"A feature, not a bug" (and four other stories)

Five reads on gender (in)equality and the backlash against feminism

Happy December, dear readers. Last time I meant to include (but didn’t) a very Backlash-relevant episode of the podcast I co-host at work. We spoke to the journalist Sarah Manavis about her piece for Prospect Magazine (said day job) on the growing phenomenon of anti-feminist women influencers. Here is a link to the pod and to a video of the interview, and also to the piece itself.

And now to the reads….

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1) The generative AI gender gap

There is “an economically and statistically significant ‘gen AI gender gap’,” according to research published in July this year, writes Josie Cox for Bloomberg:

This is fresh evidence of a well-established technology gender divide: In its early days, the internet was dominated by men. More recently, research shows that women are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to use financial technology — or fintech — products. But the generative AI gap is noteworthy because of the extent to which this particular technology is already radically and rapidly transforming the labor market.

This matters in part because, as AI changes the labour market, there is a risk that the gender pay gap will persist (or even worsen) because women are less likely than men to use or trust this technology. Cox also highlights the fact that the generative AI industry itself is dominated by men:

…right now the industry producing generative AI is powered predominantly by men. One analysis, conducted in Germany of almost 1.6 million AI jobs worldwide, found that women comprise only 22% of AI talent — and even less at senior levels. That raises worries about gender bias creeping into AI design. If we want to broaden the users of AI, we need to ensure that the faces of those who are building it change, too.

One of the things Cox doesn’t really go into in her piece, however, is the fact that generative AI is being used to abuse and degrade women, with AI deepfakes and revenge porn overwhelmingly targetting women. I wonder if this knowledge impacts women’s trust in this tech, which, Cox writes, is lower than men’s?

2) Abortion rights under threat in Britain

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party—and Elon Musk bestie wannabe—suggested last week that Britain should consider shortening the legal limit on abortion. As per the Guardian:

Responding to questions about the assisted dying bill, which he will vote against, Farage said parliament should be allowed more time “to debate things that people at home talk about”.

“Is 24 weeks right for abortion given that we now save babies at 22?” he said. “That to me would be worthy of a debate in parliament but should that be along party lines? I don’t think so.”

In Byline Times, Max Colbert reports that Farage is working with a Christian anti-abortion group against alleged censorship in Britain. Colbert writes:

Farage was quoted in a statement from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which campaigns to outlaw abortion, as saying that “the crackdown on free expression within the UK is becoming very sinister. Our police and Government now withhold vital public information and we get censored simply for demanding the truth. I will continue to fight this.”

And also:

The Alliance Defending Freedom is an extreme, anti-abortion Christian legal advocacy group in the US, which has been steadily making inroads from across the Atlantic.It has been branded a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Centre, a categorisation the group rejects, and it’s London-based arm ADF International has been busy forging ties with British MPs.

The US organisation has been central to Republican efforts to strip away abortion rights from women, as well as protections for LGBTQ+ people, in the name of Christianity. According to the equality group Glaad, the ADF represents “a danger to every American who values their freedoms”.

3) “A feature, not a bug”

Another week, another clutch of nails in the coffin of the MeToo movement by virtue of Trump’s nominees for various official positions. Charles Kushner, father of Jared (husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka), has been tapped to be the US ambassador in France. During his first term, Trump pardoned Kushner senior, who in 2005 pled guilty to federal charges of tax evasion, campaign finance offences and witness tampering and was sentenced to two years in prison. As the BBC reports:

Among the evidence presented in court, prosecutors said Mr Kushner targeted a brother-in-law who was cooperating with authorities against him. He hired a prostitute to seduce the man, intending to intimidate him by sending video footage to his wife - Mr Kushner's sister.

This isn’t an accusation of sexual assault, but along with the other allegations against Trump’s nominees it adds to the unsavoury picture of an administration that seems to have no issue with women being objectified, harassed and assaulted. On

The Bulwark

,

Ilyse Hogue

traces Trump’s weaponisation of the anti-MeToo backlash for votes, and argues that some women are helping Trump push back against the new societal red lines established by the movement. She writes:

It’s clear now that sexual assault is no longer a deal breaker for plum positions. It might even be a qualification. How we got to this place may be less evident. But ultimately, two groups are to blame: the cadre of male influencers who harnessed a MeToo backlash to fuel Trump’s victory, and the women who love and enable them.

For instance:

Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly defended [Matt] Gaetz, saying the allegations against him had to be taken with a “boulder of salt.” Conservative influencer Candace Owens claimed the panic over Gaetz’s nomination was a reason to confirm him.

And also:

Trump has always thrived by pitting Americans against each other. So reigniting a war between the sexes is par for his course. Trump 2.0 is a doubling down on his intent to rule by fear, division, and displays of raw power. In that light, the charges against Hegseth and his ilk are a feature, not a bug, to this president looking to put the women who disrupted his first term in their place. With these nominations, Trump’s message is abundantly clear: Women are meant to be scared and men are meant to pick a side. The alleged rapists are here to make America great again.

P.s. On the Haaretz Podcast, Allison Kaplan-Sommer discusses women’s rights under Trump and Netanyahu’s “creeping authoritarianism” with civil rights activist Dr. Yofi Tirosh and Dahlia Lithwick, a Slate journalist and host of the Amicus podcast.

4) Taliban bans women from medical training

In the latest development from what is increasingly being described as gender apartheid in Afghanistan, the Taliban has banned women “from attending institutions offering medical education”, Human Rights Watch reports.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

The directive from the Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, was announced on December 2 during a meeting of the extremist group's Public Health Ministry in Kabul. The two sources told RFE/RL that the heads of the private medical institutions affected by the order were summoned to the ministry for the announcement. As a result of the order, all institutions offering training in midwifery, dental prosthetics, nursing, and laboratory sciences are now barred from enrolling or teaching female students, the sources said. Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

The Royal College of Midwives has issued a statement:

While they may not be directly raising a hand to Afghan women, through this latest step, the Taliban regime is putting thousands of women in harm’s way. Afghanistan already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. This diktat will condemn many more women and babies to death.

5) A community of sorts around Gisele Pelicot

For New Lines, Diane de Vignemont has an astonishing report from the courthouse where the trial of 51 men accused of raping Gisele Pelicot, including her former husband Dominique Pelicot, “the man who organized a decade of rape and abuse of his drugged wife in their marital bed”, has been taking place. Here is a snippet (a trigger warning for the rest of this article):

What is most extraordinary about this trial is Gisele Pelicot herself: her decision to waive anonymity and demand that the proceedings — including the video evidence of her own rapes — be made public.

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The courthouse itself has become a site of pilgrimage for women seeking catharsis and community. In line, they gather in impromptu circles where they share stories of abuse. Over the day of my visit, no fewer than seven strangers open up to me about their own rapes and experiences with the use of drugs to perpetrate sexual assaults, or chemical submission. “I can’t be the only one here who’s woken up in a strange bed with a naked man and no recollection of the previous night,” 43-year-old Julie says to us. Nods, sighs and downcast eyes ensue.

Bonus: Conflict-related sexual violence is up by 50 per cent | Comparing attacks on abortion and trans healthcare | The FT’s 25 most influential women of 2024

Thank you so much for reading. What did I miss? Tell me in the comments or by replying to this email….

See you next time.