If you are a girl or young woman reading this, what would be more worrying for you when going online: FOMO, or the fear of missing out, or the sexual predators and misogynists roaming social media? A rather worrying study in the UK has found that in spite of the hidden dangers, young women are flocking to social media because of FOMO.

The survey by the NGO Girlguiding had more than 2,000 respondents.

It revealed that girls and young women aged 11 to 21 face unwanted sexual images and cyberstalking when surfing the net and social media.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-study-one-in-four-adolescent-girls-in-relationship-face-violence-even-before-their-20th-birthday-745433">Also read: WHO study: One in four adolescent girls in relationship faces violence 'even before their 20th birthday'</a>

Even as nearly 20 per cent of the respondents said they faced online stalking, many continue to go back to these platforms, with more than half of the respondents on TikTok and Snapchat.&nbsp;More than a third saw unwanted sexual content while online.

Watch: Pandemic lockdowns aged teen girls' brains rapidly

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But connectivity is not bringing any more happiness to the young girls. Half of the respondents felt uncertain about their future. Only a quarter felt confident about their lives.

And paradoxically, the feeling that online connections are strong has decreased in the past four years, meaning greater connectivity is only leading to more vulnerability for the youth.

One of the issues reported is not new: the unrealistic beauty standards pushed by social media.

A report in The Guardian quoted a Girlguiding advocate Jia,17, as saying that this pressure exacerbates feelings of judgement and comparison, causing loneliness and low self esteem.

“Being online all the time amplifies this. While we’re ‘more connected’, we’re also more exposed to judgment and comparison – through body shaming, sexist jokes, online harassment and objectification. This fuels loneliness and erodes our confidence, which only makes it harder to feel positive about the future,” the paper quoted her as saying.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/play-badminton-together-hong-kong-encourages-horny-teens-to-play-badminton-instead-of-having-premarital-sex-754039">Also read: 'Play badminton together': Hong Kong encourages teens to play badminton instead of having premarital sex</a> 
 
The girls and young women face a number of other issues when online: 85 per cent of respondents experienced sexism. For more than 50 per cent, sexism&nbsp;happened in real life, while nearly three quarters faced it online.&nbsp;

Sexism fuels thoughts of not feeling safe, with 47 per cent of the girls feeling threatened. This is more than double the rate 10 years ago.

The silver lining of the survey is that&nbsp;44 per cent of the respondents still have hope about their futures.

Angela Salt, Girlguiding's CEO, said sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe, while noting that it was “devastating to see girls feel less confident about themselves and their futures”.

The survey was published amid plans by the UK government to classify extreme misogyny as a form of extremism.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

If you are a girl or young woman reading this, what would be more worrying for you when going online: FOMO, or the fear of missing out, or the sexual predators and misogynists roaming social media?

If you are a girl or young woman reading this, what would be more worrying for you when going online: FOMO, or the fear of missing out, or the sexual predators and misogynists roaming social media? A rather worrying study in the UK has found that in spite of the hidden dangers, young women are flocking to social media because of FOMO. The survey by the NGO Girlguiding had more than 2,000 respondents. It revealed that girls and young women aged 11 to 21 face unwanted sexual images and cyberstalking when surfing the net and social media. Also read: WHO study: One in four adolescent girls in relationship faces violence 'even before their 20th birthday' Even as nearly 20 per cent of the respondents said they faced online stalking, many continue to go back to these platforms, with more than half of the respondents on TikTok and Snapchat. More than a third saw unwanted sexual content while online. Watch: Pandemic lockdowns aged teen girls' brains rapidly × But connectivity is not bringing any more happiness to the young girls. Half of the respondents felt uncertain about their future. Only a quarter felt confident about their lives. And paradoxically, the feeling that online connections are strong has decreased in the past four years, meaning greater connectivity is only leading to more vulnerability for the youth. One of the issues reported is not new: the unrealistic beauty standards pushed by social media. A report in The Guardian quoted a Girlguiding advocate Jia,17, as saying that this pressure exacerbates feelings of judgement and comparison, causing loneliness and low self esteem. “Being online all the time amplifies this. While we’re ‘more connected’, we’re also more exposed to judgment and comparison – through body shaming, sexist jokes, online harassment and objectification. This fuels loneliness and erodes our confidence, which only makes it harder to feel positive about the future,” the paper quoted her as saying. Also read: 'Play badminton together': Hong Kong encourages teens to play badminton instead of having premarital sex The girls and young women face a number of other issues when online: 85 per cent of respondents experienced sexism. For more than 50 per cent, sexism happened in real life, while nearly three quarters faced it online. Sexism fuels thoughts of not feeling safe, with 47 per cent of the girls feeling threatened. This is more than double the rate 10 years ago. The silver lining of the survey is that 44 per cent of the respondents still have hope about their futures. Angela Salt, Girlguiding's CEO, said sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe, while noting that it was “devastating to see girls feel less confident about themselves and their futures”. The survey was published amid plans by the UK government to classify extreme misogyny as a form of extremism. (With inputs from agencies)

Girls go online due to fear of missing out in spite of sexism, stalking, harassment on social media

SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk is facing a lawsuit filed by eight engineers who claim they were fired illegally for raising concerns about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination. Lawsuit describes the hostile work environment at SpaceX.

Lawsuit claims toxic culture at SpaceX

In a sign that the Luis Rubiales&nbsp;kiss controversy may be developing into a sort of a 'Me Too' moment for Spain, more than 200 Spanish women have anonymously shared examples of sexism or abuse of power at their workplace. A nation-wide debate has started in Spain after country's football federation chief Luis Rubiales planted an unsolicited kiss on the lips of Jenni Hermoso, member of Spain's women football team after the country won women's football world cup last month.

Rubiales initially brushed off the incident but it soon assumed international proportions with FIFA getting involved.

The anonymous responses with examples of sexism and power abuse were sent after a social media appeal by Helena Legido-Quigley, a professor at Imperial College London who was working with members of Women in Global Health Spain.

Just within five days of the appeal, more than 200 stories have&nbsp;poured in.

“I was completely shocked,” she said as quoted by The Guardian.

“What happened to Jenni has really created a moment for women to start sharing their stories.”

The women had detailed their experiences that involved lewd comments to inappropriate touching and even sexual assaults. What's scary is that most of them said that they were sharing just two or three of many such experiences, according to Legido-Quigley.

The news report by The Guardian said that most of these women never reported these incidents. The reasons ranged from fear to being clueless as to what exactly is to be done in such a situation.&nbsp;

“In several cases they said it destroyed their careers,” said Legido-Quigley.

“Some said that they were sharing this for the first time. They hadn’t even told their partners.”

For many of these women though the unpleasant incidents took place within seconds, the psychological ramifications lasted for a long time.

“I think what this says about Spanish society is that what we call micromachismos are normalised,” she said as quoted by The Guardian&nbsp;

“So these comments about women, about the way they look, there is this kind of humour, it’s normalised behaviour. Women feel uncomfortable but they don’t dare to highlight it because of power [imbalances].”

“I think this is a #MeToo moment for Spain, but we are not ready to give names and shame institutions. That’s the key difference. Because people are really scared of losing their jobs,” she added.

The initial aftermath of the Rubiales controversy shocked many. The federation chief initially brushed of the incident saying it was just “a little peck”.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/spains-jenni-hermoso-files-criminal-complaint-over-luis-rubiales-kiss-633013">Spain's Jenni Hermoso files criminal complaint over Luis Rubiales' kiss</a>

Just months ago, 15 players on Spain's national women's team refused to play under coach Jorge Vilda. All of the players sent identical letters saying the situation was affecting their health and emotional state.

The Rubiales-led federation had shot back at the players and asked them to “admit their error and apologise”.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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In a sign that the Luis Rubiales kiss controversy may be developing into a sort of a 'Me Too' moment for Spain, more than 200 Spanish women have anonymously shared examples of sexism or abuse of power at their workplace.

In a sign that the Luis Rubiales kiss controversy may be developing into a sort of a 'Me Too' moment for Spain, more than 200 Spanish women have anonymously shared examples of sexism or abuse of power at their workplace. A nation-wide debate has started in Spain after country's football federation chief Luis Rubiales planted an unsolicited kiss on the lips of Jenni Hermoso, member of Spain's women football team after the country won women's football world cup last month. Rubiales initially brushed off the incident but it soon assumed international proportions with FIFA getting involved. The anonymous responses with examples of sexism and power abuse were sent after a social media appeal by Helena Legido-Quigley, a professor at Imperial College London who was working with members of Women in Global Health Spain. Just within five days of the appeal, more than 200 stories have poured in. “I was completely shocked,” she said as quoted by The Guardian. “What happened to Jenni has really created a moment for women to start sharing their stories.” The women had detailed their experiences that involved lewd comments to inappropriate touching and even sexual assaults. What's scary is that most of them said that they were sharing just two or three of many such experiences, according to Legido-Quigley. The news report by The Guardian said that most of these women never reported these incidents. The reasons ranged from fear to being clueless as to what exactly is to be done in such a situation. “In several cases they said it destroyed their careers,” said Legido-Quigley. “Some said that they were sharing this for the first time. They hadn’t even told their partners.” For many of these women though the unpleasant incidents took place within seconds, the psychological ramifications lasted for a long time. “I think what this says about Spanish society is that what we call micromachismos are normalised,” she said as quoted by The Guardian “So these comments about women, about the way they look, there is this kind of humour, it’s normalised behaviour. Women feel uncomfortable but they don’t dare to highlight it because of power [imbalances].” “I think this is a #MeToo moment for Spain, but we are not ready to give names and shame institutions. That’s the key difference. Because people are really scared of losing their jobs,” she added. The initial aftermath of the Rubiales controversy shocked many. The federation chief initially brushed of the incident saying it was just “a little peck”. Also Read | Spain's Jenni Hermoso files criminal complaint over Luis Rubiales' kiss Just months ago, 15 players on Spain's national women's team refused to play under coach Jorge Vilda. All of the players sent identical letters saying the situation was affecting their health and emotional state. The Rubiales-led federation had shot back at the players and asked them to “admit their error and apologise”. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

More than 200 Spanish women share incidents of sexism after Rubiales-Hermoso kiss row

In a study, scientists found that adult orca male whales are well protected by their mother from 'social injury'. While these mothers tend to leave their daughters to fend for themselves. The research shows that killer adult male orcas are less likely to be victims of whale fights. This is if their mothers are still around past their reproductive age.

Orca moms protect their sons from social injury, but not their daughters: Study

The Madrid Open concluded on May 07 (Sunday) with&nbsp;Carlos Alcaraz and&nbsp;Aryna Sabalenka winning the singles title (in men&nbsp;and women&nbsp;category, respectively). On the other hand, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia won the women's doubles whereas&nbsp;Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev clinched the title in the men's category. However, the event made heads turn for quite a lot of wrong reasons.

The tournament has been thrashed left, right, and centre for its unsavoury treatment of&nbsp;female players. From silencing the women&nbsp;finalists, and 'sexist' ball girl&nbsp;outfits to contrasting birthday cakes presented to Alcaraz and Sabalenka, many strange decisions taken by the organisers left tennis fans fuming.&nbsp;

Silencing women finalists

American duo Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff conceded the women's doubles final to Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia, losing&nbsp;1-6, 4-6. To the surprise of many,&nbsp;none of the players were allowed to address the audience. However, the same was not the case for the men's doubles finalists.

"What happened in Madrid, it was really disappointing ... I had a feeling something was going to happen," Pegula told reporters, on Tuesday (May 9), prior to the commencement of the ongoing&nbsp;Italian Open.

"Did I think we were not going to be able to speak? No. I've never heard of that ... in my life. I don't know what century everyone was living in when they made that decision," the world number three Pegula added.

Meanwhile, BBC Sport quoted organisers as saying of the decision: "The tournament will not comment on the matter."

The 19-year-old Gauff highlighted, "I have a lot of finals, so it's not about that," she told reporters. "It's more about the principle behind it, so this can't happen again for future girls, take the opportunity away from them."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis-it-would-be-brutal-for-tennis-if-rafael-nadal-misses-french-open-2023-says-roger-federer-590173">Tennis: It would be brutal for tennis if Rafael Nadal misses French Open 2023, says Roger Federer</a>

Sexist ballgirl outfits

Moreover, the organisers were severely criticised&nbsp;for dressing the ball girls on the main court in crop tops and short skirts. After the backlash, the skirts were swapped for long shorts ahead of the men's singles final, on&nbsp;Sunday, however,&nbsp;the crop tops remained as is.

Pilar Calvo, spokesperson for The Association for Women in Professional Sports, told Spanish outlet Público, “It’s a feminized way of treating girls versus guys who don’t dress like that. In the end, it is a form of sexist violence that is so widespread because people don’t even notice it."

Cake gate

Not only this, birthday cakes presented to Alcaraz and Sabalenka also drew criticism on social media platforms. A&nbsp;fan posted two photos on Twitter indicating the difference in size of the birthday cakes given to Alcaraz and Sabalenka. The two&nbsp;share a birthday on May 5.

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That doesn’t look right <a href="https://t.co/ySiXWiqdNa">https://t.co/ySiXWiqdNa</a>
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To this, former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu tweeted in response, "That doesn’t look right."

Victoria Azarenka, a former world number one, replied to the tweet, saying: “Couldn’t be more accurate on the treatment.”

Tournament director Feliciano López also joined in and said in defence, "I’m surprised by this reaction after this gesture! 1. Carlos had just won his match to reach the final. 2. He was playing on centre court. 3. The tournament is played in Spain."

While the Madrid Open has ended, the tournament has concluded with more questions than answers with regard to the treatment meted out to male and female players in world sports.

The Madrid Open concluded on May 07 (Sunday) with Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka winning the singles title (in men and women category, respectively). On the other hand, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia won the women's doubles whereas Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev clinched the title in the men's category.

