Domestic abuse and the many women who are eventually killed by an abusive partner because the police, CPS and the law don't take reports seriously enough. Women who are deemed promiscuous resulting in rape and sexual assault not being investigated because prior to being violated a woman may have enjoyed casual sex. Women who kill or are party to murders being treated differently as the very idea of what women are supposed to be - nurturing, maternal, comforting - is destroyed by a violent crime. Women – whether criminals or victims – are still subject to the most antiquated of double standards. “It is hard to get across the idea that a woman is entitled to have sex with the whole of the football team, but draw the line at the goalie,” writes Kennedy, with characteristic bite. Rape victims have their compensation reduced if they were drunk. Meanwhile, girls are being institutionalised (unlike adult courts, youth courts can sanction behaviour that is not technically criminal but may harm a child’s development) for behaviours that in their male contemporaries would be dismissed as “boys will be boys” but in girls are seen as evidence of dangerous moral turpitude. Pharmacokinetics is the branch of pharmacology dealing with a drug’s journey through the body. It has 4 stages: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion. Studies show these stages are affected by gender which should inform dosage, instructions (take with food or not), and side effects. But it’s not just about cuts. It’s also about failing to design the justice system around women’s unpaid work. Little attention is given, writes Kennedy, to things like scheduling probation appointments during school hours, and research has revealed that “women’s childcare responsibilities are impacting on their ability to comply with their community sentences”. And women who fail to comply often end up in prison – “even where the original offence would never have merited a custodial sentence”. Two decades later I published Eve Was Framed, my book about women and the British justice system, and I was overwhelmed by the response. Laying out the law’s failure to provide justice for women was highly contentious, especially within the profession and among the judiciary, but many women wrote to me, confiding in me their experiences of abuse and violence, which they had never taken to the courts. Some had told people in authority but had not been believed, though most remained silent because they knew that they would be accused of lying, exaggerating or fantasising. This response to the book seemed like a victory, but you don’t need me to tell you that these concerns are exactly the same as the ones still raised by women today.

The law mirrors society with all its imperfections and it therefore reflects the subordination and lesser status of women, even today. But holding up a mirror can never be it’s sole function. The law affects as well as reflects, and all of those involved in the administration of justice have a special obligation to reject society’s irrational prejudices.”

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Even if you are not considering a future working in the law, it is still an excellent read – it challenged some of my fundamental thoughts on law and justice, and helped me consider how our justice system is failing women, what we can do to change this. New Fawcett research out for Equal Pay Day 2023 shows why making flexible work the default is essential to closing the gender pay gap. Thanks for joining us for the invite-only launch. We look forward to evolving based on what we learn and what we hear from you. Medical term of the week is a word or phrase we learned recently to expand our vocabulary and knowledge We’re delighted to have a growing number of active and effective local women’s rights meet ups, who work in the local community to enforce change and campaign on our behalf. Their work is invaluable to Fawcett.

I read this book in the summer before I applied to university because I was hoping to find something that was different to the books that give you a general introduction to law. This was definitely different. Now that I have started studying the subject, I still find myself reflecting on some of the propositions she puts forward. In particular, she often talks about how most judges are completely out of touch with the general population, which can definitely impact their judgement. Particularly when I read old cases, I certainly see what she means!This book by Helena Kennedy QC is a detailed discussion of how our legal system treats women. Baroness Kennedy is a leading barrister and she gives insightful detail into her own experiences as a female lawyer and the everyday sexism she has encountered in her career. She also takes a wider look at how the way our law is written and enforced can discriminate against women. A fascinating look at the way in which the legal system is institutionally sexist and the impact that has on the women who pass through it. Kennedy shares her own experience of coming up as one of the few female barristers and the ways in which archaic traditions are limiting the pipeline of female lawyers who could become tomorrow's judges - and thus the system is perpetuated. I initially started reading this book during the summer before coming up to Oxford as a way to fill the gap between the end of A Levels and the start of term; I wasn’t expecting to gain much aside from passing the time. However, whilst reading the introduction and highlighting opinions I support and share, I realised I had come across the first book about law that I actually enjoyed reading for the sake of reading, rather than to have something to talk about if I inadvertently found myself in an academic discussion. At least men get commercials on television with thinly veiled messages and bathtubs for erectile dysfunction. Have you ever seen anything women’s health? Me neither. Context is everything. But this is still a lesson to be learned here and until it is, equality at the hands of the law and before the law will not be secured”.

The Tasting Menu.Topics each week to learn more about your body and health. Remember that Pelvic Floor question?That’s one of the topics we’ll cover.Your time is valuable. We’re doing the reading and sharing the knowledge Along with Baby Formula, there is another shortage impacting women - tampons! Proctor and Gamble tried to pin a tampon shortage on Amy Schumer of all people! Later, they said it was a supply and demand issue. The Great Tampon Shortage of 2022. ( from Time)

How can God justify punishing Adam and Eve for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when prior to eating from the tree, then didn’t have any knowledge of good and evil?! Today, even that level of education about our bodies is hard to come by with 11 states requiring an opt-in from parents for some or all of the sex education topics, not to mention Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law. With the recent threats against the right to choose, now, more than ever, we need good information and lots of it. As I moved through my later forties and perimenopause symptoms began, I asked my doctor about ways to alleviate them. Menopause tea, supplements, and cooling sheets. Seriously? And no one I knew was talking about it.