Making Waves and the necessity of closed and open events Allies and those affected by issues are able to discuss topics better in structured environments
By: Rachel Guitman – WGEN Contributor One of the goals of Making Waves, formerly known as International Women’s Week, is to reframe conversations about gender equity to include those who are agender, transgender or gender nonconforming. These conversations are also meant to communicate the idea of activism, progress and creating inclusive spaces. The event aims to raise awareness and engagement among students about the...
The benefits of safe spaces Positive work by the McMaster Womanists helps frame conversations on race and gender
By: Emile Shen – WGEN Contributor The annual occurrence of Black History Month in the United States and Canada is something that most of us have been aware of since elementary school. Not officially recognized in Canada until 2008, it still served as an important reminder of the contributions and legacy of Black Canadians. In my memory, however, the root causes of oppression were never explained well enough when I was younger....
Women of colour and McMaster Women of colour need more representation at McMaster science events
By: Shruti Ramesh – WGEN Contributor As a woman in academic spaces, something that is too uncommon is the presence of women who look like me and whose names sound like mine. It’s not that these women aren’t out there. At McMaster alone, we have women of colour who are competitive in their fields across numerous disciplines. The caveat is that spaces meant to promote positive representation for women in academia, in politics and...
A hairy situation Whoever is without hair amongst us, let them be the first to cast the razor
Summer is approaching fast, and that means it’s either time to bring the dusty old razor out again, or leave your body hair as it is. Judgemental looks from other women or raised eyebrows from men are bound to make an appearance along with hairy legs. Women are expected to be hairless everywhere aside from the tops of their heads. It feels like the only alternative is to let everything go au natural, and be fiercely proud about it....
Single parenting It is time to give single mothers their due praise
By: Sophie Geffros I tend to view having a relationship with your biological father as being somewhat akin to owning a dishwasher. It’s nice, sure. It takes some of the work and pressure off of your primary caregiver, and a lot of people have them. But fundamentally, plenty of us grow up without them and do just fine. That said, nobody assumes you will be a criminal if you grow up without a dishwasher. In July, Republican presidential...
Praise for the stunningly ordinary Or five things we need to stop praising white guys for
I breathed a sigh of relief Sunday night. Leonardo DiCaprio has officially received his Oscar. You may have seen the deluge of memes, gifs, and video compilations all protesting his lack of Academy recognition. I have never seen the Internet collectively want something so badly. “Please God,” I said, eyes skyward, “let this be the last I hear about how mean the Academy has been to little Leo.” Don’t get me wrong, I think DiCaprio is a...