The Madrid Open concluded on May 07 (Sunday) with Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka winning the singles title (in men and women category, respectively). On the other hand, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia won the women's doubles whereas Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev clinched the title in the men's category. However, the event made heads turn for quite a lot of wrong reasons. The tournament has been thrashed left, right, and centre for its unsavoury treatment of female players. From silencing the women finalists, and 'sexist' ball girl outfits to contrasting birthday cakes presented to Alcaraz and Sabalenka, many strange decisions taken by the organisers left tennis fans fuming. Silencing women finalists American duo Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff conceded the women's doubles final to Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia, losing 1-6, 4-6. To the surprise of many, none of the players were allowed to address the audience. However, the same was not the case for the men's doubles finalists. "What happened in Madrid, it was really disappointing ... I had a feeling something was going to happen," Pegula told reporters, on Tuesday (May 9), prior to the commencement of the ongoing Italian Open. "Did I think we were not going to be able to speak? No. I've never heard of that ... in my life. I don't know what century everyone was living in when they made that decision," the world number three Pegula added. Meanwhile, BBC Sport quoted organisers as saying of the decision: "The tournament will not comment on the matter." The 19-year-old Gauff highlighted, "I have a lot of finals, so it's not about that," she told reporters. "It's more about the principle behind it, so this can't happen again for future girls, take the opportunity away from them." Also Read: Tennis: It would be brutal for tennis if Rafael Nadal misses French Open 2023, says Roger Federer Sexist ballgirl outfits Moreover, the organisers were severely criticised for dressing the ball girls on the main court in crop tops and short skirts. After the backlash, the skirts were swapped for long shorts ahead of the men's singles final, on Sunday, however, the crop tops remained as is. Pilar Calvo, spokesperson for The Association for Women in Professional Sports, told Spanish outlet Público, “It’s a feminized way of treating girls versus guys who don’t dress like that. In the end, it is a form of sexist violence that is so widespread because people don’t even notice it." Cake gate Not only this, birthday cakes presented to Alcaraz and Sabalenka also drew criticism on social media platforms. A fan posted two photos on Twitter indicating the difference in size of the birthday cakes given to Alcaraz and Sabalenka. The two share a birthday on May 5. That doesn’t look right https://t.co/ySiXWiqdNa — Bianca (@Bandreescu_) May 5, 2023 × To this, former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu tweeted in response, "That doesn’t look right." Victoria Azarenka, a former world number one, replied to the tweet, saying: “Couldn’t be more accurate on the treatment.” Tournament director Feliciano López also joined in and said in defence, "I’m surprised by this reaction after this gesture! 1. Carlos had just won his match to reach the final. 2. He was playing on centre court. 3. The tournament is played in Spain." While the Madrid Open has ended, the tournament has concluded with more questions than answers with regard to the treatment meted out to male and female players in world sports.

Madrid Open sexism row: From silencing women finalists, cake gate to controversial ball girl outfits

A London Metropolitan police report which reviewed the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the service has unravelled some very disturbing assessments including key findings of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia.&nbsp;

Baroness Casey was appointed in October 2021 to look into the Met internal misconduct system.&nbsp;

This report is an effort to review the Met police after the horrific incident when two years ago in March 2021, one of the department's officer Sarah Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by a serving Metropolitan Police Officer, who was later sentenced to whole life imprisonment for his crime.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-11-weeks-of-protests-israel-modifies-key-judicial-reform-574073">After 11 weeks of protests, Israel modifies key judicial reform</a>

As per the report, there are people in the Met with racist attitudes. It underscores that Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers and staff are more likely to experience racism, discrimination and bullying at their hands.&nbsp;

"Discrimination is often ignored, and complaints are likely to be turned against Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers. Many do not think it is worth reporting. Black officers are 81% more likely to be in the misconduct system than their White counterparts. The organisation has failed to significantly improve the recruitment and retention of Black officers at all levels. This is particularly true of Black and ethnic minority women," the report stated.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-biden-signs-law-declassifying-us-intelligence-on-covid-virus-origin-574071">President Joe Biden signs law declassifying US intelligence on Covid virus origin</a>

Casey review also pointed out that Black Londoners in particular remain over-policed and are more likely 
to be stopped and searched, handcuffed, batoned and Tasered, are overrepresented in many serious crimes.&nbsp;

It adds that when Black Londoners are victims of crime, they are less satisfied with the service they receive than other Londoners.&nbsp;

The Met police assessment was done by engaging current and former Met personnel and other stakeholders and reviewing relevant Met internal policies. Moreover, it also included polling over 1,200 Londoners, conducting surveys of 6,751 current and former personnel and listening to the voices of those who have faced adverse consequences inside the service.&nbsp;

The review report touches upon a series of incidents and scandals involving the Met police. It underlines that the public confidence in Met police over the last few years has declined and in some communities it has hit rock bottom.

Watch | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/france-protest-police-fire-tear-gas-on-protestors-574080">France protest: Police fire tear gas on protestors</a>

Black and Mixed ethnic groups have consistently lower trust and confidence in the Met, frequently scoring around 10-20% lower than average on trust and belief in fairness. LGBT+ community also has low trust in the police.&nbsp;

It concludes that the Met has become disconnected from Londoners and their consent is largely assumed. "Londoners’ voices are missing from London policing," the report states.&nbsp;

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You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

A London Metropolitan police report which reviewed the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the service has unravelled some very disturbing assessments including key findings of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia.

A London Metropolitan police report which reviewed the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the service has unravelled some very disturbing assessments including key findings of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia. Baroness Casey was appointed in October 2021 to look into the Met internal misconduct system. This report is an effort to review the Met police after the horrific incident when two years ago in March 2021, one of the department's officer Sarah Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by a serving Metropolitan Police Officer, who was later sentenced to whole life imprisonment for his crime. Also Read | After 11 weeks of protests, Israel modifies key judicial reform As per the report, there are people in the Met with racist attitudes. It underscores that Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers and staff are more likely to experience racism, discrimination and bullying at their hands. "Discrimination is often ignored, and complaints are likely to be turned against Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers. Many do not think it is worth reporting. Black officers are 81% more likely to be in the misconduct system than their White counterparts. The organisation has failed to significantly improve the recruitment and retention of Black officers at all levels. This is particularly true of Black and ethnic minority women," the report stated. Also Read | President Joe Biden signs law declassifying US intelligence on Covid virus origin Casey review also pointed out that Black Londoners in particular remain over-policed and are more likely to be stopped and searched, handcuffed, batoned and Tasered, are overrepresented in many serious crimes. It adds that when Black Londoners are victims of crime, they are less satisfied with the service they receive than other Londoners. The Met police assessment was done by engaging current and former Met personnel and other stakeholders and reviewing relevant Met internal policies. Moreover, it also included polling over 1,200 Londoners, conducting surveys of 6,751 current and former personnel and listening to the voices of those who have faced adverse consequences inside the service. The review report touches upon a series of incidents and scandals involving the Met police. It underlines that the public confidence in Met police over the last few years has declined and in some communities it has hit rock bottom. Watch | France protest: Police fire tear gas on protestors Black and Mixed ethnic groups have consistently lower trust and confidence in the Met, frequently scoring around 10-20% lower than average on trust and belief in fairness. LGBT+ community also has low trust in the police. It concludes that the Met has become disconnected from Londoners and their consent is largely assumed. "Londoners’ voices are missing from London policing," the report states. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

London Met Police plagued with institutional racism, sexism & homophobia: Cassey's Report

London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been termed 'institutionally misogynist' and 'racist' after a review conducted into the working culture of the force revealed a grim picture.&nbsp;

Nazir Afzal, the former chief Crown prosecutor for north-west England conducted the review and found that&nbsp;'toxic culture' festered&nbsp;within the LFB which gave rise to bullying and abuse.&nbsp;

"We've heard example after example about women who were harassed or sexually assaulted - constant sexual taunting to the point that I am now saying that the London Fire Brigade is institutionally misogynist," Afzal was quoted as saying by BBC.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britains-history-of-racism-spans-across-institutions-370734">Read more:&nbsp;Britain's history of racism spans across institutions</a>

The report clearly showed that people of colour coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds were more often than not, the target of racial abuse and bullying. They&nbsp;were also less likely to be promoted and be unrepresented at the senior levels.

A Muslim firefighter in the brigade was troubled and bullied to the extent that he had to be admitted to a hospital. He has&nbsp;since been diagnosed with Post-Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has had suicidal thoughts.

According to the review, the said Muslim man was ridiculed for his Indian accent. On different occasions, a piece of Bacon and a slice of pork was put in the victim's sandwich and pocket respectively.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-india-to-raise-racism-with-the-uk-370750">WATCH |&nbsp;Gravitas: India to raise racism with the UK</a>

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The women workers in the Brigade have not been untouched by the institutionalised ill behaviour of the firefighting men either.&nbsp;

LFB's first female commissioner Dany Cotton told the researchers that when she started her campaign to fight sexism five years ago, she received death threats from her own colleagues with demands that she be sacked.&nbsp;

Women are routinely 'sexually taunted' in the brigade with one receiving video calls from a man who exposed his nether regions to her.&nbsp;

"I sat with a very senior female officer who said to me, through tears, that whenever she goes through a dangerous incident, she's always thinking: 'Will the men have my back? Will the men around me protect me given how they have treated me back at the station?" added&nbsp;Afzal.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-fires-employee-who-led-movement-against-racism-sexism-421182">Read more:&nbsp;Apple fires employee who led movement against racism &amp; sexism</a>

After the findings of the independent review were put out, LFB's Commissioner Andy Roe said there will be consequences from now on for the actions in the brigade.&nbsp;

"From today it will be completely clear to all staff what behaviour isn't acceptable and what the consequences will be."

Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said,&nbsp;"The findings of Nazir Afzal OBE's review must be nothing short of a watershed moment for the London Fire Brigade. The details published today of institutional misogyny, racism and discrimination are abhorrent."

(With inputs from agencies)

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London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been termed 'institutionally misogynist' and 'racist' after a review conducted into the working culture of the force revealed a grim picture.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been termed 'institutionally misogynist' and 'racist' after a review conducted into the working culture of the force revealed a grim picture. Nazir Afzal, the former chief Crown prosecutor for north-west England conducted the review and found that 'toxic culture' festered within the LFB which gave rise to bullying and abuse. "We've heard example after example about women who were harassed or sexually assaulted - constant sexual taunting to the point that I am now saying that the London Fire Brigade is institutionally misogynist," Afzal was quoted as saying by BBC. Read more: Britain's history of racism spans across institutions The report clearly showed that people of colour coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds were more often than not, the target of racial abuse and bullying. They were also less likely to be promoted and be unrepresented at the senior levels. A Muslim firefighter in the brigade was troubled and bullied to the extent that he had to be admitted to a hospital. He has since been diagnosed with Post-Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has had suicidal thoughts. According to the review, the said Muslim man was ridiculed for his Indian accent. On different occasions, a piece of Bacon and a slice of pork was put in the victim's sandwich and pocket respectively. WATCH | Gravitas: India to raise racism with the UK × The women workers in the Brigade have not been untouched by the institutionalised ill behaviour of the firefighting men either. LFB's first female commissioner Dany Cotton told the researchers that when she started her campaign to fight sexism five years ago, she received death threats from her own colleagues with demands that she be sacked. Women are routinely 'sexually taunted' in the brigade with one receiving video calls from a man who exposed his nether regions to her. "I sat with a very senior female officer who said to me, through tears, that whenever she goes through a dangerous incident, she's always thinking: 'Will the men have my back? Will the men around me protect me given how they have treated me back at the station?" added Afzal. Read more: Apple fires employee who led movement against racism & sexism After the findings of the independent review were put out, LFB's Commissioner Andy Roe said there will be consequences from now on for the actions in the brigade. "From today it will be completely clear to all staff what behaviour isn't acceptable and what the consequences will be." Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, "The findings of Nazir Afzal OBE's review must be nothing short of a watershed moment for the London Fire Brigade. The details published today of institutional misogyny, racism and discrimination are abhorrent." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

London Fire Brigade is ‘institutionally misogynist’ and ‘sexist’, finds independent review

At the 'Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame' ceremony, Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette was supposed to perform a duet with Olivia Rodrigo to pay a tribute to inductee Carly Somin, however, she dropped out of the gig last minute allegedly due to "sexism".&nbsp;

Morissette had rehearsed for her performance on Friday&nbsp;before making an exit from the show. Later, on Instagram, she shared why exactly she decided to not perform at the ceremony.

During an Instagram Live session, Morissette strongly indicated that whatever she encountered while rehearsing for her performance on-site brought up long-simmering feelings of "an overarching anti-woman sentiment" in the industry.

Placing the blame on the telecast's production team, she suggested&nbsp;that whatever she experienced there stood in contrast to "countless incredible experiences with production teams with all genders throughout" her life.

Morissette also issued&nbsp;an official statement on her Instagram account to address the rumours.

"There are some misinformed rumblings about my not performing at the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past weekend. Firstly, I have to say how much I adore Carly Simon and Olivia Rodrigo and Dolly Parton and Janet Jackson and Pat Benatar and Sheryl Crow and Pink and Brandi Carlile and Sara Bareilles - and all the amazing people and artists who were there," she wrote.

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Morissette continued,&nbsp;"I have spent decades in an industry that is rife with an overarching anti-woman sentiment and have tolerated a lot of condescension and disrespectfulness, reduction, dismissiveness, contract-breaching, unsupportiveness, exploitation and psychological violence (and more) throughout my career."

She further mentioned,&nbsp;"I tolerated it because nothing would stop me from connecting with those who I cared about and resonated with. I live to serve and connect with people and so over the years, I sucked it up on more occasions than I can count in order to do so. It's hard not to be affected in any industry around the world, but Hollywood has been notorious for its disrespect of the feminine in all of us."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-salman-khan-sohail-khan-arbaaz-khan-to-finally-star-together-in-one-movie-heres-what-arbaaz-khan-said-532067" hreflang="en">Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan to finally star together in one movie? Here's what Arbaaz said</a>

"Thankfully, I am at a point in my life where there is no need for me to spend time in an environment that reduces women. I have had countless incredible experiences with production teams with all genders throughout my life. So many, and so fun. There is nothing better than a team of diverse people coming together with one mission. I'll continue to show up in those environments with bells on," she concluded.

Different accounts of what actually happened behind the scenes&nbsp;during the rehearsal&nbsp;are doing rounds online. According to&nbsp;multiple sources,&nbsp;Morissette was "struggling with the song" during a run-through, which led to her&nbsp;walk out.

But, sources close to Morissette have shared a different version of the story, claiming&nbsp;that Morissette and Rodrigo were working well together on the&nbsp;song's tune&nbsp;with the house band.

At the 'Rock & Roll Hall of Fame' ceremony, Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette was supposed to perform a duet with Olivia Rodrigo to pay a tribute to inductee Carly Somin, however, she dropped out of the gig last minute allegedly due to "sexism".

