UK Poverty 2025

Although the UK is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, "current levels of poverty are around 50% higher than in the 1970s" (via). According to the report "UK Poverty 2025", more than 1 in 5 (i.e. 21% or 14.3 million people) were in poverty in 2022/23. A closer look shows that 2 in every 20 adults but 3 in every 10 children lived in poverty. 4 in 10 of those in poverty (6 million people) were in very deep poverty defined by an income far below the poverty line. The poorest families had an average income of 57% below the poverty line. 

Around 3.8 million people (including one million children) experienced destitution, the deepest form of poverty where the most basic needs such as staying warm, dry, clean and fed cannot be met. These disturbing figures have more than doubled between 2017 and 2022. 

There are specific groups that are particularly vulnerable, such as children in general or - even more - larger families with three or more children or children in lone-parent families  (45% of children in large families and 44% of children in lone-parent families were in poverty). Minority ethnic groups are also susceptible to poverty. 56% of people in Bangladeshi and 49% in Pakistani households lived in poverty. The intersection of ethnicity and childhood in numbers means that 67% of children in Bangladeshi and 61% of children in Pakistani households were affected by poverty. 4 in 10 people (40%) in Black British households were in poverty. 

Ethnicity is not the only minoritiy status that is related to poverty. The poverty rate (30%) for disabled people, just to mention one example, was 10 percentage points higher than the rate for people without disabilities. A distinction of disabilities is of interest since it shows that it matters wether one has a limiting mental condition (50% poverty rate) or a physical type (29% poverty rate) of disability (via).

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation points out the importance of tackling poverty stigma in order to fight poverty:

We believe that poverty and poverty stigma are inextricably entangled social problems that reinforce and feed each other. 

We believe that poverty and poverty stigma need to be tackled simultaneously. Anti-poverty work needs to be anti-stigma work at its roots and in every branch of collective action towards ending poverty in the UK. 

We believe that designing stigma out of systems of welfare and support is integral to the fight for economic justice and economic security (Cooke, 2023). 

We believe that stigma is a powerful glue that holds poverty in place, enabling and exacerbating inequalities of wealth, health and opportunity. Loosening the grip of stigma is a key lever of wider progressive social change. 

Effective action on poverty stigma needs to be intersectional, collective and participatory. (via)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
photograph by Rob Brenner (copyright by R. Brenner) via

Not the Usual Gender Pay Gap

According to top modelling agent Elizabeth Rose, male models are paid 75% less than female models. While all the top ten female models make millions, only the top three male models make over a million.

The world's highest paid female model made 35 million pounds in 2015 (source Forbes), the highest paid male model made 1.15 million pounds in 2013 (the years compared differ because there was no data compiled for male model incomes in 2015). The discrepency is not only there when it comes to top models. In an interview (2016), Rose mentions: "I had a brief today that came in and it was 'male model, [pay] £1,500', and the female model was £5,000, for the same usage.'" 

An inverse gender pay gap might come as a surprise. What is little surprising are the traditional ageist patterns prevalent in the industry. Female models do make more money. However, they are discriminated against based on their age at an earlier stage. Men have a longer career path and make the most when they are in their thirties - when a great many female models seem to be sent into retirement (via and via).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
photograph of Capucine via

Belgium, Country of Hair Cut Equality

According to a poll (UK, 2020), women pay more than twice as much for their haircuts than men. Some women tried to make savings by going to a male barbers but were turned away. 40% of men pay between £10 and 14.99 for their hair cut, 29% between £5 and 9.99, 15% between £15 and 19.99. The price range for women is much wider. The most common range is £20 to 24.99, paid by only 13% of women. The proportions for the ranges £10 to 14.99 and £30 to 34.99 are similar. While only 15% of men pay £15 or more, 78% of women do so. The average price for men is £12.17, the average price for women is £31.99 (via). Belgium has a wonderful idea to solve this problem ...

... by ignoring gender and looking at the time the hair cut consumes.

The country’s hairdressing federation, Febelhair, is advising its members to charge €1.30 (£1.10) a minute, regardless of the customer’s gender. “A distinction between prices for men and women should no longer persist in 2024,” said a Febelhair spokesperson, Charles-Antoine Huybrechts, on Belgian radio.

