demand.’

‘We know that funding cuts over the last 12 years have had a particularly detrimental effect on these often small and community-focused organisations. CHARITYSOWHITE reports that ‘65% of the 9,000 -10,000 BAME charities and community groups operating nationally have an average turnover of less than £10,000 annually’. These services are lifelines for some of society’s most vulnerable women and girls. Supporting them changes and saves the lives of women and girls who often have nowhere else to turn.’ 

As the topic of gender equality is huge, Rosa are focusing on ‘work’ and asking specifically what does ‘women’s work’ (paid and unpaid) look like now and what could or should it look like in the next decade. ‘This is not because Rosa is planning on shifting its focus to the world of work, but more because we feel this is an area where all women have experience and ideas to contribute.’

Across the UK, there are now more women in paid employment than at any time since records began. The latest figures show the overall employment rate for women was 71%, compared with 80% for men. This translates as 14.8 million women (aged 16 and over) in paid employment, compared to 16.5 million men. (Rosa UK)

Rosa UK is considering what the UK could look like in ten years’ time if there was greater attention paid to tackling gender inequality. ‘We are doing this as part of our work marking ten years of Rosa and looking ahead at how and where we might focus out work supporting women and girls in the future.’

Rosa UK helps to create a supportive network of experts across the women's sector to strengthen grassroots organisations. 'We connect them with donors to discuss ways to tackle emerging issues and enable more effective leadership. By connecting the women's movement, we can increase future sustainability and accelerate the pace of change.'  The charity shares their knowledge and that of their grantees with wider society to influence change for women and girls and promote investment in women's organisations. 'We root our support in the women's organisations who are closest to the context, and help them to meet the needs of the women and girls they work with. Whether they need access to resources and training to increase skills or funding to campaign for a specific issue, our application process is simple and acknowledges our applicants as experts.'

To find out more about the work that Rosa UK does, visit https://rosauk.org or their Twitter account, @RosaForWomen 

SLUT WALK

@Jojo Lewis

Written by Emily Stephens (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine

TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, sexual assault, abuse

Jojo Lewis (she/her) is a multimedia artist, unapologetically challenging and confronting the western patriarchal society. From mocking the absurdity of patriarchy, with its power status, to highlighting important issues; Jojo's practice reflects her ongoing journey of becoming a feminist activist. Echoing back to the viewer a more direct, louder version of society, Jojo provokes conversations on the oppression of women and minorities. She wishes to empower others, raising the voices of those who may not be heard to powerful and public spaces, such as gallery walls. Jojo also wish to empower and create positive impacts on society through her artwork.

In 2018, police were looking for a man wanted over rape in a local park. This park was notorious for these crimes. ‘Slut Walk’ 2018, was a performance piece in response to this and a protest against rape culture and victim blaming.

@Jojo Lewis

@Jojo Lewis

@Jojo Lewis

@Jojo Lewis

You can see more of Jojo's work on Instagram @jojolewisart

PASSION PROJECT

@passionproject.co

 

Written by Salma Abouelela (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine

Doing things that light you up shouldn’t be reserved for the weekend or for the lucky few, the ones who hit the career jackpot, or wound up photographing their favourite beach destinations whilst getting paid for it. Passion Project is built on the premise that everyone can work on the things they’re passionate about, and they definitely should! 

@passionproject.co

 

That’s why they’re building a community of women with big dreams, to help them to find their passions, get good at them and thrive doing the things they love. The community is providing a space to learn and share as well as support and cheer each other on along the way. 

 

They’ve only just launched their Facebook community and they’re currently open for beta members to join the monthly ‘Passion Action’ initiatives where you’ll be encouraged to pursue daily actions which help to enforce positive habits into your everyday life. This is implemented through a monthly theme which encourages you to take action, one step at a time. So far, they’ve covered ‘Wake up & Dance’ promoting a daily boogie in the mirror to get those endorphins released first thing, as well as a nourishing ‘Walk n Talk’ where the consumption of positive or inspiring content (like a podcast, walking meditation or a call with a loved one) is encouraged, priming the mind to get working on your passions. August’s action is all about connecting with your energy centers through expert-led chakra balancing yoga sessions which promise to help you channel more creativity, confidence and joy. Yes please! As well, the month’s action promotes fostering a regular mindfulness practise. If all of this is lighting a fire inside you, then there’s still time to get involved, all you need to do is request entry to their Facebook Community by searching ‘Passion Action Community’ where they’ll be accepting beta members until the end of September. 

 

@passionproject.co

The founders, Jasmin and Salma are both self confessed development seekers, they met by chance at a large scale personal development event in Birmingham last year, stayed in touch and were so inspired by the power of networking with like-minded people in achieving their goals, that they created Passion Project to make this more accessible for those who aren’t able to travel far and wide and part with lots of cash for an entry ticket!

 

Go and check out their instagram page @passionproject.co where they’re sharing feel-good content that will have you taking action on your passions imminently, and if you’re ready to start taking action towards your dreams, check out their Facebook Community by scanning the QR code below to get involved with the next Passion Action which is centred around ‘Feeding your Brain’ - all the good stuff that will get you on your way to living the life of your dreams.  