At the 'Rock & Roll Hall of Fame' ceremony, Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette was supposed to perform a duet with Olivia Rodrigo to pay a tribute to inductee Carly Somin, however, she dropped out of the gig last minute allegedly due to "sexism". Morissette had rehearsed for her performance on Friday before making an exit from the show. Later, on Instagram, she shared why exactly she decided to not perform at the ceremony. During an Instagram Live session, Morissette strongly indicated that whatever she encountered while rehearsing for her performance on-site brought up long-simmering feelings of "an overarching anti-woman sentiment" in the industry. Placing the blame on the telecast's production team, she suggested that whatever she experienced there stood in contrast to "countless incredible experiences with production teams with all genders throughout" her life. Morissette also issued an official statement on her Instagram account to address the rumours. "There are some misinformed rumblings about my not performing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past weekend. Firstly, I have to say how much I adore Carly Simon and Olivia Rodrigo and Dolly Parton and Janet Jackson and Pat Benatar and Sheryl Crow and Pink and Brandi Carlile and Sara Bareilles - and all the amazing people and artists who were there," she wrote. Morissette continued, "I have spent decades in an industry that is rife with an overarching anti-woman sentiment and have tolerated a lot of condescension and disrespectfulness, reduction, dismissiveness, contract-breaching, unsupportiveness, exploitation and psychological violence (and more) throughout my career." She further mentioned, "I tolerated it because nothing would stop me from connecting with those who I cared about and resonated with. I live to serve and connect with people and so over the years, I sucked it up on more occasions than I can count in order to do so. It's hard not to be affected in any industry around the world, but Hollywood has been notorious for its disrespect of the feminine in all of us." Also read: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan to finally star together in one movie? Here's what Arbaaz said "Thankfully, I am at a point in my life where there is no need for me to spend time in an environment that reduces women. I have had countless incredible experiences with production teams with all genders throughout my life. So many, and so fun. There is nothing better than a team of diverse people coming together with one mission. I'll continue to show up in those environments with bells on," she concluded. Different accounts of what actually happened behind the scenes during the rehearsal are doing rounds online. According to multiple sources, Morissette was "struggling with the song" during a run-through, which led to her walk out. But, sources close to Morissette have shared a different version of the story, claiming that Morissette and Rodrigo were working well together on the song's tune with the house band.

Alanis Morissette cites 'sexism' for dropping out of Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame gig

People who are rude to everyone might not be perceived as sexist, suggests the findings of a researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas.Dr Sora Jun, assistant professor of organizations, strategy and international management at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and her co-authors identified a barrier that makes sexism hard to recognize: men`s rudeness toward other men. 
 
Their study, published in Psychological Science, found that a man does not seem sexist if he treats everyone, both men and women, poorly. Jun said the idea for the research topic came from a discussion with her co-authors, Dr Peter Belmi and Dr Gabrielle S. Adams of the University of Virginia. 
 
"We were having conversations about men who get away with making sexist remarks," Jun said. "We realized that one commonality among these people is that they are often seen as simply being rude because they are rude to men as well. We thought that this attribution of general rudeness might be what allows these people to continue displaying sexist behaviours without retribution."The researchers conducted a series of five studies from 2019 to 2021, using online survey platforms. First, a pilot study examined whether men can both hold sexist beliefs and be rude toward men. 
 
The researchers conducted a two-part survey among 759 employed men to obtain self-reports about rudeness to female and male colleagues at work and their attitudes and beliefs about women. 
 
The pretest found that men who reported holding more negative stereotypes about women also reported being more discourteous, impolite or inconsiderate toward their male and female colleagues. 
 
Researchers said the men believed that rudeness may obscure the recognition of sexism by creating the perception of gender blindness, in which the perpetrator does not notice or pay attention to a person`s gender, creating an illusion of impartiality."By `equal-opportunity jerk,` we mean an individual who is mistakenly seen as gender-blind in their negative treatment toward others," Jun said. "They think, `This person is presumably rude toward both men and women equally, and therefore cannot be sexist.` Of course, in our research, we find that this perception is flawed."Next, the researchers tested whether rudeness toward men obscures gender bias. They surveyed nearly 5,000 male and female online participants and students from professional schools. 
 
In one study, participants read tweets written by former President Donald Trump from July to August 2019, while he was in office. All participants read tweets that contained negative comments toward women, and some saw additional tweets of Trump berating men.The participants were asked whether they thought Trump was sexist or gender-blind. The study found that the more lay observers saw Trump being rude toward men, the more they thought he was gender-blind. 
 
In another study, participants read a fictitious story about a manager who made a sexist remark toward a female intern. Some participants read that the manager also berates male interns.In this study, when the manager made a sexist remark to a female intern and was also rude to male interns, participants viewed him as less sexist because they perceived him to be gender-blind. 
 
The findings suggested that rudeness obscures the recognition of sexism by creating the perception that the sexist perpetrator does not notice or pay attention to gender when dealing with other people."Sexism and rudeness are two different concepts, and we try to outline this idea in the paper," Jun said. "Rudeness is defined as behaviours that are regarded as discourteous, impolite or inconsiderate. Sexism is defined as attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that reflect, foster or promote negative or pejorative stereotypes about women. Not all rude behaviours are sexist, because not all rude behaviours invoke negative stereotypes about women -- for example, failing to acknowledge a co-worker in the hallway. On the other hand, not all sexist treatment is rude." 
 
For example, Jun said, in a common form of sexism, called benevolent sexism, women are treated as if they should be cherished and protected. Benevolent sexism may be regarded as being polite and courteous, but it harms gender equity by promoting negative stereotypes about women, such as being weak or lacking agency. 
 
Gender-Bias TrainingThe researchers also explored the downstream implications of their findings, including gender-bias training. In a replicated study with the fictitious manager, participants diminished the importance of gender-bias training the more they saw the sexist manager`s rudeness toward men. 
 
Jun said these findings show that rudeness creates a critical barrier to addressing sexism by discouraging observers from recommending gender-bias training for sexist perpetrators."The first step to eradicating sexism in the workplace is to identify it when it happens," Jun said. "If observers are unable to recognize an employee`s behaviour as sexist -- because those behaviours are incorrectly explained away as general rudeness -- those problematic sexist behaviours will likely continue to plague organizations."The study also suggests that when rudeness toward men hides sexist behaviour, it hurts women in more than one way, Jun said. 
 
Women first must manage the sexism they face, she said. Second, they may begin to have doubts about whether sexism actually was present, which also can be psychologically taxing. Finally, even when women conclude that sexism is present, they may have a difficult time convincing others that sexism is at play. 
 
Organizations should clearly define sexism in their training programs, Jun said."Our work suggests that lay people`s conception of sexism may be both broad and malleable, so being clear about what it means to be sexist may help people better identify sexism," she said.Jun said future research could examine whether rudeness can hide other types of discrimination, such as racism.&nbsp;

People who are rude to everyone might not be perceived as sexist, suggests the findings of a researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas.Dr Sora Jun, assistant professor of organizations, strategy and international management at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and her co-authors identified a barrier that makes sexism hard to recognize: men`s rudeness toward other men.

People who are rude to everyone might not be perceived as sexist, suggests the findings of a researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas.Dr Sora Jun, assistant professor of organizations, strategy and international management at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and her co-authors identified a barrier that makes sexism hard to recognize: men`s rudeness toward other men. Their study, published in Psychological Science, found that a man does not seem sexist if he treats everyone, both men and women, poorly. Jun said the idea for the research topic came from a discussion with her co-authors, Dr Peter Belmi and Dr Gabrielle S. Adams of the University of Virginia. "We were having conversations about men who get away with making sexist remarks," Jun said. "We realized that one commonality among these people is that they are often seen as simply being rude because they are rude to men as well. We thought that this attribution of general rudeness might be what allows these people to continue displaying sexist behaviours without retribution."The researchers conducted a series of five studies from 2019 to 2021, using online survey platforms. First, a pilot study examined whether men can both hold sexist beliefs and be rude toward men. The researchers conducted a two-part survey among 759 employed men to obtain self-reports about rudeness to female and male colleagues at work and their attitudes and beliefs about women. The pretest found that men who reported holding more negative stereotypes about women also reported being more discourteous, impolite or inconsiderate toward their male and female colleagues. Researchers said the men believed that rudeness may obscure the recognition of sexism by creating the perception of gender blindness, in which the perpetrator does not notice or pay attention to a person`s gender, creating an illusion of impartiality."By `equal-opportunity jerk,` we mean an individual who is mistakenly seen as gender-blind in their negative treatment toward others," Jun said. "They think, `This person is presumably rude toward both men and women equally, and therefore cannot be sexist.` Of course, in our research, we find that this perception is flawed."Next, the researchers tested whether rudeness toward men obscures gender bias. They surveyed nearly 5,000 male and female online participants and students from professional schools. In one study, participants read tweets written by former President Donald Trump from July to August 2019, while he was in office. All participants read tweets that contained negative comments toward women, and some saw additional tweets of Trump berating men.The participants were asked whether they thought Trump was sexist or gender-blind. The study found that the more lay observers saw Trump being rude toward men, the more they thought he was gender-blind. In another study, participants read a fictitious story about a manager who made a sexist remark toward a female intern. Some participants read that the manager also berates male interns.In this study, when the manager made a sexist remark to a female intern and was also rude to male interns, participants viewed him as less sexist because they perceived him to be gender-blind. The findings suggested that rudeness obscures the recognition of sexism by creating the perception that the sexist perpetrator does not notice or pay attention to gender when dealing with other people."Sexism and rudeness are two different concepts, and we try to outline this idea in the paper," Jun said. "Rudeness is defined as behaviours that are regarded as discourteous, impolite or inconsiderate. Sexism is defined as attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that reflect, foster or promote negative or pejorative stereotypes about women. Not all rude behaviours are sexist, because not all rude behaviours invoke negative stereotypes about women -- for example, failing to acknowledge a co-worker in the hallway. On the other hand, not all sexist treatment is rude." For example, Jun said, in a common form of sexism, called benevolent sexism, women are treated as if they should be cherished and protected. Benevolent sexism may be regarded as being polite and courteous, but it harms gender equity by promoting negative stereotypes about women, such as being weak or lacking agency. Gender-Bias TrainingThe researchers also explored the downstream implications of their findings, including gender-bias training. In a replicated study with the fictitious manager, participants diminished the importance of gender-bias training the more they saw the sexist manager`s rudeness toward men. Jun said these findings show that rudeness creates a critical barrier to addressing sexism by discouraging observers from recommending gender-bias training for sexist perpetrators."The first step to eradicating sexism in the workplace is to identify it when it happens," Jun said. "If observers are unable to recognize an employee`s behaviour as sexist -- because those behaviours are incorrectly explained away as general rudeness -- those problematic sexist behaviours will likely continue to plague organizations."The study also suggests that when rudeness toward men hides sexist behaviour, it hurts women in more than one way, Jun said. Women first must manage the sexism they face, she said. Second, they may begin to have doubts about whether sexism actually was present, which also can be psychologically taxing. Finally, even when women conclude that sexism is present, they may have a difficult time convincing others that sexism is at play. Organizations should clearly define sexism in their training programs, Jun said."Our work suggests that lay people`s conception of sexism may be both broad and malleable, so being clear about what it means to be sexist may help people better identify sexism," she said.Jun said future research could examine whether rudeness can hide other types of discrimination, such as racism.

Rude behaviour with everyone might mask sexism: Study

A boss in Britain had to pay a 54-year-old woman $27,000 for yelling at her and later firing her due to her menopause.

The incident of sexist discrimination happened at pet food store Embark on Raw in Essex, England.

Shop owner David Fletcher had a disagreement with his employee Leigh Best during which he shouted she ''must be in her menopause.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-police-officers-need-to-end-sexist-and-misogynistic-behaviour-chief-425568">Also read |&nbsp;UK police officers need to end sexist and misogynistic behaviour: Chief</a>

Not only this, after making the ''inappropriate and derogatory'' remark ''at the top of his voice'' he refused to hear her side of the story and said "I don't want to hear about it" when a customer mentioned her having a "hot flush". &nbsp;

Once the customer left, Fletcher "continued to pursue the topic" and this had the effect of "creating a humiliating environment for her [Best] at work", the tribunal heard.

She felt so embarrased and insulted by the whole ordeal that she sued him in court for the sexist statement.&nbsp;

A local court ruled in her favour and asked her boss to compensate her for being offensive.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sexist-pakistani-school-textbooks-are-sparking-backlash-over-gender-418236">Also read |&nbsp;‘Sexist’ Pakistani school textbooks are sparking backlash over gender</a>

Best said she was "very happy" with the result. She has gone on to set up her own company - RawKings, which sells premium dog and cat food.

The tribunal, headed by Employment Judge Bernice Elgot, said: "Mr Fletcher invaded the claimant's privacy, broached a highly sensitive topic for her and acted tactlessly in directly asking her, as an employee having the protected characteristic of sex as a woman, whether she was menopausal.

"He asked that question even after... she had made it quite clear she did not wish to participate in any such discussion.

"We are satisfied that part of the reason for the company's decision to dismiss Mrs Best is that she made a significant allegation of sexism and ageism against Mr David Fletcher."

"She was intervening to protect herself, her family, her close friends and contacts, the customers and suppliers of [the Fletcher's] business and the wider public," the tribunal said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A boss in Britain had to pay a 54-year-old woman $27,000 for yelling at her and later firing her due to her menopause. The incident of sexist discrimination happened at pet food store Embark on Raw in Essex, England.

A boss in Britain had to pay a 54-year-old woman $27,000 for yelling at her and later firing her due to her menopause. The incident of sexist discrimination happened at pet food store Embark on Raw in Essex, England. Shop owner David Fletcher had a disagreement with his employee Leigh Best during which he shouted she ''must be in her menopause.'' Also read | UK police officers need to end sexist and misogynistic behaviour: Chief Not only this, after making the ''inappropriate and derogatory'' remark ''at the top of his voice'' he refused to hear her side of the story and said "I don't want to hear about it" when a customer mentioned her having a "hot flush". Once the customer left, Fletcher "continued to pursue the topic" and this had the effect of "creating a humiliating environment for her [Best] at work", the tribunal heard. She felt so embarrased and insulted by the whole ordeal that she sued him in court for the sexist statement. A local court ruled in her favour and asked her boss to compensate her for being offensive. Also read | ‘Sexist’ Pakistani school textbooks are sparking backlash over gender Best said she was "very happy" with the result. She has gone on to set up her own company - RawKings, which sells premium dog and cat food. The tribunal, headed by Employment Judge Bernice Elgot, said: "Mr Fletcher invaded the claimant's privacy, broached a highly sensitive topic for her and acted tactlessly in directly asking her, as an employee having the protected characteristic of sex as a woman, whether she was menopausal. "He asked that question even after... she had made it quite clear she did not wish to participate in any such discussion. "We are satisfied that part of the reason for the company's decision to dismiss Mrs Best is that she made a significant allegation of sexism and ageism against Mr David Fletcher." "She was intervening to protect herself, her family, her close friends and contacts, the customers and suppliers of [the Fletcher's] business and the wider public," the tribunal said. (With inputs from agencies)

Yelling at a 54-year-old woman and firing her due to her menopause cost this boss $27,000

The University of Washington has released a new guideline that states why the use of certain words can be considered ‘problematic.’

This list includes words such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, disability and minority among others.

The Department of Information Technology at the University says that word ''lame'' is &nbsp;“ableist”.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-has-us-failed-to-fight-racism-374376">Also read |&nbsp;Why has US failed to fight racism?&nbsp;</a>

“The word is offensive, even though it’s used in slang terms to mean uncool, because it uses disability in a negative way to imply the opposite, which wouldn’t be lame, would be superior,” the guidelines said.