Charlotte Jacob, the owner of the Brussels salon De Wakko Kapper, is a fan: “We need 40 minutes for people who want a completely new cut. But whether you’re a man or a woman, you pay the same.” (via)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

photograph by William Eggleston via

World Oceans Day & Environmental Injustice in the Anthropocene Ocean

In the 1980s, the concept of environmental justice emerged in the United States recognising the disproportional distribution of environmental pollution and hazardous waste with Black communities and  socio-economically disadvantaged populations experiencing more environmental burdens and having less access to benefits. Comparably little attention has, so far, been paid to environmental justice issues in connection with marine and coastal environments. Here, too, impacts are "unequally distributed geographically and produce socially differentiated impacts across racial, ethnic, gender, age and socio-economic groups". One of the reasons why marginalised groups experience worse impacts is that they are often inadequately considered and mostly excluded from the deciscion-making process (Bennett et al., 2022). 

These colonial and racist acts fail to recognize ancestral ocean ownership and tenure rights, inclusion of marginalized communities in decisions, respect for human rights, and consideration of social and health impacts in the formulation of pollution prevention approaches. (Bennett et al., 2022)

Bennett et al. (2022) discuss five key hazards in the marine and coastal environment affecting some communities and populations more than others: (1) pollution and toxic waste, (2) plastics and marine debris, (3) climate change, (4) ecosystem, biodiversity and ecosystem service degradation, and (5) fisheries declines.

Liboiron (2021) challenges us to think about plastics as a form of colonialism enabled by global capitalist expansion. The amount of plastic waste generated per capita by individuals in many low- and middle-income countries is substantially less than individuals from high-income countries (Euromap, 2016; UNEP, 2021a). Fifteen countries account for 73.9% of the plastic waste that is exported, 11 of these countries are from the OECD (Pedra & Gonçalves, 2020). However, many Low- and Middle-Income Countries are unable to adequately manage their own plastic waste let alone the burgeoning amount of plastic waste shipped from High-Income Countries (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). The UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics underscored how this issue compounds due to the lack of adequate reception and processing facilities in lower income countries (Orellana, 2021). When combined with local gaps in waste management, this leads to substantially greater land-based inputs of plastics into the ocean with associated increases in environmental and societal impacts for populations in lower income countries (Pedra & Gonçalves, 2020; UNEP, 2021b, 2021a). (Bennett et al., 2022)

Some interesting excerpts:

