Hay Festival 2015 // Laura Bates
Sexism is caused by a great sphere of problems and tackling the structures that create them should start young, said Laura Bates, founder of #EverydaySexism
“Let’s not lay everything at Barbie’s feet,” says Laura Bates, the mastermind of the Everyday Sexism campaign. She explains that the problem is far more powerful and far-reaching than a plastic doll.
Sexism is something that happens at every level of society. Bates, through her #EverydaySexism campaign has amassed three year’s worth of anecdotal evidence that sexism does exist. “The problem starts before you’re born,” Bates said, and disseminates across every walk of life. She explained that a three-year-old girl who picks up a stethoscope is presumed to grown up as a nurse. “We know that five is the age when girls start worrying about their bodies… Together with this, the Barbie effect is huge,” concedes Bates.
Bates said the problem so insipid at university level she can’t even scratch the surface. “It’s not rape if” slogans and chants about “screwing a woman until she dies, digging her up and doing it again,” are the norm. Online forums like UniLad and The LAD Bible also concern Bates. Through them run eerie currents of the dehumanisation of women. She pointed out that women are never referred to by name, only by derogatory terms such as, “wenches, gash, nobsitcle courses, or simply a number out of 10.”
“We should be legislating for sexual education to be improved and include healthy relationships as part of mandatory curriculum,” said Bates to tackle these attitudes from a young age. She referenced a harrowing story of a 14-year-old schoolboy rapist who, when asked why he didn’t stop as the victim started crying, said, “But isn’t it normal for girls to cry during sex?”
The issue of sexism is universal, said Bates. There are now 20 branches of Everyday Sexism and on the campaign’s third birthday #everydaysexism was trending worldwide. Bates has organically created a safe space for women to express their anger, concerns and even fears. The discourse has had a huge political impact. “The website is a force to draw upon to lobby politicians,” Bates said. She hopes to build a positive relationship with Nicky Morgan, who she said, “was prepared to listen and talk about issues.”
Bates has also worked closely with the London Transport Police to design a victim-centred online campaign called Project Guardian, which allows women to report sexual assaults and misdemeanours via a subtle text rather than calling the police directly. This speaks to a larger problem: Bates said, women are shamed into not speaking out against sexism. “We are so used to being groped, we’d never used the word sexual assault to describe it.”
Bates encouraged the involvement of our male allies. “The number of sexist men is miniscule – but they are such a loud minority,” she explained, as well as a minority of men who are engaged in combatting gender inequality. “There is a large critical mass in the middle who may not realise that sexism exists but who would be outraged to find out it did.”
Bates said it is impossible to fight against something many don’t believe exists. This is why #everydaysexism is so pivotal in the gender inequality movement, simply by bringing the problem to public attention. “Everyday Sexism just hopes to change some people’s minds.”
Photo: Elinor Williams
Text: Francesca Donovan