As per the University, ''How society labels individuals withdisabilities as a group can also have animpact on how young people with disabilitiesview themselves. Responding to labels can test self-identity and self-value.''

''Successful individuals who overcome adversities are often able to define themselves more around their multiple talents than around their areas of vulnerability. Being able to show their talents and have themvalued by those who are important to themhelps them define their identities around that which they do best.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lego-celebrates-diversity-with-rainbow-coloured-figurines-386494">Also read |&nbsp;Lego celebrates diversity with rainbow-coloured figurines</a>

The guide considers “grandfather” to be a “problematic word” because the word “is used as a way of exempting some people from changing a preexisting condition”.

“Use of racist-based color-labels [sic] ‘White’ is good, ‘black’ is bad, a ‘red’ attacker, or a ‘yellow’ excluded third party – is offensive,” the guide noted.

Former US President Donald Trump had argued that banning vulgar terms and sexually indecent images did not discriminate against anyone’s viewpoint, and that the government should not be forced through the trademark system to promote words and images that would be shocking or profane to the public. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The University of Washington has released a new guideline that states why the use of certain words can be considered ‘problematic.’ This list includes words such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, disability and minority among others.

The University of Washington has released a new guideline that states why the use of certain words can be considered ‘problematic.’ This list includes words such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, disability and minority among others. The Department of Information Technology at the University says that word ''lame'' is “ableist”. Also read | Why has US failed to fight racism? “The word is offensive, even though it’s used in slang terms to mean uncool, because it uses disability in a negative way to imply the opposite, which wouldn’t be lame, would be superior,” the guidelines said. As per the University, ''How society labels individuals withdisabilities as a group can also have animpact on how young people with disabilitiesview themselves. Responding to labels can test self-identity and self-value.'' ''Successful individuals who overcome adversities are often able to define themselves more around their multiple talents than around their areas of vulnerability. Being able to show their talents and have themvalued by those who are important to themhelps them define their identities around that which they do best.'' Also read | Lego celebrates diversity with rainbow-coloured figurines The guide considers “grandfather” to be a “problematic word” because the word “is used as a way of exempting some people from changing a preexisting condition”. “Use of racist-based color-labels [sic] ‘White’ is good, ‘black’ is bad, a ‘red’ attacker, or a ‘yellow’ excluded third party – is offensive,” the guide noted. Former US President Donald Trump had argued that banning vulgar terms and sexually indecent images did not discriminate against anyone’s viewpoint, and that the government should not be forced through the trademark system to promote words and images that would be shocking or profane to the public. (With inputs from agencies)

From lame to ninja: Here are the words that are problematic as per University of Washington

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed a bill to expand protections for people who speak up about discrimination in the workplace.

A new website arrived to offer tech workers advice on how to come forward about mistreatment by their employers.

And Apple responded to a shareholder proposal that asked it to assess how it used confidentiality agreements in employee harassment and discrimination cases.

The disparate developments had one thing — or, rather, a person — in common: Ifeoma Ozoma.

Since last year, Ozoma, 29, a former employee of Pinterest, Facebook and Google, has emerged as a central figure among tech whistleblowers. A Yale-educated daughter of Nigerian immigrants, she has supported and mentored tech workers who needed help speaking out, pushed for more legal protections for those employees and urged tech companies and their shareholders to change their whistleblower policies.

She helped inspire and pass the new California law, the Silenced No More Act, which prohibits companies from using nondisclosure agreements to squelch workers who speak up against discrimination in any form. Ozoma also released a website, The Tech Worker Handbook, which provides information on whether and how workers should blow the whistle.

“It’s really sad to me that we still have such a lack of accountability within the tech industry that individuals have to do it” by speaking up, Ozoma said in an interview.

Her efforts — which have alienated at least one ally along the way — are increasingly in the spotlight as restive tech employees take more action against their employers. Last month, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, revealed that she had leaked thousands of internal documents about the social network’s harms. (Facebook has since renamed itself Meta.) Apple also recently faced employee unrest, with many workers voicing concerns about verbal abuse, sexual harassment, retaliation and discrimination.

Ozoma is now focused on directly pushing tech companies to stop using nondisclosure agreements to prevent employees from speaking out about workplace discrimination. She has also met with activists and organizations that want to pass legislation similar to the Silenced No More Act elsewhere. And she is constantly in touch with other activist tech workers, including those who have organized against Google and Apple.

Much of Ozoma’s work stems from experience. In June 2020, she and a colleague, Aerica Shimizu Banks, publicly accused their former employer, the virtual pinboard maker Pinterest, of racism and sexism. Pinterest initially denied the allegations but later apologized for its workplace culture. Its workers staged a walkout, and a former executive sued the company over gender discrimination.

“It’s remarkable how Ifeoma has taken some very painful experiences, developed solutions for them and then built a movement around making those solutions a reality,” said John Tye, the founder of Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit that provides legal support to whistleblowers.

He and Ozoma recently appeared on a webinar to educate people on whistleblower rights.

Meredith Whittaker, a former Google employee who helped organize a 2018 walkout over the company’s sexual harassment policy, added of Ozoma: “She has stuck around and worked to help others blow the whistle more safely.”

Ozoma, who grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and Raleigh, North Carolina, became an activist after a five-year career in the tech industry. A political science major, she moved to Washington, D.C., in 2015 to join Google in government relations. She then worked at Facebook in Silicon Valley on international policy.

In 2018, Pinterest recruited Ozoma to its public policy team. There, she helped bring Banks on board. They spearheaded policy decisions including ending the promotion of anti-vaccination information and content related to plantation weddings on Pinterest, Ozoma said.

Yet Ozoma and Banks said they faced unequal pay, racist comments and retaliation for raising complaints at Pinterest. They left the company in May 2020. A month later, during the Black Lives Matter protests, Pinterest posted a statement supporting its Black employees.

Ozoma and Banks said Pinterest’s hypocrisy had pushed them to speak out. On Twitter, they disclosed their experiences as Black women at the company, with Ozoma declaring that Pinterest’s statement was “a joke.”

In a statement, Pinterest said it had taken steps to increase diversity.

By speaking out, Ozoma and Banks took a risk. That’s because they broke the nondisclosure agreements they had signed with Pinterest when they left the company. California law, which offered only partial protection, didn’t cover people speaking out about racial discrimination.

Peter Rukin, their lawyer, said he had an idea: What if state law was expanded to ban nondisclosure agreements from preventing people speaking out on any workplace discrimination? Ozoma and Banks soon began working with a California state senator, Connie Leyva, a Democrat, on a bill to do just that. It was introduced in February.

“I’m just so proud of these women for coming forward,” Levya said.

Along the way, Ozoma and Banks fell out. Banks said she no longer spoke with Ozoma because Ozoma had recruited her to Pinterest without disclosing the discrimination there and then excluded her from working on the Silenced No More Act.

“Ifeoma then cut me out of the initiative through gaslighting and bullying,” Banks said.

Ozoma said she had not cut Banks out of the organizing. She added that Banks had “felt left out” because news coverage focused on Ozoma’s role.

Since leaving Pinterest, Ozoma has moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she lives with a flock of chickens she calls the Golden Girls. She also runs a tech equity consulting firm, Earthseed.

Through Earthseed, Ozoma is continuing her work around whistleblowing. She is collaborating with the nonprofit Open MIC and the consulting firm Whistle Stop Capital to stop tech companies from using nondisclosure agreements to keep workers anywhere from coming forward on discrimination.

In September, Ozoma, Whistle Stop Capital and Open MIC, along with the social impact investor Nia Impact Capital, filed a shareholder proposal at Apple. The proposal asked the company to assess the risks associated with the use of concealment clauses for employees who have experienced harassment and discrimination.

Last month, Apple said in a letter that it wouldn’t take action on the proposal, arguing that the company “does not limit employees’ and contractors’ ability to speak freely about harassment, discrimination and other unlawful acts in the workplace.” It declined to comment beyond the letter.

Ozoma also supports and counsels other tech activists. The Tech Worker Handbook website, in part, was designed to help with that. The website has information on how to navigate nondisclosure agreements and how to protect against corporate surveillance or physical threats. Across the top of the site is a slogan: “Preparedness Is Power.” Since it went online Oct. 6, the site has had over 53,000 visitors, Ozoma said.

“I send it to people who are thinking about coming forward,” said Ashley Gjovik, a former activist employee at Apple who has relied on Ozoma for support. When people think about whistleblowing, she added, “their mind won’t go to the places of the personal, digital, security stuff, all of the legal ramifications, how do you even get that story out, the impact on friends and family, the impact on your mental health.”

Last month, Ozoma also got a call from Cher Scarlett, another activist Apple employee who left the company this month. (Scarlett declined to provide her real name for security reasons; she is legally changing her name to Cher Scarlett.) She asked Ozoma how to pass legislation like the Silenced No More Act in her home state, Washington.

Ozoma described the steps she had taken, including working closely with a lawmaker who could write a bill, Scarlett said.

Along with another tech activist, Scarlett then contacted Karen Keiser, a Washington state senator and a Democrat. Keiser now plans to sponsor a bill to expand whistleblower protections when the legislative session starts in January, her office said.

“This is why the network of whistleblowers and women like Ifeoma are so important,” Scarlett said.

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed a bill to expand protections for people who speak up about discrimination in the workplace. A new website arrived to offer tech workers advice on how to come forward about mistreatment by their employers.

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed a bill to expand protections for people who speak up about discrimination in the workplace. A new website arrived to offer tech workers advice on how to come forward about mistreatment by their employers. And Apple responded to a shareholder proposal that asked it to assess how it used confidentiality agreements in employee harassment and discrimination cases. The disparate developments had one thing — or, rather, a person — in common: Ifeoma Ozoma. Since last year, Ozoma, 29, a former employee of Pinterest, Facebook and Google, has emerged as a central figure among tech whistleblowers. A Yale-educated daughter of Nigerian immigrants, she has supported and mentored tech workers who needed help speaking out, pushed for more legal protections for those employees and urged tech companies and their shareholders to change their whistleblower policies. She helped inspire and pass the new California law, the Silenced No More Act, which prohibits companies from using nondisclosure agreements to squelch workers who speak up against discrimination in any form. Ozoma also released a website, The Tech Worker Handbook, which provides information on whether and how workers should blow the whistle. “It’s really sad to me that we still have such a lack of accountability within the tech industry that individuals have to do it” by speaking up, Ozoma said in an interview. Her efforts — which have alienated at least one ally along the way — are increasingly in the spotlight as restive tech employees take more action against their employers. Last month, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, revealed that she had leaked thousands of internal documents about the social network’s harms. (Facebook has since renamed itself Meta.) Apple also recently faced employee unrest, with many workers voicing concerns about verbal abuse, sexual harassment, retaliation and discrimination. Ozoma is now focused on directly pushing tech companies to stop using nondisclosure agreements to prevent employees from speaking out about workplace discrimination. She has also met with activists and organizations that want to pass legislation similar to the Silenced No More Act elsewhere. And she is constantly in touch with other activist tech workers, including those who have organized against Google and Apple. Much of Ozoma’s work stems from experience. In June 2020, she and a colleague, Aerica Shimizu Banks, publicly accused their former employer, the virtual pinboard maker Pinterest, of racism and sexism. Pinterest initially denied the allegations but later apologized for its workplace culture. Its workers staged a walkout, and a former executive sued the company over gender discrimination. “It’s remarkable how Ifeoma has taken some very painful experiences, developed solutions for them and then built a movement around making those solutions a reality,” said John Tye, the founder of Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit that provides legal support to whistleblowers. He and Ozoma recently appeared on a webinar to educate people on whistleblower rights. Meredith Whittaker, a former Google employee who helped organize a 2018 walkout over the company’s sexual harassment policy, added of Ozoma: “She has stuck around and worked to help others blow the whistle more safely.” Ozoma, who grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and Raleigh, North Carolina, became an activist after a five-year career in the tech industry. A political science major, she moved to Washington, D.C., in 2015 to join Google in government relations. She then worked at Facebook in Silicon Valley on international policy. In 2018, Pinterest recruited Ozoma to its public policy team. There, she helped bring Banks on board. They spearheaded policy decisions including ending the promotion of anti-vaccination information and content related to plantation weddings on Pinterest, Ozoma said. Yet Ozoma and Banks said they faced unequal pay, racist comments and retaliation for raising complaints at Pinterest. They left the company in May 2020. A month later, during the Black Lives Matter protests, Pinterest posted a statement supporting its Black employees. Ozoma and Banks said Pinterest’s hypocrisy had pushed them to speak out. On Twitter, they disclosed their experiences as Black women at the company, with Ozoma declaring that Pinterest’s statement was “a joke.” In a statement, Pinterest said it had taken steps to increase diversity. By speaking out, Ozoma and Banks took a risk. That’s because they broke the nondisclosure agreements they had signed with Pinterest when they left the company. California law, which offered only partial protection, didn’t cover people speaking out about racial discrimination. Peter Rukin, their lawyer, said he had an idea: What if state law was expanded to ban nondisclosure agreements from preventing people speaking out on any workplace discrimination? Ozoma and Banks soon began working with a California state senator, Connie Leyva, a Democrat, on a bill to do just that. It was introduced in February. “I’m just so proud of these women for coming forward,” Levya said. Along the way, Ozoma and Banks fell out. Banks said she no longer spoke with Ozoma because Ozoma had recruited her to Pinterest without disclosing the discrimination there and then excluded her from working on the Silenced No More Act. “Ifeoma then cut me out of the initiative through gaslighting and bullying,” Banks said. Ozoma said she had not cut Banks out of the organizing. She added that Banks had “felt left out” because news coverage focused on Ozoma’s role. Since leaving Pinterest, Ozoma has moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she lives with a flock of chickens she calls the Golden Girls. She also runs a tech equity consulting firm, Earthseed. Through Earthseed, Ozoma is continuing her work around whistleblowing. She is collaborating with the nonprofit Open MIC and the consulting firm Whistle Stop Capital to stop tech companies from using nondisclosure agreements to keep workers anywhere from coming forward on discrimination. In September, Ozoma, Whistle Stop Capital and Open MIC, along with the social impact investor Nia Impact Capital, filed a shareholder proposal at Apple. The proposal asked the company to assess the risks associated with the use of concealment clauses for employees who have experienced harassment and discrimination. Last month, Apple said in a letter that it wouldn’t take action on the proposal, arguing that the company “does not limit employees’ and contractors’ ability to speak freely about harassment, discrimination and other unlawful acts in the workplace.” It declined to comment beyond the letter. Ozoma also supports and counsels other tech activists. The Tech Worker Handbook website, in part, was designed to help with that. The website has information on how to navigate nondisclosure agreements and how to protect against corporate surveillance or physical threats. Across the top of the site is a slogan: “Preparedness Is Power.” Since it went online Oct. 6, the site has had over 53,000 visitors, Ozoma said. “I send it to people who are thinking about coming forward,” said Ashley Gjovik, a former activist employee at Apple who has relied on Ozoma for support. When people think about whistleblowing, she added, “their mind won’t go to the places of the personal, digital, security stuff, all of the legal ramifications, how do you even get that story out, the impact on friends and family, the impact on your mental health.” Last month, Ozoma also got a call from Cher Scarlett, another activist Apple employee who left the company this month. (Scarlett declined to provide her real name for security reasons; she is legally changing her name to Cher Scarlett.) She asked Ozoma how to pass legislation like the Silenced No More Act in her home state, Washington. Ozoma described the steps she had taken, including working closely with a lawmaker who could write a bill, Scarlett said. Along with another tech activist, Scarlett then contacted Karen Keiser, a Washington state senator and a Democrat. Keiser now plans to sponsor a bill to expand whistleblower protections when the legislative session starts in January, her office said. “This is why the network of whistleblowers and women like Ifeoma are so important,” Scarlett said.

