cafebabel.com

Young European women on whether 'generational revolution' is possible

('Aleksandra Sygiel',) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:28:05 -0000

The word ‘Europe’ hides a myth about a young and beautiful woman (what else), who has been kidnapped and raped by the hyper-macho god Zeus. Europa transforms into a divinely rich but jobless and childish ‘kept woman’. Maybe young Europa has already come back, and can’t wait to get her dream job and make her dreams come true...

Sexist grammar: the French and German cases

('Sarah Fisher',) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:37:50 -0000

Poor adjectives need take their husband's name no more. Sort of. Whilst one French association has attacked a centuries-old 'oversight', the Germans (or at least their moderate feminists) have taken plural forms to task. In all, the debate succeeds in desexualising our common language

GPS: taking directions from a woman

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:31:01 -0000

Most satellite navigation devices predominantly use female voices – and German BMW drivers can’t cope with them. Is this sexism or science fiction?

‘Why can’t German men flirt?’ - a German man answers

('Cari19',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:47:41 -0000

A few days ago I came across an article online by a young British girl who describes her experiences with men in Germany. I often stumble across articles from women who claim Germany to be a developing nation with respect to flirting. Yet why is this the case and where are all the emancipated women?

God Save my Shoes: one French woman explains why

('Sophetta',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:08:47 -0000

Women own at least five pairs of shoes according to the debut documentary by Franco-American director Julie Benasra, which celebrates women, sexuality, shopping and shoes. Any less means you’re not a real woman

Asexual awareness week: what’s wrong with preferring cake?

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:21:47 -0000

Asexuals form a colourful and diverse community of people who don’t want sex and want their little-known sexual orientation to be acknowledged and respected, especially during a special awareness week between 23 to 29 October. After all, what’s wrong with preferring cake, which is one of the symbols they use to promote themselves?

cafebabel.com boys speak: what makes Europe’s twentysomething men happy

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:00:00 -0000

We girls probably think that macho attitudes, making money and succeeding are what make boys happy. After all, why is it so hard to get them to share on ‘happiness’? Apparently not. Winning a game, doing nothing, a tipple, the latest gadget, friends, girls - a pan-European select number of lads share what makes them smile – and why we girls are different. Vox-pop

How an Italian boy became a ‘happiness coach’

('amare.ca',) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:16:45 -0000

Born in the land of ‘la dolce vita’, Bergamo-born Frank Ra, 32, travelled Europe before publishing a book on happiness. He offers his thoughts on spiritual scepticism, being a former erasmus student or ex-pat and how ‘no place is perfect unless we accept it with all its features’

The rise of divorce parties in Europe

('Isabella',) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:15:00 -0000

Inspired by a trend from the United States, an increasing number of companies and services are being established in the UK, France and Germany. Amongst the European Union member states, divorce was not possible until 1970 in Italy, 1981 in Spain 1995 in Ireland and, most recently, 2011 in Malta

Feminist France: ‘mademoiselle’ vs 'madame'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:20:43 -0000

Is it discriminatory that women have to tick whether they are a ‘mademoiselle’ (unmarried) or a ‘madame’ (married) on administrative forms, whilst men can just put a tick next to ‘monsieur’? The feminist association Osez le feminisme says YES, and calls on women to claim their right to be ‘madame’

Catherine Hakim: women, use your erotic capital

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:02:09 -0000

Across the British media over the last few weeks, London-based sociologist Catherine Hakim argues that erotic capital is missing from the economic, cultural and social capital that we all command. The basic principle is simple: take care of your appearance! Beautiful people earn 13% more than their averagely attractive colleagues. However, this is just the beginning

Malmo, London, Berlin, Glasgow: roller girls derby in Europe

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:01:18 -0000

Cat fights on wheels? Or a sport to be taken seriously? In the run up to the first ever ‘roller derby’ world championships in Toronto in early December, the women’s team sport on wheels brought to the big screen in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut ‘Whip It’ (2009) has been steadily sweeping through Europe. To mark the film's release in Germany, a German roller girl gets on the case

Double discrimination: roma women in central and eastern Europe

('ZoeBBee',) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:30:00 -0000

Romania has recently announced plans to evict roma from the northern town of Baia Mare, in a move which could leave hundreds homeless. The move emphasises the continued urgency of the theme ‘roma women in central and eastern Europe’, discussed during the European women's lobby’s conference in Budapest on 7 April this year. The lobby aims to bring the double discrimination that roma women endure to the attention of European decision-makers. Interview with Brigitte Triems, the lobby's president

Lisbon, London: the problem with SlutWalks or Who's afraid of feminine sexuality?