emerged in the 1980s in the United States from concerns about the disproportionate burdens of pollution that were being placed on and experienced by Black communities and socio economically disadvantaged populations (Bullard, 1994; Cutter, 1995). Environmental justice research demonstrated that polluting infrastructure, such as oil refineries, mining and factories, as well as air pollution emissions and toxic waste disposal sites, were often situated near Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities (Bullard, 2018; Walker, 2012). Such environmental discrimination and racism was shown to be producing numerous negative health effects and wellbeing outcomes for these populations (Brulle & Pellow, 2006). The field of environmental justice has since grown globally and expanded to focus on a broader set of environmental hazards and harms, including climate change, biodiversity and habitat loss, and declines in ecosystem services (Boyd, 2022; Chaudhary et al., 2018; Mutz et al., 2002; Sikor, 2013; Sze & London, 2008; Tsosie, 2007). Environmental justice has also come to refer broadly to both the distribution of environmental burdens and access to benefits, as well as the recognition, meaningful involvement and fair treatment of people in environmental decision making and legal frameworks emerged in the 1980s in the United States from concerns about the disproportionate burdens of pollution that were being placed on and experienced by Black communities and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations (Bullard, 1994; Cutter, 1995). Environmental justice research demonstrated that polluting infrastructure, such as oil refineries, mining and factories, as well as air pollution emissions and toxic waste disposal sites, were often transform-situated near Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities (Bullard, 2018; Walker, 2012). Such environmental discrimination and racism was shown to be producing numerous negative health effects and wellbeing outcomes for these populations (Brulle & Pellow, 2006). The field of environmental justice has since grown globally and expanded to focus on a broader set of environmental hazards and harms, including climate change, biodiversity and habitat loss, and declines in (Boyd, 2022; Chaudhary et al., 2018; Mutz et al., 2002; Sikor, 2013; Sze & London, 2008; Tsosie, 2007). Environmental justice has also come to refer broadly to both the distribution of environmental burdens and access to benefits, as well as the recognition, meaningful involvement and fair treatment of people in environmental decision making and legal frameworks. Historically marginalized groups, groups that rely on subsistence harvesting or small-scale fisheries, and low-income nations tend to be disproportionately exposed to and impacted by increasing chemical and biological contamination in the ocean (Landrigan et al., 2018; Liboiron, 2021), a problem which perpetuates and exacerbates pre-existing inequalities. For example, the worst social-environmental impacts and public health effects of pollution are often experienced and absorbed by Indigenous people, people of color, and women (Landrigan et al., 2018; Liboiron, 2021). Inuit women from the Arctic are still among the most contaminated humans with POPs such as PCB and PFAS, while struggling for food safety and security and being affected by underlying health risks due to chronic and emerging diseases such as breast cancer and endocrine disruption in the face of climate change (AMAP, 2021; Ghisari et al., 2014; Wielsøe et al., 2017). Indigenous populations and small-scale fishers who consume high amounts of fish or mammals are exposed to the effects of methylmercury on their health (Donatuto et al., 2011; Probyn, 2018). Afro-American communities, who have tolerated the burden of colonialism and impacts of top-down government policies for generations, have been disproportionately impacted by offshore oil and gas exploitation in coastal Louisiana where they have faced persistent industrial hazards from the myriad of old pipeline infrastructure that impair coastal marshes and produce health and livelihood impacts (Maldonado, 2018; Randolph, 2021). The golbal nature of the disposal of pollution and other wastes in the ocean reveals patterns of environmental racism, with the dumping of wastes and the breaking of ships often occurring in the lower income countries in Africa and Asia (Frey, 2015; Okafor-Yarwood & Adewumi, 2020; Wan et al., 2021). Oil exploration and exploitation also tends to be more polluting in lower income countries - such as Ecuador, Nigeria or Nicaragua - where corporations take advantage of governance gaps (Alava & Calle, 2013; Allen, 2011; Andrews et al., 2021; Arif, 2019; O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003). (Bennett et al., 2022)

Bennett et al – Environmental Justice in the Ocean 9 2.3.2 Impacts and Distribution The litany of climate change impacts and knock-on effects described above are having substantial but differentiated implications for coastal communities and ocean-dependent populations around the world. Extreme weather events, coastal inundation and erosion, saltwater intrusion, marine heatwaves and HABs can have detrimental effects on economic benefits from the fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture and tourism sectors (Bindoff et al., 2019; Misana & Tilumanywa, 2019; Narita et al., 2012; Oppenheimer et al., 2019; Ritzman et al., 2018; K. E. Smith et al., 2021). Shifts in the abundance, productivity and location of fish stocks and shellfish from warming oceans and acidification are affecting fisheries jobs, revenues, and food security for many coastal populations (Cheung et al., 2010; Doney et al., 2020; Fernandes et al., 2017; Lam, Cheung, Reygondeau, et al., 2016; Narita et al., 2012; Tigchelaar et al., 2021). Rising sea levels, combined with increased storm and flooding events, are harming community infrastructure, housing and health in both rural areas and urban centers (Heberger et al., 2011; Liwenga et al., 2019; Rahimi et al., 2020; Ryan et al., 2016) and leading to forced retreat or migration away from the ocean (Ahmed & Eklund, 2021; Dannenberg et al., 2019; Dasgupta et al., 2022; Hauer, 2017; Schwerdtle et al., 2018). Climate change impacts on ecosystems can undermine provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting ecosystem services that are fundamental for human well-being (Doney et al., 2012; E. J. Nelson et al., 2013; Singh et al., 2019; Smale et al., 2019). In short, climate change threatens the human rights of coastal populations and nations to food, livelihoods, health and physical security (Ahlgren et al., 2014; Elver & Oral, 2021; Levy & Patz, 2015). There is substantial evidence that different racial, ethnic, gender, age and socio-economic groups experience the impacts of climate related changes to a greater or lesser extent (Benevolenza & DeRigne, 2019; Bindoff et al., 2019; Dankelman & Jansen, 2010; Flores, Collins, et al., 2021; N. Islam & Winkel, 2017; Thomas et al., 2019). For example, pre-existing social and structural inequalities tend to situate Black populations, women and the poor in more vulnerable positions when it comes to coastal flooding, storms, and other hazards related to climate change (Ahmed & Eklund, 2021; Gotham et al., 2018; Hardy et al., 2017). Communities and groups (e.g., small-scale fishers or Indigenous Peoples) who have a high level of resource dependence - either for livelihoods or food security - will also be more susceptible to changes to ecosystems, ecosystem services and fisheries brought on by climate change (Guillotreau et al., 2012; Lauria et al., 2018; Marushka et al., 2019). Similarly, groups with lower adaptive capacity - due to less access to financial resources, lack of alternative livelihood options, or structural barriers - will experience greater impacts (Cinner et al., 2018; Senapati & Gupta, 2017). Climate change adaptation and mitigation programs can further marginalize local populations when their needs and voices are not taken into account. Managed retreat, for instance, can have disruptive public health implications, including declining mental health, social capital, food security, water supply, and access to health care, that disproportionately affect Indigenous people (Dannenberg et al., 2019). In Bangladesh, climate adaptation projects have excluded and further marginalized women and minorities, and worsened income inequality (Sovacool, 2018). (Bennett et al., 2022)