A tech whistleblower helps others speak out

Col. Wang Yaping is a pilot in the People’s Liberation Army’s Air Force. She is a space veteran, now making her second trip into orbit. She is set in the coming weeks to be the first Chinese woman to walk in space as China’s space station glides around Earth at 17,100 mph.

And yet, as she began a six-month mission last week at the core of China’s ambitious space program, official and news media attention fixated as much on the comparative physiology of men and women, menstruation cycles, and the 5-year-old daughter she has left behind, as they did on her accomplishments. (No one asked about the children of her two male colleagues.)

Shortly before the launch, Pang Zhihao, an official with the China National Space Administration, let it be known that a cargo capsule had supplied the orbiting space station with sanitary napkins and cosmetics.

“Female astronauts may be in better condition after putting on makeup,” he said in remarks shown on CCTV, the state television network.

At 41, Wang is a model of gender equality in a country where Mao Zedong famously said that “women hold up half the sky,” and the object of an undercurrent of sexism and condescension that courses through Chinese society, business and politics.

In China today, it is rare for women outside the entertainment industry to reach such public prominence as Wang. When they do manage to break barriers, their accomplishments are often viewed through the prism of gender.

In a short television report showing her training for the upcoming spacewalk, Wang exuded confidence, saying she hoped the mission aboard the new space station, called Tiangong, would be “more brilliant because of me.” She also hinted at the hurdles she had to overcome.

“For me, being an astronaut is not a profession, but a career, and it is such a career that I have an ardent love for,” she said. “This love is enough for me to overcome all difficulties, to overcome all barriers and even to sacrifice my own life.”

Online debates have erupted over whether women and men are fit for the same physical tasks.

“Most girls cannot do hard work or sweaty labor,” one user wrote on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. “Women must face up to this characteristic of their gender.” Others suggested she should have cut her hair or wondered how she would wash it.

Col. Wang Yaping is a pilot in the People’s Liberation Army’s Air Force. She is a space veteran, now making her second trip into orbit. She is set in the coming weeks to be the first Chinese woman to walk in space as China’s space station glides around Earth at 17,100 mph.

Col. Wang Yaping is a pilot in the People’s Liberation Army’s Air Force. She is a space veteran, now making her second trip into orbit. She is set in the coming weeks to be the first Chinese woman to walk in space as China’s space station glides around Earth at 17,100 mph. And yet, as she began a six-month mission last week at the core of China’s ambitious space program, official and news media attention fixated as much on the comparative physiology of men and women, menstruation cycles, and the 5-year-old daughter she has left behind, as they did on her accomplishments. (No one asked about the children of her two male colleagues.) Shortly before the launch, Pang Zhihao, an official with the China National Space Administration, let it be known that a cargo capsule had supplied the orbiting space station with sanitary napkins and cosmetics. “Female astronauts may be in better condition after putting on makeup,” he said in remarks shown on CCTV, the state television network. At 41, Wang is a model of gender equality in a country where Mao Zedong famously said that “women hold up half the sky,” and the object of an undercurrent of sexism and condescension that courses through Chinese society, business and politics. In China today, it is rare for women outside the entertainment industry to reach such public prominence as Wang. When they do manage to break barriers, their accomplishments are often viewed through the prism of gender. In a short television report showing her training for the upcoming spacewalk, Wang exuded confidence, saying she hoped the mission aboard the new space station, called Tiangong, would be “more brilliant because of me.” She also hinted at the hurdles she had to overcome. “For me, being an astronaut is not a profession, but a career, and it is such a career that I have an ardent love for,” she said. “This love is enough for me to overcome all difficulties, to overcome all barriers and even to sacrifice my own life.” Online debates have erupted over whether women and men are fit for the same physical tasks. “Most girls cannot do hard work or sweaty labor,” one user wrote on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. “Women must face up to this characteristic of their gender.” Others suggested she should have cut her hair or wondered how she would wash it.

She is breaking glass ceilings in space, but facing sexism on Earth

An employee of Apple who led a fellow workers movement against alleged patterns of discrimination, racism and sexism at the tech company was fired.

Janneke Parrish, an Apple program manager and one of the leaders behind the #AppleToo movement, said she was terminated for “non-compliance” after she deleted personal files from her work device amid an internal investigation, according to the Guardian.

Parrish, who worked at Apple for five years, claims that she was fired for speaking out publicly about "issues within the company".

“I’ve been very vocal, I’ve been very public. I have not been afraid to put my name and attach my face to #AppleToo,” she told the Guardian. “This feels very much like retaliation for having the courage to speak out.”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
There are consequences for speaking out. There are consequences for doing the right thing. 
 
But we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AppleToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AppleToo</a> is about asking Apple to do better, to end systemic discrimination, abuse, and pay inequity. 
 
Do the right thing. <a href="https://t.co/nhxFlflSvR">https://t.co/nhxFlflSvR</a>
— Janneke Parrish (@JannekeParrish) <a href="https://twitter.com/JannekeParrish/status/1449066853314224129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Apple said Friday it does not discuss specific employee matters.

Recently, Apple has been experiencing other examples of employee unrest. Last month, two employees told Reuters they had filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board for alleged retaliation and halting discussion of pay among employees, among other allegations.

Apple has said that it is “deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace” and that it takes “all concerns” from employees seriously.

In September, Parrish said the company had informed her that she was under investigation for leaking information to the media. Parrish had been involved with employee advocacy efforts at Apple for months, but did not leak information, she said.

As part of the investigation, Apple confiscated her devices. Apple encourages employees to use work devices as personal devices, Parrish said, and before handing over devices she deleted files that contained personal information, such as financial data.

Parrish said she did not expect to be fired, but believed her work with #AppleToo would have a negative impact on her career.

(With inputs from agencies)

An employee of Apple who led a fellow workers movement against alleged patterns of discrimination, racism and sexism at the tech company was fired. Janneke Parrish, an Apple program manager and one of the leaders behind the #AppleToo movement, said she was terminated for “non-compliance” after she deleted personal files from her work device amid an internal investigation, according to the Guardian.

An employee of Apple who led a fellow workers movement against alleged patterns of discrimination, racism and sexism at the tech company was fired. Janneke Parrish, an Apple program manager and one of the leaders behind the #AppleToo movement, said she was terminated for “non-compliance” after she deleted personal files from her work device amid an internal investigation, according to the Guardian. Parrish, who worked at Apple for five years, claims that she was fired for speaking out publicly about "issues within the company". “I’ve been very vocal, I’ve been very public. I have not been afraid to put my name and attach my face to #AppleToo,” she told the Guardian. “This feels very much like retaliation for having the courage to speak out.” There are consequences for speaking out. There are consequences for doing the right thing. But we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. #AppleToo is about asking Apple to do better, to end systemic discrimination, abuse, and pay inequity. Do the right thing. https://t.co/nhxFlflSvR — Janneke Parrish (@JannekeParrish) October 15, 2021 × Apple said Friday it does not discuss specific employee matters. Recently, Apple has been experiencing other examples of employee unrest. Last month, two employees told Reuters they had filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board for alleged retaliation and halting discussion of pay among employees, among other allegations. Apple has said that it is “deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace” and that it takes “all concerns” from employees seriously. In September, Parrish said the company had informed her that she was under investigation for leaking information to the media. Parrish had been involved with employee advocacy efforts at Apple for months, but did not leak information, she said. As part of the investigation, Apple confiscated her devices. Apple encourages employees to use work devices as personal devices, Parrish said, and before handing over devices she deleted files that contained personal information, such as financial data. Parrish said she did not expect to be fired, but believed her work with #AppleToo would have a negative impact on her career. (With inputs from agencies)

Apple fires employee who led movement against racism & sexism

A bronze statue of a woman from a 19th-century&nbsp;poem which appeared to be dressed scantily has triggered a sexism row in Italy.

The sculpture, which portrays the woman in a transparent dress, was unveiled in the southern town of Sapri on Saturday during an event attended by prominent politicians, including Italy’s former prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

The statue, which portrays a woman in a transparent dress with one arm over her breasts, was established as a tribute to La Spigolatrice di Sapri (The Gleaner of Sapri), written by Luigi Mercantini in 1857.

Many women politicians criticised the statue for depicting “women as a sexual body.”

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hell-breaks-loose-as-lancet-describes-women-as-bodies-with-vaginas-416804">Hell breaks loose as Lancet describes women as 'bodies with vaginas'</a>

“How can even institutions accept the representation of women as a sexualised body? Male chauvinism is one of the evils of Italy,” Laura Boldrini, a member of the Chamber of Deputies from the centre-left Democratic Party, said on Twitter, adding that the statue “was an offence to women and to the history it should celebrate.”

A group of female politicians from the Democratic Party's Palermo unit called for the statue to be demolished.

“Once again, we have to suffer the humiliation of seeing ourselves represented in the form of a sexualised body, devoid of soul and without any connection with the social and political issues of the story,” they said in a statement.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
La statua appena inaugurata a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sapri?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sapri</a> e dedicata alla <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Spigolatrice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Spigolatrice</a> è un’offesa alle donne e alla storia che dovrebbe celebrare. 
 
Ma come possono perfino le istituzioni accettare la rappresentazione della donna come corpo sessualizzato? 
 
Il maschilismo è uno dei mali dell'Italia. <a href="https://t.co/2msLhgJvso">pic.twitter.com/2msLhgJvso</a>
— laura boldrini (@lauraboldrini) <a href="https://twitter.com/lauraboldrini/status/1442235735478702081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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A senator from the party, Monica Cirinnà, called the sculpture a “slap in the face to history and to women who are still only sexualised bodies”.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/for-asian-women-racism-and-sexism-are-inseparable-371648">For Asian women, racism and sexism are inseparable</a>

“This statue of the Gleaner says nothing about the self-determination of the woman who chose not to go to work in order to stand up against the Bourbon oppressor,” she said on Twitter.

Unfazed by the criticism, the mayor of Sapri, Antonio Gentile, staunchly defended the statue on Facebook&nbsp;saying it was “made with skill and impeccable interpretation” by the artist Emanuele Stifano, and that his city was “not willing to question its values, principles and traditions”.

Gentile added that the artist “took advantage of the sea breeze to highlight the body” and that the statute was intended to “represent an ideal of a woman, evoke her pride, the awakening of a consciousness”.

The design, he added, had been approved by the authorities.

The poem is based on the story of a failed expedition against the Kingdom of Naples by Carlo Pisacane, one of the first Italian socialist thinkers.

It is written from the point of view of a female gleaner —someone who collected grain left in fields by harvesters.

The gleaner leaves the job for the expedition against the Kingdom of Naples, which led to 300 deaths.

(With inputs from agencies)

A bronze statue of a woman from a 19th-century poem which appeared to be dressed scantily has triggered a sexism row in Italy. The sculpture, which portrays the woman in a transparent dress, was unveiled in the southern town of Sapri on Saturday during an event attended by prominent politicians, including Italy’s former prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

A bronze statue of a woman from a 19th-century poem which appeared to be dressed scantily has triggered a sexism row in Italy. The sculpture, which portrays the woman in a transparent dress, was unveiled in the southern town of Sapri on Saturday during an event attended by prominent politicians, including Italy’s former prime minister Giuseppe Conte. The statue, which portrays a woman in a transparent dress with one arm over her breasts, was established as a tribute to La Spigolatrice di Sapri (The Gleaner of Sapri), written by Luigi Mercantini in 1857. Many women politicians criticised the statue for depicting “women as a sexual body.” Also read | Hell breaks loose as Lancet describes women as 'bodies with vaginas' “How can even institutions accept the representation of women as a sexualised body? Male chauvinism is one of the evils of Italy,” Laura Boldrini, a member of the Chamber of Deputies from the centre-left Democratic Party, said on Twitter, adding that the statue “was an offence to women and to the history it should celebrate.” A group of female politicians from the Democratic Party's Palermo unit called for the statue to be demolished. “Once again, we have to suffer the humiliation of seeing ourselves represented in the form of a sexualised body, devoid of soul and without any connection with the social and political issues of the story,” they said in a statement. La statua appena inaugurata a #Sapri e dedicata alla #Spigolatrice è un’offesa alle donne e alla storia che dovrebbe celebrare. Ma come possono perfino le istituzioni accettare la rappresentazione della donna come corpo sessualizzato? Il maschilismo è uno dei mali dell'Italia. pic.twitter.com/2msLhgJvso — laura boldrini (@lauraboldrini) September 26, 2021 × A senator from the party, Monica Cirinnà, called the sculpture a “slap in the face to history and to women who are still only sexualised bodies”. Also read | For Asian women, racism and sexism are inseparable “This statue of the Gleaner says nothing about the self-determination of the woman who chose not to go to work in order to stand up against the Bourbon oppressor,” she said on Twitter. Unfazed by the criticism, the mayor of Sapri, Antonio Gentile, staunchly defended the statue on Facebook saying it was “made with skill and impeccable interpretation” by the artist Emanuele Stifano, and that his city was “not willing to question its values, principles and traditions”. Gentile added that the artist “took advantage of the sea breeze to highlight the body” and that the statute was intended to “represent an ideal of a woman, evoke her pride, the awakening of a consciousness”. The design, he added, had been approved by the authorities. The poem is based on the story of a failed expedition against the Kingdom of Naples by Carlo Pisacane, one of the first Italian socialist thinkers. It is written from the point of view of a female gleaner —someone who collected grain left in fields by harvesters. The gleaner leaves the job for the expedition against the Kingdom of Naples, which led to 300 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

Bronze statue of woman dressed scantily triggers sexism row in Italy, female politicians want it demolished

What was supposed to be a unique parade has left the Ukrainian authorities in the middle of a sexist controversy ahead of its 30 years of independence celebrations.

