LSE - Small Logo
LSE - Small Logo

Equality and Diversity

October 22nd, 2012

The week that was…

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Equality and Diversity

October 22nd, 2012

The week that was…

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Today’s ‘The week that was…’ is packed with interesting news items – a Muslim student questions Freshers Week, gay couple refused double room win discrimination case, Britain’s national newspapers still sexist and male dominated, celebrating 25 years of Black MPs and more.

Now that Freshers Week is well and truly over, this article on how Freshers Week made one student interrogate her religious beliefs makes for an interesting read. The author thinks Freshers Week grossly under-delivers and caters to a very specific group of students, “you needed to be very drunk, you needed to be willing to let (very) loose”. And yet, she argues it is an event worth keeping because it tested her beliefs, including those about dancing and drinking, and made her a more mature person.

A gay couple who were turned away from a B&B in Berkshire by Christian owner were discriminated against, it has been ruled. Mr Black and Mr Morgan had booked a double room at the Swiss Bed and Breakfast in Berkshire via email but on arrival, owner Susanne Wilkinson would not let them stay in a room with a double bed.

A comprehensive study by Women in Journalism (WiJ) found that male bylines and sexist stereotypes dominate Britain’s national newspapers. It was revealed that 78% of all front-page articles were written by men. Detailed data is available on the Guardian website.

Meanwhile, a guest editorial by Diane Abbott has been posted on the National Union of Students website to celebrate 25 years of Black MPs. In the article, Abbott talks about the racism and sexism she’s experienced over the years. She writes, “There is still a lot of work to do to achieve racial equality, but I believe that increased Black representation in Parliament is making a difference.”

There were a few other interesting news items this week that I’ll quickly mention – a report by Age UK on older workers’ experiences of flexible working [PDF], an article on how disabled people are taking the centre stage in German politics, and a report on how an executive MBA can be a balancing act for working mothers and how they can be supported by their cohort.

Have anything to add? Write to Equality.and.Diversity@lse.ac.uk.

About the author

Equality and Diversity

Posted In: Weekly news

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Bad Behavior has blocked 233 access attempts in the last 7 days.