8th of June was first declared as World Oceans Day in 1992 and designated by the United Nations in 2008. More on the day: LINK

- - - - - - - -

- Nathan J. Bennett, Juan José Alava, Caroline E. Ferguson, Jessica Blythe, Elisa Morgera, David Boyd, Isabelle M. Côté (2022). Environmental Justice in the Ocean, Working Paper, University of British Columbia, link

- photograph by Pierre Verger via

The Rise of Neoliberal Feminism

Abstract: Through an in-depth analysis of bestselling “how-to-succeed” books along with popular television shows and well-trafficked “mommy” blogs, The Rise of Neoliberal Feminism demonstrates how the notion of a happy work-family balance has not only been incorporated into the popular imagination as a progressive feminist ideal but also lies at the heart of a new variant of feminism. Embraced by high-powered women, from Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg to Ivanka Trump, this variant of feminism abandons key terms, such as equal rights and liberation, advocating, instead, for a life of balance and happiness. 

What we are ultimately witnessing, Catherine Rottenberg argues, is the emergence of a neoliberal feminism that abandons the struggle to undo the unjust gendered distribution of labor and that helps to ensure that all responsibility for reproduction and care work falls squarely on the shoulders of individual women. Moreover, this increasingly dominant form of feminism simultaneously splits women into two distinct groups: worthy capital-enhancing women and the “unworthy” disposable female “other” who performs much of the domestic and care work. This split, not surprisingly, transpires along racial, class, and citizen-immigrant lines. The Rise of Neoliberal Feminism thus underscores the ways in which neoliberal feminism forsakes the vast majority of women, while it facilitates new and intensified forms of racialized and class-stratified gender exploitation. Given our frightening neoliberal reality, the monumental challenge, then, is how we can successfully reorient and reclaim feminism as a social justice movement. (Rottenberg, 2018)

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- Rottenberg, C. A. (2018). The Rise of Neoliberal Feminism; link
- photograph by Garry Winogrand (Beverly Hills, 1979) via

Fuel Poverty and the Heat or Eat Diaries

Fuel poverty means being on a low income and at the same time facing high costs of keeping warm and ensuring basic energy services. It is driven by household income, the increasing cost of energy and the energy efficiency of a home. In 2020, one in five UK households with dependent children experienced fuel poverty. 

Households more likely to be affected by fuel poverty are, for instance, those that are home to people with disabilities or ethnic minority households.

Living with a disability increases the risk of experiencing fuel poverty. It leads to a reduced income: 27 per cent of households that include someone who is disabled are on a low income when measured before housing costs, compared with 15 per cent of households with no disability; and their cost of living is higher. Disabled people face higher energy bills due to having additional needs (such as medical equipment that requires a power source) and spending longer periods at home (41) (42) (2).

