On Topic: What We’ve Been Reading Lately, Part I

Women’s writing and publishing:

• Kamila Shamsie’s radical idea to have a year that involves publishing only titles by women in order to address the gender bias in publishing houses.
• The only titles by women that win awards are ones that are written about men or from a masculinist perspective.

On science & tech and women:

• In the sexist corridors of engineering and tech institutions; maternity leave issues, sidelining women, no equal pay, made to feel intellectually inferior and the list goes on.
• Women scientists not holding back and on the cutting edge of research.
• A very interesting article on the prejudice against crying in professions of science.
• More on sexism in science.
• Hilarious and biting tweets to Tim Hunt for his unbelievably sexist comments about women in science.
• And on the witch hunt against Tim Hunt a.k.a playing Devil’s Advocate for the Devil.

On feminism:

•  Meena Kandasamy urges people to understand Clinton’s politics (which are acc. To her anti-feminist) before upholding her as the new feminist icon in politics.
• A fantastic answer to the question “Where are the women?”: on sexism in events, seminars, conferences and panel discussions and the stands you can take.

On that lesbian ad for Anouk:

• The slow but emerging market for LGBTQ in India.
• Not really ‘real’: Despite that fact that the ad comes from a good place it fails to capture any chemistry.
• Lesbians and queer women respond to the advertisement.

On women and disability in India

• Anita Ghaí’s lovely book called ‘Rethinking Disability in India’ that explores more socio-cultural and theoretical approaches to disability.
• Malini Chib on being sexless in the city. A powerful piece on understanding bodies, desires and disabilities.

That’s all for now, folks – part II up soon!