Female Ukrainian troops are preparing to stage a military parade next month to celebrate 30 years of independence and to show the preparations the defence ministry released images of these women soldiers marching in black heels.

"Today, for the first time, training takes place in heeled shoes," cadet Ivanna Medvid was quoted as saying by the defence ministry's information site ArmiaInform. "It is slightly harder than in army boots but we are trying."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-female-soldiers-made-to-practice-for-parade-in-heels-395592">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-female-soldiers-made-to-practice-for-parade-in-heels-395592/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

However, this post backfired at the authorities as many believe the female troops have been sexualised with this choice of footwear. The defence ministry is being accused of sexism and misogyny.

Not just the social media users, but members of parliament, too, ridiculed the idea and blamed the defence ministry for ignoring the health risks the women are being exposed to by being made to march in heels.

"It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea," said Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, pointing to health risks.

People also said that the ministry is mocking the service done by women troops, even though they put in equal efforts and induce similar risks as male soldiers.

What was supposed to be a unique parade has left the Ukrainian authorities in the middle of a sexist controversy ahead of its 30 years of independence celebrations.

What was supposed to be a unique parade has left the Ukrainian authorities in the middle of a sexist controversy ahead of its 30 years of independence celebrations. Female Ukrainian troops are preparing to stage a military parade next month to celebrate 30 years of independence and to show the preparations the defence ministry released images of these women soldiers marching in black heels. "Today, for the first time, training takes place in heeled shoes," cadet Ivanna Medvid was quoted as saying by the defence ministry's information site ArmiaInform. "It is slightly harder than in army boots but we are trying." WATCH | However, this post backfired at the authorities as many believe the female troops have been sexualised with this choice of footwear. The defence ministry is being accused of sexism and misogyny. Not just the social media users, but members of parliament, too, ridiculed the idea and blamed the defence ministry for ignoring the health risks the women are being exposed to by being made to march in heels. "It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea," said Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, pointing to health risks. People also said that the ministry is mocking the service done by women troops, even though they put in equal efforts and induce similar risks as male soldiers.

Watch: Ukraine's female soldiers made to march in heels

There is a call to cancel Children's author Enid Blyton. The late writer has been accused of racism, xenophobia. If we cancel Blyton, shouldn't we ban Shakespeare, Alexander Pope, Austen and Dickens too? Palki Sharma says we should find ways to navigate problems of history.

Gravitas: Are we cancelling Enid Blyton?

After eight people, six of them Asian women, were fatally shot this week in a rampage near Atlanta, a law enforcement official said that in the gunman’s own words, his actions were “not racially motivated,” but caused by “sexual addiction.”

The official, Capt. Jay Baker of the Sheriff’s Office in Cherokee County, where one of the three massage businesses targeted by the gunman was located, cautioned that the investigation of the shootings at three massage businesses was in its early stages. But the implication was clear: It had to be one motive or the other, not both.

That suggestion was met with incredulity by many Asian American women, for whom racism and sexism have always been inextricably intertwined. For them, racism often takes the form of unwanted sexual come-ons, and sexual harassment is often overtly racist.

With reports of anti-Asian attacks surging after the Trump administration repeatedly emphasized China's connection to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is evidence that most of the hate, unlike other types of bias crime, has been directed at women.

“People on here literally debating if this was a misogynistic attack against women or a racist attack against Asians,” Jenn Fang, founder of a long-running Asian American feminist blog, Reappropriate, wrote in a scathing Twitter thread. “What if — wait for it — it was both.”

Baker’s briefing on Wednesday included an assertion that the accused gunman, who is white, had been having “a really bad day,” which many women took as yet another way of excusing violence against them. His comments were widely criticized, and he was found to have promoted sales of an anti-Asian T-shirt.

The Sheriff’s Office later said in a statement that Baker’s remarks were “not intended to disrespect any of the victims” or to “express empathy or sympathy for the suspect.”

But the apology seemed to do little to quell a sense that the authorities were missing the point.

“Law enforcement and society in general tends to really not understand how racism and hate and prejudice is directed toward Asian Americans, and certainly not understand how it’s directed toward Asian American women,” said Helen Zia, an activist and author who has tracked anti-Asian violence. “So the instant reaction is generally to discount and dismiss it.”

There is a long history of misogyny and violence directed specifically at Asian women by men of all races — including Asian men. Asian American women have long been stereotyped as sexually submissive, portrayed in popular culture as exotic “lotus blossoms” and manipulative “dragon ladies,” or as inherently superior to other women in a way that erases their individuality. They have been subjected to backlash for any failure to conform to those stereotypes and trolled for choosing non-Asian partners.

Despite vast economic inequality among Asian Americans, they are often assumed to be accomplished, financially successful members of a “model minority,” a fabrication sometimes used to denigrate other racial groups by contrast.

Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, an advocacy group, said that when she first came to the United States to attend college in 2000, she was “stunned, dumbfounded, horrified” by the way she was frequently approached by male strangers who professed to love Korean women.

“It is the ‘Me so horny, I love you long time,’ in like weird accents, and ‘Oh, are you Korean? I love Korea,’” she said, adding that she began to wonder if American men were crazy. They would “go into this whole thing about how they served in the military in Korea and how they had this amazing Korean girlfriend that was just like me. And will I be their girlfriend?”

The men, she said, ranged in age from the very young to the very old, and seemed never to understand that their attention was not flattering. “I’ve experienced racism. I’ve experienced sexism. But I never experienced the two like that as I have when I came to the United States.”

She said many Asian American women viewed Tuesday’s shooting rampage as the culmination of this racialized misogyny.

“I’m telling you, most of us didn’t sleep well last night,” she said. “Because this was what we had feared all along — we were afraid that the objectification and the hypersexualization of our bodies was going to lead to death.”

Federal data suggest that across the country, the victims of most violent hate crimes are men. Yet a recent analysis by a group called Stop AAPI Hate, which collects reports of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, said that out of nearly 3,800 incidents recorded in 2020 and 2021, more than two-thirds of the reports came from women.

Hate crimes against Asian women are almost certainly undercounted, and Zia said one reason is that those with a sexual dimension tend to be classified as sex offenses, in effect erasing the racial aspect. Stereotypes of Asian women as submissive may embolden aggressors, she said. “We’re seen as vulnerable,” she said. “You know — the object that won’t fight back.”

Very little is known about the motives of the Atlanta gunman, but organizations that track hate crimes have paid increasing attention to misogyny as a “gateway drug” to other types of extremism, such as violent racism, in the wake of mass shootings at yoga and fitness studios frequented by women and the slaughter of 10 people in Toronto in 2018 by a self-described “incel,” or involuntary celibate.

The deaths of 77 people in Norway in a shooting and bombing attack in 2011 were widely portrayed as a result of right-wing extremism, but the attacker, Anders Breivik, also viewed feminism as a significant threat.

In 2018, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism began to track what they call male supremacist terrorism, fueled by aggrieved male entitlement and a desire to preserve traditional gender roles, according to a brief by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. The Anti-Defamation League published a report called “When Women are the Enemy: The Intersection of Misogyny and White Supremacy.”

Scholars say the fetishization of Asian women, and a corresponding emasculation of Asian men, have long histories shaped by United States law and policy. The Page Act of 1875, which ostensibly banned the importation of women for prostitution, effectively prevented Chinese women from entering the United States, while laws prohibiting mixed-race marriages left male Chinese immigrants perpetual bachelors.

Kyeyoung Park, a professor of anthropology and Asian American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Asian immigrants have historically been viewed exclusively through the lens of their labor or businesses.

In the case of the spas in Georgia, she said capitalism based on racial exploitation has been intertwined with the sexualization of Asian women, and particularly Korean women, over many decades. The police have not said whether any of the three spas had ties to sex work.

“I think the origin of these massage parlors can be traced back to Korean War brides and military wives,” Park said.

Overseas, poverty and the privations of war gave rise to a prostitution industry that provided inexpensive sex to U.S. servicemen in Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, compounding stereotypes of Asian women as exotic sex objects or manipulators trying to entrap American husbands.

Sexual imperialism was not limited to Americans; the Japanese also forced Chinese, Filipino and Korean women into prostitution as so-called “comfort women” in the 1930s and ’40s.

Many women who were in the sex trade were brought to the United States as brides, and some of them who were later separated or divorced from their husbands started massage parlors, a history that likely helped shape a perception of all Asian-run spas as illicit and the women who work in them as sex workers, Park said.

The fetishization of Asian women was reinforced in popular culture, most notably with the lines spoken by a sex worker in a scene in “Full Metal Jacket,” a Vietnam War movie, as two soldiers try to bargain down her price: “Me so horny. Me love you long time.”

Divorced from their origin, those lines have become a come-on used in what Ellen Wu, a historian at Indiana University Bloomington and author of “The Color of Success: Asian-Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority,” called a “racially specific type of catcalling.”

“A few words pack an entire history into a sentence,” she said.

Several advocates said they had spent the last year combating the notion that hate and violence against Asian Americans, and particularly Asian American women, were something new.

“There are many women who have died because of sexual violence directed at them that was also racialized, but it has never been at the scale where the whole country is watching and talking about it,” Choimorrow said. “And what really upsets me is that it has taken something this tragic for me to be able to tell the story.”

After eight people, six of them Asian women, were fatally shot this week in a rampage near Atlanta, a law enforcement official said that in the gunman’s own words, his actions were “not racially motivated,” but caused by “sexual addiction.

After eight people, six of them Asian women, were fatally shot this week in a rampage near Atlanta, a law enforcement official said that in the gunman’s own words, his actions were “not racially motivated,” but caused by “sexual addiction.” The official, Capt. Jay Baker of the Sheriff’s Office in Cherokee County, where one of the three massage businesses targeted by the gunman was located, cautioned that the investigation of the shootings at three massage businesses was in its early stages. But the implication was clear: It had to be one motive or the other, not both. That suggestion was met with incredulity by many Asian American women, for whom racism and sexism have always been inextricably intertwined. For them, racism often takes the form of unwanted sexual come-ons, and sexual harassment is often overtly racist. With reports of anti-Asian attacks surging after the Trump administration repeatedly emphasized China's connection to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is evidence that most of the hate, unlike other types of bias crime, has been directed at women. “People on here literally debating if this was a misogynistic attack against women or a racist attack against Asians,” Jenn Fang, founder of a long-running Asian American feminist blog, Reappropriate, wrote in a scathing Twitter thread. “What if — wait for it — it was both.” Baker’s briefing on Wednesday included an assertion that the accused gunman, who is white, had been having “a really bad day,” which many women took as yet another way of excusing violence against them. His comments were widely criticized, and he was found to have promoted sales of an anti-Asian T-shirt. The Sheriff’s Office later said in a statement that Baker’s remarks were “not intended to disrespect any of the victims” or to “express empathy or sympathy for the suspect.” But the apology seemed to do little to quell a sense that the authorities were missing the point. “Law enforcement and society in general tends to really not understand how racism and hate and prejudice is directed toward Asian Americans, and certainly not understand how it’s directed toward Asian American women,” said Helen Zia, an activist and author who has tracked anti-Asian violence. “So the instant reaction is generally to discount and dismiss it.” There is a long history of misogyny and violence directed specifically at Asian women by men of all races — including Asian men. Asian American women have long been stereotyped as sexually submissive, portrayed in popular culture as exotic “lotus blossoms” and manipulative “dragon ladies,” or as inherently superior to other women in a way that erases their individuality. They have been subjected to backlash for any failure to conform to those stereotypes and trolled for choosing non-Asian partners. Despite vast economic inequality among Asian Americans, they are often assumed to be accomplished, financially successful members of a “model minority,” a fabrication sometimes used to denigrate other racial groups by contrast. Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, an advocacy group, said that when she first came to the United States to attend college in 2000, she was “stunned, dumbfounded, horrified” by the way she was frequently approached by male strangers who professed to love Korean women. “It is the ‘Me so horny, I love you long time,’ in like weird accents, and ‘Oh, are you Korean? I love Korea,’” she said, adding that she began to wonder if American men were crazy. They would “go into this whole thing about how they served in the military in Korea and how they had this amazing Korean girlfriend that was just like me. And will I be their girlfriend?” The men, she said, ranged in age from the very young to the very old, and seemed never to understand that their attention was not flattering. “I’ve experienced racism. I’ve experienced sexism. But I never experienced the two like that as I have when I came to the United States.” She said many Asian American women viewed Tuesday’s shooting rampage as the culmination of this racialized misogyny. “I’m telling you, most of us didn’t sleep well last night,” she said. “Because this was what we had feared all along — we were afraid that the objectification and the hypersexualization of our bodies was going to lead to death.” Federal data suggest that across the country, the victims of most violent hate crimes are men. Yet a recent analysis by a group called Stop AAPI Hate, which collects reports of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, said that out of nearly 3,800 incidents recorded in 2020 and 2021, more than two-thirds of the reports came from women. Hate crimes against Asian women are almost certainly undercounted, and Zia said one reason is that those with a sexual dimension tend to be classified as sex offenses, in effect erasing the racial aspect. Stereotypes of Asian women as submissive may embolden aggressors, she said. “We’re seen as vulnerable,” she said. “You know — the object that won’t fight back.” Very little is known about the motives of the Atlanta gunman, but organizations that track hate crimes have paid increasing attention to misogyny as a “gateway drug” to other types of extremism, such as violent racism, in the wake of mass shootings at yoga and fitness studios frequented by women and the slaughter of 10 people in Toronto in 2018 by a self-described “incel,” or involuntary celibate. The deaths of 77 people in Norway in a shooting and bombing attack in 2011 were widely portrayed as a result of right-wing extremism, but the attacker, Anders Breivik, also viewed feminism as a significant threat. In 2018, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism began to track what they call male supremacist terrorism, fueled by aggrieved male entitlement and a desire to preserve traditional gender roles, according to a brief by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. The Anti-Defamation League published a report called “When Women are the Enemy: The Intersection of Misogyny and White Supremacy.” Scholars say the fetishization of Asian women, and a corresponding emasculation of Asian men, have long histories shaped by United States law and policy. The Page Act of 1875, which ostensibly banned the importation of women for prostitution, effectively prevented Chinese women from entering the United States, while laws prohibiting mixed-race marriages left male Chinese immigrants perpetual bachelors. Kyeyoung Park, a professor of anthropology and Asian American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Asian immigrants have historically been viewed exclusively through the lens of their labor or businesses. In the case of the spas in Georgia, she said capitalism based on racial exploitation has been intertwined with the sexualization of Asian women, and particularly Korean women, over many decades. The police have not said whether any of the three spas had ties to sex work. “I think the origin of these massage parlors can be traced back to Korean War brides and military wives,” Park said. Overseas, poverty and the privations of war gave rise to a prostitution industry that provided inexpensive sex to U.S. servicemen in Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, compounding stereotypes of Asian women as exotic sex objects or manipulators trying to entrap American husbands. Sexual imperialism was not limited to Americans; the Japanese also forced Chinese, Filipino and Korean women into prostitution as so-called “comfort women” in the 1930s and ’40s. Many women who were in the sex trade were brought to the United States as brides, and some of them who were later separated or divorced from their husbands started massage parlors, a history that likely helped shape a perception of all Asian-run spas as illicit and the women who work in them as sex workers, Park said. The fetishization of Asian women was reinforced in popular culture, most notably with the lines spoken by a sex worker in a scene in “Full Metal Jacket,” a Vietnam War movie, as two soldiers try to bargain down her price: “Me so horny. Me love you long time.” Divorced from their origin, those lines have become a come-on used in what Ellen Wu, a historian at Indiana University Bloomington and author of “The Color of Success: Asian-Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority,” called a “racially specific type of catcalling.” “A few words pack an entire history into a sentence,” she said. Several advocates said they had spent the last year combating the notion that hate and violence against Asian Americans, and particularly Asian American women, were something new. “There are many women who have died because of sexual violence directed at them that was also racialized, but it has never been at the scale where the whole country is watching and talking about it,” Choimorrow said. “And what really upsets me is that it has taken something this tragic for me to be able to tell the story.”