Minority ethnic households are more likely to be in fuel poverty than White households (Figure 8). This is partly explained by the income inequality experienced by Minority ethnic households. Official rates of fuel poverty show a decrease in the fuel poverty gap between White and non-White households since 2017, but fuel poverty rates are still higher for Minority ethnic households (43) (44).

Fuel poverty also means health inequality and has a negative impact on health. It can either cause or worsen poor mental health, dementia, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, hypothermia, and problems with child development. According to estimations, the NHS spends a minimum of 2.5 billion pounds per year on treating illnesses that result from cold and damp homes.

Cold homes and fuel poverty contribute to the phenomenon of excess winter deaths. England saw an estimated 63,000 excess winter deaths in 2020–21. Estimates suggest that some 10 per cent of excess winter deaths are directly attributable to fuel poverty and 21.5 per cent are attributable to cold homes. (Lee et al., 2022)

Older adults, children and people with chronic illness or disabilities are more likely to experience the consequences in terms of health. Since body temperature lowers with old age, physiological thermoragulation becomes less effective. Cold temperature can cause rising blood pressure in older people and increase the risk of strokes. According to a study, the Fuel Poverty Index is a predictor for hospital admittance since there is a relationship between energy efficiency of the home and winter respiratory symptoms among older people.

Studies indicate that cold conditions can exacerbate existing medical conditions including diabetes, certain types of ulcers and musculoskeletal and rheumatological conditions (55). Decreasing body temperature is associated with a build-up of markers for dementia and Alzheimer’s in the brain. A study of over 3 million patients in the United States found fewer dementia-related hospital admissions when temperatures were warmer than average, and that variability in temperatures increased admissions (62). People living in fuel poverty with a diagnosis of dementia may be even more at risk from cold homes due to difficulties in communication and difficulties in being able to self-manage their indoor temperature (such as managing a heating system or being able to dress for the cold), and may become more confused (63). 

Excerpts from "Heat or Eat Diaries" of people living in the United Kingdom (The Guardian):

- 1  Marin, in her 60s

(...) I have battled a fair deal in my 60-something years, but these are some of the hardest times, demanding all of my fortitude. Because this isn’t living, it is enduring. I always got by, but now, due to low pay, soaring prices and my age, I teeter closer and closer to poverty. I worry about being able to keep earning enough to pay my bills. I worry how I’ll get through the next five years to state pension age. I worry, and then what? I worry. 

“Heat your room to 18C,” says the health advice. But what if you don’t have the money? There have been moments over the past few days when I have been so cold I can’t get warm, fingers fridge-chilly and stiff, body weary. I read about what the cold does to your body, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack. The government knows this. Illness brought on from people being unable to keep themselves or their families warm is inhuman. Putin didn’t start austerity, the Tories did. (...)

I used to read my son Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where his grandparents never got out of bed, and realise this is my life now. I am freelance, so I work from my bed – it’s a claustrophobic world. My woollen mattress topper, purchased in a charity shop for £10, helps keep me warm and is the best find ever. I try not to think about who probably died on it.

(...) My rented home is poorly insulated – I put the heating on for two hours last week to dry some washing and the temperature rose from 7C to 8.5C. (...)

- 2  Sophie, single mum to two autistic children

(...) Today I had cold rice pudding because I didn’t want to use the microwave. When I boil the kettle, I fill a flask up, so I can have another cup of tea later or some instant soup for lunch. The other day, I boiled some eggs in the same pan I was cooking pasta. Frozen veg seems to cook quicker and I do it all in one pan, and I’m certainly not cooking a roast dinner at the moment. It’s about scrimping and saving where I can to minimise that initial shock. (...)

- 3  Siobhan, in her 30s

(...) My dad is entitled to a rebate from his electricity provider – which got more and more urgent when temperatures dropped to -8C. He doesn’t have central heating, he’s 6ft 4in but only weighs about 8 stone. He needs the space heater on, but electricity has been costing him £15 a week. To claim the rebate on his behalf – which isn’t paid in cash, it just credits his account – I have to go to a post office with one of three forms of ID: either a passport, a driving licence or a utility bill. But my dad doesn’t have a passport or a driving licence. What’s the point when you’re too sick to travel or drive? He doesn’t have a utility bill as it’s all done online: who has a utility bill in 2023? 