('Madalina Pierseca',) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:49:55 -0000

Europe has been celebrating three months of the Canadian-exported 'SlutWalks', with the next protest against the equation 'sexy clothing does not mean slut' taking place in Lisbon on 25 June. 11 June saw the phenomenon hitting British shores

Are men dominant or dominated? View from Super France

('Madalina Pierseca',) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:39:16 -0000

With the release of the 'anti-male' documentary Masculine Domination in November 2009, the debate regarding the crisis in masculinity has flared up in the French media. But we are still far from the 'masculinist' theses which originated in America. Perspective from early 2010

Are Balkan women more promiscuous?

('Milena Stosic',) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:45:08 -0000

It's official: more women are approaching men in the dating stakes and a recent book in Serbia reveals a more liberal attitude. So is the Balkan woman moving towards a western, less conservative European model? We hear from Balkan guys and girls

Micro-penis: men on verge of a nervous breakdown

('Marta Nathansohn',) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:10:00 -0000

At a 'New Men: Really?' conference at Dusseldorf University in February, the possibility of introducing a representative for male equal opportunities at the German government level was bandied about. It seems the modern man has no certainties left - not even between his legs

Expats dating abroad? That's Brussels for you

('Claire Davenport',) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:06:48 -0000

Why in Brussels do my friends of every nationality land themselves in the most bizarrely complicated relationships? Do all men here just want sex? One woman on why fellow expats can't do steady relationships

Tips: dating success the Greek way

('cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:56:46 -0000

Dear friends from the north. You can print this out and give it a try but it’s useless. Flirting in this part of Europe is an art. It’s impossible to learn it, because southern men are born casanovas. Opinion

German standards: men in speedos vs topless women

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Summer might be over, the time when too many items of clothing are bothersome. Boys can jog around without a top, so why can’t women in their bikini tops? One woman rants

Women in politics or European calendar girls?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:15:00 -0000

Between German chancellor Angela Merkel's cleavage-unleashing campaign tactics, Czech and Italian ministers posing for calendars and the Slovakian prime minister praising female arms, what is the defining priority for Europe's female politicians - being women, or being politicians?

German clown Marenka: 'hit a woman and it's almost taboo'

('Jessie L.',) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:41:48 -0000

For seven years, the 37-year-old has acted in German-language performances throughout Europe, a trade she refined in Hannover, France and California - how does her public react to her clownish mishaps?

Spain vs EU: gender violence clash

('Elaine Jordan',) — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:52:50 -0000

The proposals are for a monitoring system and a single helpline number under the Spanish presidency of the EU. But discussions on a European protection order remain up in the air because of responsibilities across institutions

Minimum European income to fight poverty?

('James Friscia',) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:35:47 -0000

Given persistent shortcomings of minimum wage policies, legislators and organisations instead debate the merits of ‘minimum income’ to combat poverty in Europe. But it remains to be seen whether the EU parliament will force continent-wide reforms

Women's day: Femibook, testosterone and internet

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:30:00 -0000

100 years after the first international women's day was organised on 8 March in Copenhagen, a musing on where the woman's place rightfully is

The Wankin' Noodles, four boys from Rennes who sing about girls

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:09:24 -0000

Romain, Regis, Jean-Sylvain and Guillame went from being graphic design, cinema, information technology and literature students, to being backed by big names as France's latest post-teenage kicks band. Quick catch up with the twelve-eyed foursome at the Transmusicales festival in their hometown

Guide: the curiosity of Tel Aviv's dog, gay and religious beaches

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:13:30 -0000

A lowdown on the rules - or lack of - to alternately abide by at neighouring sections of the city's 14km stretch of coastline

Angie Merkel wears the trousers (and the bowl cut) in Germany

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:48:52 -0000

Mushroom hair, brightly coloured blazers – preferably lilac, lime green or salmon – and a slight east German accent, ever-ridiculed in the media. The August 2009 issue of Forbes magazine has listed ‘Angie’ – as the chancellor is fondly called by her people – the most powerful woman in the world for the fourth consecutive time. What’s the chancellor’s (low-cut) secret?

Why Turkish band Kim Ki O can't break Europe

('Clara Bergstr\xc3\xb6m',) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:45:00 -0000

The Swedish pop elite love them, but EU bureaucracy is preventing Ekin Sanac and Berna Göl from breaking Europe. In Istanbul, music is an unstable bridge between east and west. Part one of a special feature

Swedish women, the ideal woman?