For Asian women, racism and sexism are inseparable

A research team has tabulated the cost of lack of gender diversity and inclusion, and has apparently found out that it will take 257 years to close the gap at the current rate, and not doing this has cost the world a whopping USD 70 trillion since 1990.

The report by economists at BofA Securities also notes that full gender equality globally can increase the world GDP by up to USD 28 trillion by 2025 and the loss of human capital wealth due to gender inequality alone is estimated at USD 160.2 trillion.

“Not closing the gender inequality gap and a lack of diversity and inclusion has an economic price tag. Not doing the right thing on this count has cost us USD 70 trillion since 1990…It will take us 257 years to close the gender economic gap at today's rate,” says the report, adding the pandemic alone, when women suffered the most, has cost women USD 1 trillion in income.

The report also notes that gender and racial biases lead to persistent labour market disparities and limit the economy, adding closing the gender and race gaps in education and employment would have generated USD 2.6 trillion more in economic output in 2019 and the cumulative gains from 1990 would have been USD 70 trillion at the 2019 dollar rate.

Closing racial earnings gap resulting from disparities in health, education, incarceration and employment opportunities would boost trend growth by 0.5 per cent per year through 2050, says the report.

Reeling out numbers, the report says in 2020, there were no Black senior executives in any of the FTSE 100 companies.

For the first time in six years in 2020 there were no black chairs, chief executives or finance chiefs in the FTSE 100 companies and just one company in the S&amp;P 500 is run by a Black female CEO today, and only eight companies have at least 50 per cent female management teams. As much as 75 per cent of Nasdaq companies do not have at least one woman and one under-represented minority or LGBT+ member on the board, it says, adding continued racial inequality could cost the US economy USD1-1.5 trillion in lost consumption and investment over the next decade.

The LGBTQ+ community is equivalent to the fourth largest economy in the world at USD 3.9 trillion.

All in all, S&amp;P 500 companies with above-median gender diversity on their boards see 15 per cent higher return on equity, and for companies with ethnic and racially diversified workforce this is 8 per cent higher. And the pandemic has only deepened the gender inequality crisis. As much as 96 million people will slide into extreme poverty in 2021, of which 47 million are women.&nbsp;

Women's jobs were 19 per cent more at risk and women took up an even greater share of childcare and unpaid labour during the pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, the gender gap was worsening and at the current rate of inclusion, it will take 257 years to reach economic equality, warns the report. As much as 90 per cent of children with disabilities in emerging markets countries do not attend school, says the report.&nbsp;

Stating that gender diversity and inclusion are leading the way to tackling the social issues of our times, the report says from the MeToo movement to Black Lives Matter, the awareness of injustices faced by under-represented and marginalised groups is at an all-time high, and especially during the pandemic.

(with inputs)

A research team has tabulated the cost of lack of gender diversity and inclusion, and has apparently found out that it will take 257 years to close the gap at the current rate, and not doing this has cost the world a whopping USD 70 trillion since 1990.

A research team has tabulated the cost of lack of gender diversity and inclusion, and has apparently found out that it will take 257 years to close the gap at the current rate, and not doing this has cost the world a whopping USD 70 trillion since 1990. The report by economists at BofA Securities also notes that full gender equality globally can increase the world GDP by up to USD 28 trillion by 2025 and the loss of human capital wealth due to gender inequality alone is estimated at USD 160.2 trillion. “Not closing the gender inequality gap and a lack of diversity and inclusion has an economic price tag. Not doing the right thing on this count has cost us USD 70 trillion since 1990…It will take us 257 years to close the gender economic gap at today's rate,” says the report, adding the pandemic alone, when women suffered the most, has cost women USD 1 trillion in income. The report also notes that gender and racial biases lead to persistent labour market disparities and limit the economy, adding closing the gender and race gaps in education and employment would have generated USD 2.6 trillion more in economic output in 2019 and the cumulative gains from 1990 would have been USD 70 trillion at the 2019 dollar rate. Closing racial earnings gap resulting from disparities in health, education, incarceration and employment opportunities would boost trend growth by 0.5 per cent per year through 2050, says the report. Reeling out numbers, the report says in 2020, there were no Black senior executives in any of the FTSE 100 companies. For the first time in six years in 2020 there were no black chairs, chief executives or finance chiefs in the FTSE 100 companies and just one company in the S&P 500 is run by a Black female CEO today, and only eight companies have at least 50 per cent female management teams. As much as 75 per cent of Nasdaq companies do not have at least one woman and one under-represented minority or LGBT+ member on the board, it says, adding continued racial inequality could cost the US economy USD1-1.5 trillion in lost consumption and investment over the next decade. The LGBTQ+ community is equivalent to the fourth largest economy in the world at USD 3.9 trillion. All in all, S&P 500 companies with above-median gender diversity on their boards see 15 per cent higher return on equity, and for companies with ethnic and racially diversified workforce this is 8 per cent higher. And the pandemic has only deepened the gender inequality crisis. As much as 96 million people will slide into extreme poverty in 2021, of which 47 million are women. Women's jobs were 19 per cent more at risk and women took up an even greater share of childcare and unpaid labour during the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, the gender gap was worsening and at the current rate of inclusion, it will take 257 years to reach economic equality, warns the report. As much as 90 per cent of children with disabilities in emerging markets countries do not attend school, says the report. Stating that gender diversity and inclusion are leading the way to tackling the social issues of our times, the report says from the MeToo movement to Black Lives Matter, the awareness of injustices faced by under-represented and marginalised groups is at an all-time high, and especially during the pandemic. (with inputs)

Gender inequality has cost world USD 70 trillion since 1990, report finds

This week, one name made a lot of headlines -- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

An economist and a former finance minister of Nigeria, she has become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

But she is the exception, not the norm.

This very week, another woman from Africa made headlines -- Angie Mot Shekga. She is South Africa's education minister.

She said educated men do not rape after being hit by a storm of rebukes.

The minister's spokesperson later clarified she was trying to motivate students to be at school.

Here's something else that happened this week. A video emerged from Brazil. It captured a lawmaker touching a female colleague inappropriately.

This man is Fernando Cury, the state deputy of Sao Paulo.

WATCH|

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-patriarchy-in-public-life-364925/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

This incident occured on December 16, 2020, but the video went viral this week.

The male lawmaker denies any wrongdoing. He says he did not harass his colleague, and all he wanted to do was offer a hug.

This man is now being probed for sexual harassment..

Also this week, a woman in Australia said that she was raped in the country's parliament.

The woman could not file a complaint, because she was scared about the repercussions on her career.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised this week, and said he would ensure that any young woman working in parliament is as safe as possible.

Then in Japan, a woman was elected as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 chief -- Seiko Hashmito.

She resigned to fill in for former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, after he was forced to resign over sexist comments.

He had said women speak too much at meetings. So to compensate for the blunder, Tokyo 2020 was given a woman chief.

Here's what happened next. The country's ruling party floated a proposal. It said women will be invited to attend a key meeting of the party.

But there is a clause -- the women must not speak. They can only "look" at the kind of discussion, and submit their opinion afterwards.

In short, we are still dictated and dominated by patriarchy. It's everywhere.

As many as 37 countries have passport restrictions -- specific to women; 17 countries restrict women from traveling without permission; in 18 countries, a woman needs her husband's permission to work...

How will a woman access her rightful place in public life, and fight sexism and patriarchy -- if she does not even have right to make these basic decisions?

How will she do it if she's told to just note, and not speak as a pre-condition to attend meetings?

As we head into the weekend, let this be some food for thought...

This week, one name made a lot of headlines -- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. An economist and a former finance minister of Nigeria, she has become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

This week, one name made a lot of headlines -- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. An economist and a former finance minister of Nigeria, she has become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But she is the exception, not the norm. This very week, another woman from Africa made headlines -- Angie Mot Shekga. She is South Africa's education minister. She said educated men do not rape after being hit by a storm of rebukes. The minister's spokesperson later clarified she was trying to motivate students to be at school. Here's something else that happened this week. A video emerged from Brazil. It captured a lawmaker touching a female colleague inappropriately. This man is Fernando Cury, the state deputy of Sao Paulo. WATCH| This incident occured on December 16, 2020, but the video went viral this week. The male lawmaker denies any wrongdoing. He says he did not harass his colleague, and all he wanted to do was offer a hug. This man is now being probed for sexual harassment.. Also this week, a woman in Australia said that she was raped in the country's parliament. The woman could not file a complaint, because she was scared about the repercussions on her career. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised this week, and said he would ensure that any young woman working in parliament is as safe as possible. Then in Japan, a woman was elected as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 chief -- Seiko Hashmito. She resigned to fill in for former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, after he was forced to resign over sexist comments. He had said women speak too much at meetings. So to compensate for the blunder, Tokyo 2020 was given a woman chief. Here's what happened next. The country's ruling party floated a proposal. It said women will be invited to attend a key meeting of the party. But there is a clause -- the women must not speak. They can only "look" at the kind of discussion, and submit their opinion afterwards. In short, we are still dictated and dominated by patriarchy. It's everywhere. As many as 37 countries have passport restrictions -- specific to women; 17 countries restrict women from traveling without permission; in 18 countries, a woman needs her husband's permission to work... How will a woman access her rightful place in public life, and fight sexism and patriarchy -- if she does not even have right to make these basic decisions? How will she do it if she's told to just note, and not speak as a pre-condition to attend meetings? As we head into the weekend, let this be some food for thought...

Food for thought for the weekend: Sexism in public life

Patriarchy has penetrated our Parliaments. This week, the world celebrated the election of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the first woman WTO chief. This week, the world also saw horrendous sexism in many top offices. WION's Palki Sharma brings you the details.

Gravitas: Patriarchy in Public life

Three years after the #MeToo scandal roiled Hollywood, causing dozens of powerful men to lose their jobs, two-thirds of women who took part in a survey of the entertainment business released on Tuesday report continuing incidences of sexual harassment.

The survey by the Hollywood Commission also asked about racism, and found that fewer than half of those who took part believe that Hollywood values diverse backgrounds and points of view.

The online survey, launched in November 2019, was billed as the largest ever in the industry, embracing workers in television and film, commercials, live theater, music, broadcast news, talent agencies, public relations, and corporate settings.

Almost 10,000 people responded. Some 67% of women reported experiencing gender harassment during the prior 12 months, with 42% of women reporting unwanted sexual attention.

One person who took part anonymously told the commission that when they were working as an assistant, the chief executive of the company “gave me actual assignments to flirt with other powerful people in the industry to try to get my bosses more meetings.”

The commission, chaired by law professor Anita Hill, said Hollywood had made progress in tackling “significant culture and climate issues of harassment and discrimination” but more must be done.

The commission applauded new diversity standards for future Oscar contenders to win a best picture Academy Award, a pledge by Netflix to donate $100 million to Black-owned financial institutions, and an initiative by actor Michael B. Jordan to increase Black voices behind and in front of the camera.

Recommendations by the commission included limiting confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, prohibiting bullying, increased mentorship, and bystander training that helps employees defuse racist or sexist incidents.

Hill became an icon for many women when she accused now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in his nomination hearings in 1991. Thomas denied the accusations.

Three years after the #MeToo scandal roiled Hollywood, causing dozens of powerful men to lose their jobs, two-thirds of women who took part in a survey of the entertainment business released on Tuesday report continuing incidences of sexual harassment.

Three years after the #MeToo scandal roiled Hollywood, causing dozens of powerful men to lose their jobs, two-thirds of women who took part in a survey of the entertainment business released on Tuesday report continuing incidences of sexual harassment. The survey by the Hollywood Commission also asked about racism, and found that fewer than half of those who took part believe that Hollywood values diverse backgrounds and points of view. The online survey, launched in November 2019, was billed as the largest ever in the industry, embracing workers in television and film, commercials, live theater, music, broadcast news, talent agencies, public relations, and corporate settings. Almost 10,000 people responded. Some 67% of women reported experiencing gender harassment during the prior 12 months, with 42% of women reporting unwanted sexual attention. One person who took part anonymously told the commission that when they were working as an assistant, the chief executive of the company “gave me actual assignments to flirt with other powerful people in the industry to try to get my bosses more meetings.” The commission, chaired by law professor Anita Hill, said Hollywood had made progress in tackling “significant culture and climate issues of harassment and discrimination” but more must be done. The commission applauded new diversity standards for future Oscar contenders to win a best picture Academy Award, a pledge by Netflix to donate $100 million to Black-owned financial institutions, and an initiative by actor Michael B. Jordan to increase Black voices behind and in front of the camera. Recommendations by the commission included limiting confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, prohibiting bullying, increased mentorship, and bystander training that helps employees defuse racist or sexist incidents. Hill became an icon for many women when she accused now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in his nomination hearings in 1991. Thomas denied the accusations.

Sexism still rife in Hollywood despite #MeToo uproar, survey finds

As for sexism, harassment and violence are rising against women is rising across the world, French women are learning to face their fears through self defence. Watch report.

French women learn self-defence in Strasbourg

The debate on sexism and misogyny, especially in the field of politics, has been reignited with the furore over a dress of a woman MP in South Korea. She was criticised for attending a parliamentary session in a colourful dress.

Ryu Ho-jeong, who at 28 is the youngest member of the country’s national assembly, drew condemnation and praise in equal measures after she was photographed in what local media described as a red minidress earlier this week.

Her choice of clothes was a vivid contrast to the dark suits and ties worn by most male MPs.

Ryu said her choice of clothes was designed to challenge male dominance in the 300-seat assembly, which has a record 57 female MPs after April’s election.

“In every plenary session, most lawmakers, male and middle-aged, show up in a suit and a tie, so I wanted to shatter that tradition,” she told Yonhap news agency. “The authority of the national assembly is not built on those suits.”