For weeks, my life has been hanging on the phone to his electricity provider, who assure me every time that the post office will accept alternative ID, like letters from the DWP or the council or the NHS – and then queueing in every post office within walking distance, only to be turned away in front of a long line of neighbours because it’s not the ID specified by the provider. 

Yesterday, finally, my dad told me to give up as I probably looked too scruffy – and ask my landlord to have a go instead. My landlord went in – a middle-aged, middle class, white man – and the post office added the rebate to my dad’s account straight away. It may be just coincidence, but things like that make me so angry. I’m walking around in this total rage – and then a day later, I’m numb, then I’m so tired and exhausted to my bones, I feel like I’m going to cry. Then all that passes and I feel really accepting of all the stuff I can’t change – before something happens to trigger the anger again. I’m living on this constant emotional rollercoaster. 

Loads of my energy is spent keeping Dad warm. It’s hot-water bottles, blankets and I’ve now ordered him heated clothing – leggings and a vest that you can charge up with a USB, a bit like an electric blanket, but wearable. They were expensive – £30, so it was a big decision – but he’s so poorly that if he doesn’t stay warm, he’ll die. Like everything in the post, though, they still haven’t arrived. (...)

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

- Alice Lee, Ian Sinha, Tammy Boyce, Jessica Allen, Peter Goldblatt (2022). Fuel poverty, cold homes and health inequalities. London: Institute of Health Equity.
- photographs by Saul Leiter via 

A fierce grudge against poverty...

“I hold a fierce grudge against poverty because I was so desperately poor when I was young. But accusing my past is hardly the answer. There is, I want to believe, a personal need to recognise the right of every man to live a reasonably decent life."
Gordon Parks



photograph by Gordon Parks via

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

“We know by now how to photograph poor people. What we don’t know is how to photograph affluence – whose other face is poverty.”
Dorothea Lange



On 17 October 1987, a hundred thousand people gathered in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to "honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger" as poverty is a violation of human rigts. Since then, 17 October has been the day dedicated to the eradication of poverty, the day we show solidarity with the poor, acknowledge the struggle of people living in poverty, make their concerns heard, and use their expertise to fight poverty (via).

- - - - - - - - -
photograph by Dorothea Lange via

Old + Female + Poor

"Older women are at greater risk of poverty than older men in all countries where breakdowns are available. The average poverty rate for men equals 8.4% and 12.4% for women."
OECD, 2015:170



In the US, 16% of women over 65 live either at or below poverty versus 12% of older men. Significant factors are discrimination in hiring and salaries, wage and wealth gap, higher health care costs for women, caregiving, part-time jobs, marital status, domestic violence, LGBTQ-status, education, and ethnicity. Black, Hispanic, and Native American older women are two times mor likely to be hit by poverty (via).

In Austria, 16% of women over 65 live at or below poverty in contrast to 10% of men over 65. (Figures are probably higher since statistics only consider people aged 65+, a criterion chosen on the fact that men usually retire at 65. Women, however, often retire at 60 and are not included in statistical data looking at 65+ only.) Living in poverty means that older people have difficulties to make ends meet; it means poor health, substandard housing, and low life satisfaction (via). In Italy, one in four people over the age of 65 are at risk of poverty (via), in Germany one in five (via), and in the UK one in six (via).

Older workers who are laid off still too often enter into early-retirement programmes. This approach, which is internalised by both employers and employees, gives older workers little opportunity to re-train and acquire new skills in order to strengthen their employability. Early retirement also exposes individuals to future poverty as income needs at a much higher age are often underestimated. Early retirement systems should be eliminated, and employment difficulties faced by the elderly should be dealt with by unemployment systems that promote activity as a way to protect and help people remain on the labour market longer. Beyond this, with the tightening of benefit eligibility criteria in most OECD pension systems, ensuring that the labour market is conducive to longer working lives is vital. In that respect, increases in the labour supply of older workers have to be met by a higher demand. Upgrading of skills and lifelong learning will therefore become important to retain older workers in the labour market.
OECD, 2015:32