('Aatish Pattni',) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Tall, dashing, blond hair and a blue-eyed stare. The list of clichés regarding Swedish women is long. Courted by men, envied by other women; how do the women in question live with these stereotypes? Part II in a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU

FrauTV, Emma: women top the media tower in Cologne

('Lindsey Evans',) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0000

Over a third of German national TV programmes are produced in Cologne. Alongside the eight channels based on the banks of the Rhine, in ‘media city’, are the offices of the young, resolutely feminist FrauTV and the militant magazine Emma

Men on British writer Charlotte Roche’s Wetlands

('Sarah Pybus',) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0000

The 31-year-old’s polarising debut novel has triggered a media avalanche in Germany, topping its Amazon bestseller list and was released in the UK in January 2009. Is Wetlands a feminist plea or pornographic trash? What do men really think about Roche’s tour de force through the ‘moist areas’ of the female body?

Women on the verge of a political equality attack

('Darren Thompson',) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:45:00 -0000

The only country that has more female than male representatives in the European parliament is the Netherlands. Estonia and Sweden follows behind with relative equality. Weekly news

Green Monica Frassoni: 'Barroso out, woman in'

('Lydia Bigos',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:56:43 -0000

The leader of the European green party is tired of the current head of the European commission: the time has come for a woman to take charge

Lívia Járóka: female, Roma and Euro MP

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:33:52 -0000

The first female Roma member of the European parliament takes stock of her first term in office and announces that she will run in this year’s European elections in June. We talk women, Roma statistics and the EU institutions

Spotlight on fighting prostitution in Strasbourg

('Francesca Reinhardt',) — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:00 -0000

In the last year, the picturesque city of Strasbourg has become known as the red light district of Alsace, a veritable European capital of prostitution. Is Strasbourg really a big brothel, where locals and EU officials indulge their peccadilloes?

Spain, crisis and the difference between equality and parity

('Lydia Bigos',) — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:51:50 -0000

For the first time in the economic crisis, men are proportionally losing jobs faster than women are. Is it a victory for the latter? It’s a long road to equality – or should we say, to parity?

'Immigrants take bread from our mouths': racism adapts to the 20th century

('Kate Stansfield',) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Discrimination has modernised to become more subtle and respond to the politically correct parameters that have spread throughout society

Verena Gerlach: 'font design is a very white male heterosexual field'

('Soili Semkina',) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:01:13 -0000

Berlin is the inspiration behind the German font designer’s creations, so we meet the 38-year-old there. We talk type, women, men and originality

Gender equality: smile, 69% of European parliament and 63% of EU commissioners are men

('50-50 Campaign for Democracy',) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:46:57 -0000

After the European elections in June 2009, Europe will be posing for a new family portrait. Will just as many women as men be in the snapshot? To raise awareness, the ‘50/50 campaign for democracy’ is brought to you by the European women’s lobby

Zita Gurmai: 'Women in Europe work around 54 more days than men'

('Erin Woycik',) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:15:00 -0000

The socialist, 43, demands feminism from European leaders. While she renews her candidacy for the European parliament, she dreams of seeing Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the socialist president, as president of the European commission, after Jose Manuel Durao Barroso's term is up

EU structural and cohesion funds: lots of dosh for equality

('Sarah Pybus',) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:36:30 -0000

Intended to reduce the economic and social differences between member states, the invested monies constitute the EU’s second largest item of expenditure. Plus videos

Lucia Etxebarria: ‘it's a threat if women sell more books than men’

('Akli Hadid',) — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:31:55 -0000

The Spanish sex, drugs and rock’n’roll writer, 41, juggles motherhood and feminist ideals in her literature, and explains why she is sometimes categorised as a lesbian or 'at best, emasculator'

Cinema: Persepolis hits the UK

('Jens Wiesner',) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Released on 25 April in an English-dubbed version, a review of Franco-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi's Oscar-nominated animation of a girl displaced in Vienna

Music: Portishead, Hooverphonic and the Lo Fat Orchestra

('Sandra Wickert',) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Where do these bands get their names from? We sweep the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and France for our monthly music pick this April

Putin did not pull a Sarkozy love story

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

On 21 April, ‘Moskovsky Korrespondent’ apologised after reporting that Putin was to marry athlete Alina Kabaeva, 24. A look back at a story he termed as ‘snotty noses and erotic fantasies’

Go, women architects

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Female architects are suffering from social historical invisibility. Creating more gender-based networks can raise awareness about gender inequality and social recognition

Eyewitness: Tibet out of control

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

As the tension between the Tibetan monks versus Chinese control escalates, we hear a 25-year-old Swiss tourist's version of events after a week in the capital, Lhasa

Estelle Swaray: 'the singlest woman alive'

('Titus Aguigah',) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Why the British rapper, hip hop singer and producer, 28, swapped London, its boys and the UK music industry for Brooklyn's cabbies, leading to ‘an unexpected duet’ with American rapper Kanye West

12:08 - East of Pristina

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

In the Serb enclave of Gracanica, young people are becoming aware that a good future involves teenage crushes, good friends and weekends