Some lawmakers came to Ryu’s defence, with fellow party members joining other female MPs in condemning the attacks as sexist.

In a Facebook post, Ko Min-jung, a member of the ruling party, thanked Ryu for “shattering the excessive rigour and authoritarianism” of the national assembly.

Ryu is part of a larger movement of South Korean women who are carrying forward the “escape the corset” campaign. It is being driven by a backlash against exacting beauty standards that call for women to spend hours applying makeup and performing skincare regimes, as well as achieve a certain look by undergoing cosmetic surgery.

The debate on sexism and misogyny, especially in the field of politics, has been reignited with the furore over a dress of a woman MP in South Korea. She was criticised for attending a parliamentary session in a colourful dress.

The debate on sexism and misogyny, especially in the field of politics, has been reignited with the furore over a dress of a woman MP in South Korea. She was criticised for attending a parliamentary session in a colourful dress. Ryu Ho-jeong, who at 28 is the youngest member of the country’s national assembly, drew condemnation and praise in equal measures after she was photographed in what local media described as a red minidress earlier this week. Her choice of clothes was a vivid contrast to the dark suits and ties worn by most male MPs. Ryu said her choice of clothes was designed to challenge male dominance in the 300-seat assembly, which has a record 57 female MPs after April’s election. “In every plenary session, most lawmakers, male and middle-aged, show up in a suit and a tie, so I wanted to shatter that tradition,” she told Yonhap news agency. “The authority of the national assembly is not built on those suits.” Some lawmakers came to Ryu’s defence, with fellow party members joining other female MPs in condemning the attacks as sexist. In a Facebook post, Ko Min-jung, a member of the ruling party, thanked Ryu for “shattering the excessive rigour and authoritarianism” of the national assembly. Ryu is part of a larger movement of South Korean women who are carrying forward the “escape the corset” campaign. It is being driven by a backlash against exacting beauty standards that call for women to spend hours applying makeup and performing skincare regimes, as well as achieve a certain look by undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Criticism of South Korean MP's colourful dress stirs sexism debate

Democratic Party Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday admonished a Republican Congressman for allegedly hurling a sexist slur at her on the steps of US capitol.

“He called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a nearly 10-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me — and I quote — a ‘f****** ****h,’” she said.

“What we are seeing is that incidents like these are happening in a pattern,” she said. “This is a pattern of an attitude towards women and dehumanisation of others.”

“All of us have had to deal with this in some form,” she continued. “I have waited tables in restaurants. I have tossed men out of bars that have used language like Yoho’s.

Yoho has not admitted or denied using the phrase but on Wednesday he denied directing that phrase toward Ocasio-Cortez. He said he nevertheless apologized for the "abrupt manner of the conversation."

"Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I`m very cognizant of my language. Offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleague, and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding. I cannot apologize for my passion, for loving my God, my family and my country," he said on the House floor.

Ocasio-Cortez`s comments were the latest in an escalating feud that started on Monday, when "The Hill" newspaper said that one of its reporters overheard Yoho`s comments.

(With inputs from agencies)

Democratic Party Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday admonished a Republican Congressman for allegedly hurling a sexist slur at her on the steps of US capitol.

Democratic Party Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday admonished a Republican Congressman for allegedly hurling a sexist slur at her on the steps of US capitol. “He called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a nearly 10-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. “In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me — and I quote — a ‘f****** ****h,’” she said. “What we are seeing is that incidents like these are happening in a pattern,” she said. “This is a pattern of an attitude towards women and dehumanisation of others.” “All of us have had to deal with this in some form,” she continued. “I have waited tables in restaurants. I have tossed men out of bars that have used language like Yoho’s. Yoho has not admitted or denied using the phrase but on Wednesday he denied directing that phrase toward Ocasio-Cortez. He said he nevertheless apologized for the "abrupt manner of the conversation." "Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I`m very cognizant of my language. Offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleague, and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding. I cannot apologize for my passion, for loving my God, my family and my country," he said on the House floor. Ocasio-Cortez`s comments were the latest in an escalating feud that started on Monday, when "The Hill" newspaper said that one of its reporters overheard Yoho`s comments. (With inputs from agencies)

'Culture of sexism': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hits back at Republican Ted Yoho's derogatory slur

Russia's armed forces marked International Women's Day by holding beauty pageants for women in the armed forces. Commentators and Netizens are calling the move 'sexist'.

Gravitas: Russia's armed forces accused of sexism

Croatian President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/croatia-votes-for-president-set-to-lead-european-union-269511">Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic</a> on Saturday blamed sexism and "fake news" for her defeat in elections last week, as well as a rival who split the right-wing electorate she was counting on.

Speaking to journalists in her official Zagreb palace, Grabar-Kitarovic blasted what she saw as often politically biased media in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/croatia-to-pick-a-president-in-tight-three-way-race-269278">Croatia</a>.

"In <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/croatia-to-hold-presidential-vote-on-december-22-pm-plenkovic-262143">Croatia</a> we have not only press freedom, we have complete chaos in the media," she said, alleging that "some criminal organisations are paying" certain outlets.

She did not cite specific examples.

Leftist former prime minister Zoran Milanovic won the January 5 election and takes up the post during Croatia's helm at the rotating <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-eu-commission-to-have-almost-as-many-women-as-men-248648">EU</a> presidency.

Issues such as the European Union's relationship with post-Brexit Britain and haggling over the bloc's long-term budget are likely to dominate.

Grabar-Kitarovic said that, with Milanovic, she hoped media reporting in her country "will calm down a bit, because he's a male".

Analysts however say that Grabar-Kitarovic's defeat owed to a poor campaign riddled with gaffes and embarrassing promises, such as one to increase monthly salaries to 8,000 euros, nearly 10 times the current average.&nbsp;

She also invited anger and mockery when she sang at the birthday party of Zagreb’s scandal-hit mayor and promised to bring him “cakes… in prison” if he was convicted on a slew of corruption charges.&nbsp;

The 51-year-old outgoing president denied knowledge of any corruption when she served in government as a minister.

She also said she was going to take "a couple of months" to decide what to do after leaving office, expressing a preference for academia.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Saturday blamed sexism and "fake news" for her defeat in elections last week, as well as a rival who split the right-wing electorate she was counting on.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Saturday blamed sexism and "fake news" for her defeat in elections last week, as well as a rival who split the right-wing electorate she was counting on. Speaking to journalists in her official Zagreb palace, Grabar-Kitarovic blasted what she saw as often politically biased media in Croatia. "In Croatia we have not only press freedom, we have complete chaos in the media," she said, alleging that "some criminal organisations are paying" certain outlets. She did not cite specific examples. Leftist former prime minister Zoran Milanovic won the January 5 election and takes up the post during Croatia's helm at the rotating EU presidency. Issues such as the European Union's relationship with post-Brexit Britain and haggling over the bloc's long-term budget are likely to dominate. Grabar-Kitarovic said that, with Milanovic, she hoped media reporting in her country "will calm down a bit, because he's a male". Analysts however say that Grabar-Kitarovic's defeat owed to a poor campaign riddled with gaffes and embarrassing promises, such as one to increase monthly salaries to 8,000 euros, nearly 10 times the current average. She also invited anger and mockery when she sang at the birthday party of Zagreb’s scandal-hit mayor and promised to bring him “cakes… in prison” if he was convicted on a slew of corruption charges. The 51-year-old outgoing president denied knowledge of any corruption when she served in government as a minister. She also said she was going to take "a couple of months" to decide what to do after leaving office, expressing a preference for academia.

Croatia president blames poll defeat on sexism, 'fake news'

France's First Lady Brigitte Macron Has Spoken Out Against Sexism

Gravitas: The Story of Brigitte Macron: The First Lady of France

The<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/novak-djokovic-to-face-dominic-thiem-in-his-ninth-roland-garros-semi-final-225086"> French Open</a> was plunged into a sexism row on Thursday after the decision to move the women's semi-finals away from the tournament's showpiece court was blasted as "unfair, inappropriate" and "shameful".

After torrential rain washed out all of Wednesday's play, the last two women's quarter-finals were played Thursday with the semi-finals pushed back a day until Friday.

However, the semi-final between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/french-open-australias-ashleigh-barty-outplays-madison-keys-reaches-her-first-semi-finals-225046">Ashleigh Barty</a> and&nbsp;Amanda Anisimova will be played on Court Suzanne Lenglen while Johanna Konta's match with Marketa Vondrousova has been shifted to the smaller 5,000-seater Court Simonne-Mathieu.

The men's semis between Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic taking on Dominic Thiem will be played on the main, 15,000-seat Court Philippe Chatrier as planned.

"We are extremely disappointed by the scheduling of both women's semi-finals on outside courts," said WTA chief executive Steve Simon.

"The four women who have played so well and made it this far have earned their right to play on the biggest stage. We believe other solutions were possible which would have been to the benefit of fans as well as all players," Simon said.

Both women's semi-finals were originally scheduled for Thursday on the rebuilt Chatrier Court with the final on Saturday.

Men's semi-finals day is Friday and Sunday is the traditional day for their championship match.

But Wednesday's washout, which also saw two men's quarter-finals played a day late on Thursday, caused havoc with the schedule.

Complicating the picture further is the threat of more rain on Friday, raising the prospect of the women's final being moved to Sunday and the men's to Monday.

'Lack of respect'

Tournament director Guy Forget had admitted that moving the women's semi-finals to smaller courts could be seen as controversial.

"You're afraid that some players might feel that it's a lack of respect or we are just trying to diminish it -- no," he said.

"Ideally, when you see historically what has happened in the tournament, we try to be fair to everyone," Forget added.

However, France's former world number one and two-time major winner Amelie Mauresmo blasted the decision to shift the women's semi-finals.

"It is shameful for our tournament," tweeted the 49-year-old.

"Everyone agrees that the match of the day is Federer/Nadal.&nbsp;But what message are we sending by taking the decision to put the two women's semi-finals on at 11 a.m. on the second and third courts? No match on the centre court?"&nbsp;

Mauresmo believes that the men's and women's semi-finals should be split between Chatrier and the 10,000-capacity Lenglen.

"It's simple to open Lenglen and Chatrier and have the two women's matches at 1 p.m. followed by the two men's,"&nbsp;Mauresmo said.

Anisimova, just 17, and the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Nicole Vaidisova at the 2007 Australian Open said she had no objections to playing on a smaller court.

"Neither of them on Chatrier? I didn't know that," said the teenager when first told that she would not be playing on the main court.

"Actually, I'm really happy that I get to play tomorrow," added the American, who is the first player born in the 2000s to get to the last four of a major.

"I don't have to wait a whole day, because I get really eager to want to go on the court, so I'm happy I get to play tomorrow. They are all beautiful courts,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/french-open-defending-champion-simona-haleps-run-ended-by-teenager-anisimova-224981">Anisimova </a>said.

Barty, the highest seed left in the tournament at number eight, said it was a shame that her maiden Slam semi-final had been shifted to Lenglen.

"Obviously we would love to play on Chatrier," said the 23-year-old.

"For me, personally, I'm excited to be in a semi-final. It doesn't really matter which court I play on.&nbsp; Yes, of course, we would have loved to play on Chatrier. It's a beautiful court. But in saying that, all four of us will be ready and prepared and go out there and enjoy it,"&nbsp;Barty said.

The French Open was plunged into a sexism row on Thursday after the decision to move the women's semi-finals away from the tournament's showpiece court was blasted as "unfair, inappropriate" and "shameful".

The French Open was plunged into a sexism row on Thursday after the decision to move the women's semi-finals away from the tournament's showpiece court was blasted as "unfair, inappropriate" and "shameful". After torrential rain washed out all of Wednesday's play, the last two women's quarter-finals were played Thursday with the semi-finals pushed back a day until Friday. However, the semi-final between Ashleigh Barty and Amanda Anisimova will be played on Court Suzanne Lenglen while Johanna Konta's match with Marketa Vondrousova has been shifted to the smaller 5,000-seater Court Simonne-Mathieu. The men's semis between Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic taking on Dominic Thiem will be played on the main, 15,000-seat Court Philippe Chatrier as planned. "We are extremely disappointed by the scheduling of both women's semi-finals on outside courts," said WTA chief executive Steve Simon. "The four women who have played so well and made it this far have earned their right to play on the biggest stage. We believe other solutions were possible which would have been to the benefit of fans as well as all players," Simon said. Both women's semi-finals were originally scheduled for Thursday on the rebuilt Chatrier Court with the final on Saturday. Men's semi-finals day is Friday and Sunday is the traditional day for their championship match. But Wednesday's washout, which also saw two men's quarter-finals played a day late on Thursday, caused havoc with the schedule. Complicating the picture further is the threat of more rain on Friday, raising the prospect of the women's final being moved to Sunday and the men's to Monday. 'Lack of respect' Tournament director Guy Forget had admitted that moving the women's semi-finals to smaller courts could be seen as controversial. "You're afraid that some players might feel that it's a lack of respect or we are just trying to diminish it -- no," he said. "Ideally, when you see historically what has happened in the tournament, we try to be fair to everyone," Forget added. However, France's former world number one and two-time major winner Amelie Mauresmo blasted the decision to shift the women's semi-finals. "It is shameful for our tournament," tweeted the 49-year-old. "Everyone agrees that the match of the day is Federer/Nadal. But what message are we sending by taking the decision to put the two women's semi-finals on at 11 a.m. on the second and third courts? No match on the centre court?" Mauresmo believes that the men's and women's semi-finals should be split between Chatrier and the 10,000-capacity Lenglen. "It's simple to open Lenglen and Chatrier and have the two women's matches at 1 p.m. followed by the two men's," Mauresmo said. Anisimova, just 17, and the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Nicole Vaidisova at the 2007 Australian Open said she had no objections to playing on a smaller court. "Neither of them on Chatrier? I didn't know that," said the teenager when first told that she would not be playing on the main court. "Actually, I'm really happy that I get to play tomorrow," added the American, who is the first player born in the 2000s to get to the last four of a major. "I don't have to wait a whole day, because I get really eager to want to go on the court, so I'm happy I get to play tomorrow. They are all beautiful courts," Anisimova said. Barty, the highest seed left in the tournament at number eight, said it was a shame that her maiden Slam semi-final had been shifted to Lenglen. "Obviously we would love to play on Chatrier," said the 23-year-old. "For me, personally, I'm excited to be in a semi-final. It doesn't really matter which court I play on. Yes, of course, we would have loved to play on Chatrier. It's a beautiful court. But in saying that, all four of us will be ready and prepared and go out there and enjoy it," Barty said.

French Open sinks in 'sexism row' over women's semi-finals switch from show court

French Open sexism row: 'Unfair', 'shameful' shift of women's semi-finals

In pics: Jair Bolsonaro takes over as Brazil's 38th President

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