 

 

 

Founders -

She/Her - Salma Abouelela @salmaabouelela

She/Her - Jasmin Mcveigh @jasminabalerina

 

Instagram - @passionproject.co

Facebook page - Passion Project Co 

Facebook community - Private: Passion Action Community

POLYGAMY MATTERS & MEWSO

@ The Rising Womxn Zine

Written by Emily Stephens (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine

Across the UK, women are increasingly being pressured into polygamous relationships or left without child support when relationships end as UK laws do not offer enough protection to spouses in religious marriages. There is a concerning level of growth in the number of men ‘marrying’ women in religious ceremonies but refusing to legally register the unions, and therefore allows them to avoid any financial and marital duties owed to a spouse. 

 

Many women have no other option but to go through religious courts, which often make rulings that force them to remain with their partners even when they are unhappy or rule them unable to claim finance or property from their de facto husbands after marriages dissolve. These institutions are often misogynistic, patriarchal and anti-democratic with little room for women’s rights. 

 

Polygamy is the act of marrying multiple spouses, meaning one will have more than one husband or wife at the same time. In most countries, polygamy is now illegal, or is at least not officially recognised. 

 

Polygamy is a taboo topic, mostly ignored by our society for its inconvenience. Thousands of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women find themselves entering polygamous marriages through religious ceremonies called a ‘Nikah’ in the UK. This usually goes on in Muslim communities and is not registered nor recognised by the state. Polygamy is a growing and widespread issue, that not only happens in the Muslim community, but also impacts Hindu and Sikh women too. 

 

The Middle Eastern Women and Society Organization (MEWSo) supports women from Middle Eastern, North African and Asian backgrounds living in Central, North and West London who face multiple disadvantages, from structural poverty and health inequalities to gender-based violence and immigration status. According to MEWSo, women they have supported in the past have said they were unaware that they were entering a polygamous marriage until it was too late. Some felt they simply had no choice in the matter, while others felt pressured by their families to accept the situation rather than face the stigma of divorce within their communities.

 

Polygamy happens among the most hard-to-reach women within isolated communities. Understandably, most of these women living in the UK find it difficult and shameful to talk about. They lead incredibly secret lives making it a practise particularly difficult to detect.

 

We caught up with the founder and Executive Director, Halaleh Taheri (she/her) to discuss MEWSo’s recent campaign, Polygamy Matters. 

@MEWSo

Halaleh Taheri is a freedom fighter of the 1979 revolution in Iran; a resilient woman who lost 9 beloved members of her family, including her young husband. ‘I’ve witnessed the loss of friends and innocent people caught in a brutal battle between the Kurdish and Islamic republic, between the young generations and Islamic politics (which at the time of Khomeini ruled Iran including Kurdistan), between a male dominated culture and liberated female thinkers in our society fighting for equality and liberation. It is in my blood to stand up for justice, for equality, for a better life for myself and the people around me, despite their nation, race, beliefs, gender, or sexuality.’

 

MEWSo was established in 2010 because Taheri was, and still is, passionate to see women from her community thrive. She said, ‘Throughout the past ten years, we’ve met women who had survived - or were still experiencing - different forms of domestic violence – from emotional and financial abuse to physical and sexual violence.’ While in most cases the perpetrators were the women’s spouses or partners, there was a cohort of women who turned to MEWSo for support with issues around forced marriages, forced genital mutilation, forced virginity testing or even hymenoplasty and virginity repair. ‘We managed to enhance our support for women who had found themselves in polygamous relationships by mitigating factors preventing them from escaping polygamy. We also supported women threatened by family members with honour killings or excluded by their communities because of their sexual orientation.’

 

‘My past experiences of horror, violence, and brutality in my society, travelling around three continents to find a better and safer place to live, living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and tackling the sorrows of violation, drive me to do something. I don’t want my women to go through all this pain, while there is help and hope for an easier way to reach a better life. I have recovered and I am still recovering. I want to give these women a chance to recover.’ 

 

It is difficult to establish accurate numbers of polygamous marriages in the UK. There are an estimated 20,000 cases each year. Taheri said, ‘Research carried out by the University of Greenwich confirms what numerous studies have argued, for example, that polygamy can have a negative emotional and financial effect on women and children.' There are many reasons why some women choose to be in a polygamous relationship, some examples include women feeling shamed by their community for not being married or being so isolated that they feel this is their only option in order to fill that gap. However, other times women feel powerless to prevent polygamy or are forced to accept it as part of their culture and/or religion. 

@MEWSo

Polygamy happens among the hardest to reach women within isolated communities. Understandably, most women living in the UK who are involved in polygamous relationships find it difficult and shameful to speak about this taboo subject. Taheri said, ‘women in polygamous relationships lead almost secret lives. In some cases, a woman may marry a man whom she and her family and friends believe to be single. However, it turns out that the man has another wife and children in a different area of the city or country. Therefore, the arrangement can be kept secret quite easily from close relatives making polygamy so hard to detect. We can sometimes only suspect that a woman is suffering in a polygamous relationship which is why there needs to be more dialogue to address the issue.’