- - - - - - -
- Justice in Aging. (2018). Older Women & Poverty. Special report, December 2018, link
- photograph by Nick Hedges (Brent, 1969)  via

The Equality Coin

"For the past 50 years and beyond, Canadians have fought for their right to love, marry, start a family and live openly as their most authentic selves. The Equality coin recognizes their triumphs and encourages all of us to build a better, more inclusive Canada – because like the coin itself, the more equality we have in Canada, the richer we all are."
Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre



Yesterday, the Royal Canadian Mint launched a one-dollar coin commemorating fifty years of progress in recognising the human rights of LGBT Canadians. Fifty years ago, homosexuality was decriminalised (via). Some advocates raise concerns about the message pointing out that "it mistakenly suggests equality has been achieved and largely as a result of the federal government's actions" but acknowledge that the coin is "fuelling a public conversation about LGBTQ history" (via).



photographs (London, late 1960s) via and via

Audi's Daughter

"What do I tell my daughter? Do I tell her that her grandpa is worth more than her grandma? That her dad is worth more than her mom? Do I tell her that despite her education, her drive, her skills, her intelligence, she will automatically be valued as less than every man she ever meets?..."

"Progress is in every decision we make, every technology we invent, every vehicle we build. It’s our past, our future, our reason to exist. Audi of America is committed to equal pay for equal work. A 2016 report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee found that women were paid 21% less than men on average. 

This is a story of a young girl competing in a downhill cart race in her hometown. As the fearless daughter weaves her way through a field of competitors, her father contemplates whether his daughter’s worth will be measured by her gender through a series of provocative questions. It is a reminder that progress doesn’t belong to any one group. Progress is for everyone." Audi USA

Audi launched its ninth Super Bowl ad stating in a press release that is committed to supporting women's pay equality in the workplace. In addition, 50% of candidates of its graduate internship programme have to be female. The commercial was created by Venables Bell & Partners and will be aired tomorrow in the third quarter of the game (via).

In the year 2244

According to a recent US-report, white households own seven times as much wealth as black households. The Forbes 100 billionaires are as rich as all black US-Americans combined. This is hardly surprising as wealth accumulates and can be passed down from generation to generation. So can debt and poverty. Both are effects of history. At current growth rate, it will take black US-Americans 228 years to have as much wealth as white US-Americans have today. In other words: We are talking about the year 2244.



Higher unemployment rates among black US-Americans only explain part of the situation as the wealth gap between blacks and whites is much bigger than the income gap. As sociologist Thomas Shapiro puts it, "(h)istory and legacy created the racial gap." Discrimination has - for instance - an impact on homeownership (41% of black US-Americans own their homes vs. 71% of white US-Americans). Housing segregation (generally, white US-Americans do not want to live in a neighbourhood that is more than 20 to 25% black) costs black families "tens of thousands of dollars in home equity" (via). Differences in education (e.g. via) and employment (e.g. via) add to the gap.

In 1956, Life published Gordon Parks's photo essay "The Restraints: Open and Hidden" that documented everyday life of black Americans in the segregated rural South (via). 26 of his photographs taken of three families living in Mobile, Alabama, were published (via and via). Parks's photographs were rediscovered in 2012.



"Despite de facto segregation still being glaringly prevalent across the US today, Americans are more comfortable thinking about it as something that happened long ago. Black and white photographs help create that sense of distance, which is why Parks’s use of colour is so important: segregation no longer feels as if it’s from some distant, unrecognisable past. Even when Parks became Life magazine’s first African-American photographer, black and white was the dominant medium. If colour made his essay stand out then, the effect is even more striking today."
Steven W. Thrasher






Related postings:
- Narrative images: American Gothic
- The -ism Series (4): Racism
- In the year 2069



photographs by Gordon Parks via and via and via and via and via and via and via

In the year 2069

According to Deloitte's recent analysis, the gender pay gap in the UK is incrementally closing. But: Real pay parity between men and women is  - at the current rate of convergence - not forecast to be achieved until 2069, i.e. 99 years after the 1970 Equal Pay Act (via and via).

