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New Feminists On the Block

Feminism is alive and kicking with the launch of the Wellington Young Feminists’ Collective. The Collective is a social group open to anyone interested in feminism, and the launch will be celebrated with an open event at Good Luck bar on Friday 15 April the event will feature live music, DJs and cupcakes.

The Collective started to form in late 2010 when founder Nicole Skews noticed more people in Wellington becoming interested in feminism.

“Despite the fact that some people feel feminist battles have been won, many are starting to notice that gender inequities are still present, they’re just so socially ingrained that many people don’t notice how often they negatively impact women,” Skews says.

Primarily a social group, the Collective has a busy Facebook page and website, where members discuss and share links on feminist initiatives and current events. The group also recently raised money for the victims of the hate crime against Blooming Bulbs in Mangawhai and the Christchurch Women’s Refuge. The Collective will also be starting a Wellington chapter of Hollaback, an international website aimed at combating street harassment.

“First and foremost we are a social group of diverse fun people with similar interests, but we are also interested in facilitating learning and relevant activism,” Skews says. “Our launch is the first of many events aimed at having fun, turning negative stereotypes about feminism around, and creating positive social change.”

Skews says some of the issues which have seen a resurgence in feminism include the fact that one in four women will experience sexual assault (and will likely be exposed to victim-blaming), over-representation of women in low paid jobs, sub-standard maternity leave, reproductive health rights, and gendered double-standards of appearance and behaviour.

The Collective organises and publicises events via Facebook, and encourages anyone interested in learning about feminism to join.

ENDS

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