I was delighted when the Campaign for Gender Balance asked me to help judge the first Gender Balance Blog Awards – and relieved, because the dearth of women blogging about politics has had an uncivilising effect on the internet. Too many established bloggers, unconsciously or otherwise, consider the web a perfectly egalitarian place where women suffer no discrimination and should not expect special treatment.
Unfortunately, like every other utopia, that meritocracy simply doesn’t exist. Call it an innate unwillingness to pronounce on subjects in which we don’t have a doctorate, blame it on a lack of time, point to the lack of women at the highest levels of politics – whatever the cause, and despite the best efforts of a few individuals, the political blogosphere is still dominated by men. On a few non-Liberal Democrat blogs, scepticism about female bloggers has hardened into outright misogyny.
So the judges – Jo Swinson MP, Ros Harper, Olly Grender, James Graham, Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter and me, an editor at the Guardian’s Comment is Free – are looking for entries in four categories, of which we will judge three: the best blog and blog posting by a woman Lib Dem and the best blog by a woman outside of the party. The fourth category, the people’s choice, will be chosen by you in a popular vote.
Nominations close on Friday, February 1st, and the shortlist will be published a week later. After you’ve had a chance to vote, the winners will be announced at Spring Conference in Liverpool.
If you already have a blog, tell us about it. If you don’t, why not start one now? Rarely has politics been so interesting. With a new Lib Dem leader, an embattled Prime Minister, financial turmoil and the polls going haywire, the time is ripe to weigh in. If a voice over your shoulder is whispering that you have nothing to say, then hush it. Cultivating opinions, and defending them, is the sine qua non of politics, and that’s exactly what blogging is all about. Shame we can’t call them the Orange Prizes, though.
* Ros Taylor is an editor on the Guardian’s Comment is Free website. To submit a nomination to the awards, visit the Campaign for Gender Balance website.
16 Comments
The “dearth of women blogging about politics” is a complete myth. There is a dearth of women with DEDICATED POLITICS BLOGS but that is a different thing. Unfortunately, most blog “experts” don’t want to read general interest blogs which cover childcare and music and film and sport AND politics, they want something easily categorised.
The blogosphere is much more pink than blue; you just wouldn’t know it from talking to anyone in the media.
Jennie is correct. I don’t have the stats to hand, but I’m quite sure that there are more women blogging (in total) than there are men blogging.
Pseudo-intellectual theory: women who have worked their way up in traditional media have done so by fitting in to the male-designed system. They write political polemics and fit the facts to suit their argument, in classic masculine argumentative style, where winning counts more than being right. Blogging is new, and there is no system for people to fit into. Ergo, there’s no reason why ‘women blogging about politics’ has to fit into the expectations set by ‘women writing about politics for national newspapers’. Men blogging about politics, on the other hand, tend to write much as their newspaper counterparts do.
That was probably all complete nonsense being, as it was, the first thought to pop into my head. But my underlying point is that there is quite probably more than meets the eye to this. There are lots of men writing awful politics blogs, and there’s no reason for wanting women to emulate them.
I think you’re dead on there, Rob. (dammit, must stop agreeing with people, it’ll ruin my rep
)
And DAMN YOU, LIB DEM VOICE for inspiring me to make more blog posts. I post too much as it is!
http://theyorkshergob.livejournal.com/22351.html
(not that I’m angling for a nom for best outside-the-party blog, or anything…
)
* innocent expression *
Jennie – this is all the more reason for an awards like this, the fundamental aim of which is to promote women bloggers, and one of the main reasons why we deliberately chose to have a category that was open to non-Lib Dems. Nominations are now open, so why not tell us who you think should be included?
Because I have to go to work, and probably wrestle with my ego about whether I should nominate myself…
Also, it’ll take me ages to type out a list of women bloggers I admire. I read about 300 blogs a day (via the magic of the LJ friends page) and maybe two thirds of those are women… But yes, I shall be submitting noms.
Great!
I’m afraid I find this sort of thing faintly ridiculous. I’m not sure blogging has much to do with gender. Surely the most disadvantaged in this area must be the elderly (lack of knowledge) the ‘working classes’ (lack of money) and some members of minorities (lack of confidence).
This is a comment. It would be a comment making such points as “the majority of blogs I read are written by women” and “just because women bloggers post mostly about non-parliamentary stuff doesn’t make them non-political” and “the personal is political” etc etc etc.
But given that my reading list and Jennie’s reading list is increasingly similar, and she’s said all that already, instead I’ll just note the shared brain effect again and tick the ‘notify me’ box…
Matt, as I said to Jennie: name names!
Martin: this initiative is about profile raising and encouragment not “disadvantage” – Jennie’s comments, if anything, point to the value an initiative like this for correcting a perception that the blogosphere is male-dominated. Sure, there are other “groups” we might want to encourage, but you can hardly blame the Campaign for Gender Balance for tackling the gender angle!
Anyone who hasn’t, go and read Don Liberali on this. Please. It’s not fair that I should be the only one sobbing with laughter and nursing a hurty stomach.
Alix; this is where the n00b has to ask for a link…
http://liberalimafia.blogspot.com/2007/12/who-is-best-looking-gossip-in-family.html
Don Liberali is scary scary cheif mafiosi. He is worried by the profusion of gossip awards.
I would like to nominate Jo Hayes, my personal favourite. It helps that I agree with her most of the time, and she puts her case better than I can manage for myself.
I like to read Meral Ece and of course Linda Jack – who cannot help but say exactly what she thinks, which I find refreshing! I rely on the links in Lib Dem Voice, and I am not sure there are so many links from here to female bloggers, although if the links are proportionate then fair enough.
I like Jo Christies blog as well.
Apologies if I am missing anyone, I look forward to finding out who I missed.
James, Mat, thank you *smooches*