 

In order for any marriage to be recognised as legally valid in the UK, the marriage must be monogamous (one partner) and carried out in accordance with legislation. For a polygamous marriage to be considered valid in the UK, the parties must be based in a country where polygamous marriage is permitted and must have entered into the marriage in a country, which permits polygamy.

 

A large portion of these women in the UK do not realise they are entering into a polygamous marriage or they don't feel they have a choice. Taheri told us, ‘most or all polygamous marriages that take place in the UK are done through the niqha ceremony, which, unbeknown to many Muslim women, isn't recognised under UK law. Therefore, if the marriage breaks down, the woman isn't protected by the law in the same way as a civil monogamous married couple is. In addition, with the roll out of Universal Credit, women in polygamous marriages are much more vulnerable to financial abuse.’ 

 

MEWSo has been involved in specific activities related to polygamy since 2017, ranging from participating in a workshop at University of Greenwich in December 2017 to a series of Digital Storytelling workshops to identify polygamy-related issues facing women in the UK. They also network with different agencies to inform and receive referrals and cases of women in polygamous relationships. Most recently, MEWSo has been awarded a small grant from Rosa Foundation to kick-start the Polygamy Matters Campaign in order to build up their online presence and raise awareness. 

 

Taheri said, ‘Most of our clients in polygamous relationships have been identified through our counselling, mindfulness, storytelling classes, and advice sessions in the last 3 years. Since then we have identified 42 individual cases of women who are in polygamous relationships (64% of whom were of Asian background) and have encountered 80 others who we suspect to be in polygamous relationships but are unable or not yet ready to ask for help.’

 

On the other hand, some will insist that there are benefits for a woman engaged in a polygamous relationship. Taheri told us, ‘In the west, where you have a choice, you are accountable for your benefits, finances, work and career, your children. You are valued as an equal human being by the law of the country, respected by the community in which you live. If you have the same rights for living and making decisions as men, it will be very rare and unusual for a woman to enter a polygamous relationship. But if you are in a society that forces decisions on you, makes you dependent on the community while stripping you of all autonomy, then it becomes a different story entirely. For this reason, polygamy is often seen as "a way out" of an undesirable situation. A marriage to a man might be a way out of an abusive or controlling home. A marriage means that you have avoided bringing your family shame by being branded as undesirable. A marriage might give you a leg to stand on within your community. Sometimes, being the second wife gives you the illusion of control over your own life, even if that’s not legally the case.’ 

@MEWSo

 In order to try and make women aware of all different aspects of polygamous marriages, Taheri said, ‘All we can do is immerse these women within the world around them, raising awareness about their rights, aiming to empower them and improve their self-esteem. By doing this, we hope that one day, these women will reach equality through their own choices and decisions, striving towards the better life they deserve.’

 

The Polygamy Matters campaign aims to enforce the existing law, so women and girls have access to full protection by the state. Awareness and prevention services must be available for women and girls, so they are aware of the consequences of entering a polygamous relationship. Advice and support services must be existing and accessible for women and girls so they can reach for support when they feel unsafe. Taheri told us, ‘I am aware that this kind of injustice and harmful customs are only happening in certain communities and not in the whole society. If you look at Female Genital Mutilation, it is the same. It is happening in certain communities, but it still falls upon the responsibility of the UK Government to ban it and whoever carries out such a brutal crime will be punished by the Law. That is exactly what we want: to encourage decision makers and politicians to view polygamy as a human rights issue, and to treat it as such.’

 

MEWSo also want the educational institutions to recognise the matter as a human rights violation so children are aware of the practice. The campaign will improve the lives of women and mothers caught in polygamous relationships. ‘As a frontline organisation MEWSo are honoured to be part of this big change by educating adults in the community, especially women to be able to protect themselves and young ones in the family. However, educational departments must take these issues seriously as a part of the school curriculum for children.’

 

Life after Coronavirus looks very uncertain and often times troubling. The pandemic all over the world has pushed societies towards more poverty and starvation. There is also a suspected rise in femicide, domestic violence and gender-based crimes as a direct result of imposed lockdowns across the globe.

@MEWSo

 

As the pandemic has exposed the cracks within our system, which has attacked developers, workers, health and benefit systems, and other front-line service providers, showing society’s favouritism of businesses over regular people, life after COVID-19 could be dangerous for everyone but most of all for vulnerable people in society, both financially and physically. 

 

Taheri told us, ‘In the UK we need to be alarmed and prepared to face similar situations with our welfare and health system also suffering under pressure. We have already seen the rise of domestic violence, crime, poor mental health, discrimination, unemployment and poverty here at home. Among them, domestic abuse against women and children are rising dramatically and we are all, from the top of the hierarchy down to every individual in society, are responsible to break the cycle of abuse and act fast. Any excuses under any circumstances or custom’s rules are not acceptable!’

 

To find out more about the work that MEWSo does, you can visit https://www.mewso.org