::: The full report: Women in STEM. Technology, career pathways and the gender pay gap: DOWNLOAD



"BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
1.-(l) The provisions of this section shall have effect with a Requirement view to securing that employers give equal treatment as regards of equal terms and conditions of employment to men and to women (...)"
Equal Pay Act 1970

- - - - - - - - - -
Photograph via

Bubbles & Diversity

"When there is more ethnic diversity among traders, there is a greater chance that traders will think more critically, have less of a tendency to take their assumptions for granted and thus price assets more accurately and avoid bubbles." According to Apfelbaum et al.'s study, homogeneousity in the stock market creates blind spots. The researchers ran two experiments, one in Texas, one in Singapore. Participants were put in simulated markets and told to earn money by pricing stocks accurately. In both locations, there was an ethnicially homogeneous group and a diverse one; participants were told if they were part of a homogeneous or a diverse team. Results show that traders in the diverse group did a 58% better job at pricing assets while in the ethnically homogeneous group there was a tendency to cause price bubbles by overvaluing assets. “The simple presence of people who are different and thus may have different assumptions and knowledge makes everyone in the group act differently” (via).



photograph by Izis Bidermanas (1911-1980), taken in 1950 via

A Woman's Place Is On The Money

“A young girl wrote to ask me why aren’t there any women on our currency, and then she gave me like a long list of possible women to put on our dollar bills and quarters and stuff - which I thought was a pretty good idea.”
Barack Obama



Dear mr president,

I am writing to know why there arent many woman on the Dollars for the United States. I think there should be more women on a Dollars/coins for the united States Becuas if there where no woman there wouldnt Be Men also there are Many woman that could be on Dollars/coins for the united State because of the important things done. Please write Back

Sofia

My list of woman can Be on Dollars/coins for the united States
Anne Hutchinson, Rosa Parks, Abigail Dams, emily Dickinson, Hellen keller, Debran Samspon, Betsy Ross, Michelle oBaMa, Hillary clinton, eleantor roosevelt, Harriet tudman, Ida B. Wells



The White House
Washington

February 11, 2015

Dear Sofia:

This is a belated note to thank you for writing to me with such a good idea last summer. The women you listed and drew make up an impressive group, and I must say you're pretty impressive too.

I'll keep working to make sure you grow up in a country where women have the same opportunities as men, and I hope you'll stay involved in issues that matter to you. If you keep focusing in school and trying to help others whenever you can, there are no limits to what you can accomplish.

Thanks again for the great letter. I expect big things from you.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama

“I was studying Ann Hutchinson, who stood up for women’s rights. Almost everyone who chose a boy, on their poster they had pictures of different dollar bills or coins with their person on it. So I noticed, why don’t women have coins or dollar bills with their faces on it?”
Sofia

“Why is that? Why are no girls on currency? Because women are just as important as men, and I think that it’s important for the women to get recognized in this way.”
Sofia

Sofia, 9 years old, fourth-grader from Massachusetts inspired the Women On 20s campaign. Similarly, a campaign started in the UK in 2013 when the Bank of England announced that Sir Winston Churchill would replace Elizabeth Fry on the 5-pounds note from 2016. Later, the Bank added that Jane Austen would replace Charles Darwin from 2017 (via). But back to Sofia: When studying historical figures at school, she noticed that her classmates who had chosen a man often showed coins and bills. She also noticed that women were underrepresented (few exceptions are Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony). Sofia went home and told her mother she needed to write a letter to President Obama (via). Not only did she get a reply but also an invitation to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll (via).

Interesting and curious: From 1946 to 1973, so-called Military Payment Certificates (a form of currency used by the U.S. military personnel in some foreign countries) were printed with more women than man on them. When the war against Vietnam started, the women's portrayals became more modern and resembled celebrities. Rumour has it that one of them looked like Marilyn Monroe. According to a theory, this was no coincidence. Women on the military currency were supposed to motivate the soldiers abroad in a similar way Hollywood stars did with their entertainment programmes when visiting soldiers in combat zones. In 1970, things changed and Military Payment Certificates started having only men on them, such as Benjamin Franklin or George Washington (via).



photographs (1953) of Marilyn Monroe by John "Johnny" Florea (1916-2000) via and via and via and via and via