FEMINIST writer Clementine Ford says it’s casual sexism that lays the foundation for misogyny and violence against women within the community.
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Ford will be in Warrnambool tonight for the International Women’s Day (IWD) gala dinner.
“Casual sexism is a huge issue,” she said.
“People think it doesn’t matter as much. If there is a sexist joke and someone says they’re offended then they’re just too wound up or can’t relax.”
Ford said violence against women needed to be viewed as part of a continuum and not a series of unrelated events.
She said family violence was able to proliferate because sexist attitudes continued within the community.
“People don’t see the connection between a boy joking about a slut or a bitch and the link to violence against women,” she said. “They’ll say it’s boys being boys.”
She said there was no appreciation for the fact that women move through the world being told they’re inferior and their status is worth less than men.
Ford is a freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker on feminism, popular culture and social issues.
She has been a writer with the website Daily Life since 2012.
“I started writing and refused to stop until people paid attention,” she said.
She said she was often the victim of trolls on social media and it was something which she found exhausting.
She said her response to it could range from ignoring it to pillorying them in public.
“I remind myself that they spend a lot more time thinking about me than I do about them,” she said.
Ford said she hoped those who attend tonight would be invigorated given International Women’s Day was a celebration to recognise the struggle that women had fought for.
“It’s a chance to acknowledge that women have fought and died for this, that women continue to fight and for the women to come who will fight,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to visiting Warrnambool and being welcomed into the community.”
The dinner has been organised by the Warrnambool International Women’s Day Alliance.
Held every March 8, IWD celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women, past and present.
The night will include the ‘Unsung Awards’ which will be presented to two Warrnambool women who have made significant contributions to the community with little recognition.