Woman's Place UK

Violence against women and sex discrimination still exist. Women need reserved places, separate spaces and distinct services.

A Woman’s Place is (not) in prison

27th October 2021

View event details »

WPUK Mythbusters – A response to the IRR and others

There have been several articles and comments published recently, including one by the Institute...

View article »

The Political Erasure of Sex

We are delighted to be supporting this important new work by Jane Clare Jones....

View article »

Our manifesto

Woman’s Place UK is a group of women from a range of backgrounds who are united by our belief that women’s hard-won rights must be defended.

Women face entrenched and endemic structural inequality. This is reflected, for example, in the high levels of sexual harassment and violence against women and girls, the 'gender' pay gap, and discrimination at work.

This is why sex is a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. We believe it must be defended.

Read the manifesto »

Bec Wonders artwork

Latest from the blog

View all »

Quick links

Subscribe

Receive regular news updates and event announcements.

By subscribing you are agreeing to our privacy policy.

Recent videos

View all »

Joint meeting of Woman's Place UK and the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Cátia Freitas closed the meeting on behalf of Woman's Place UK. She is a community and union activist. She is @Mocha_Soul on twitter where she gives a valuable online voice on women's rights understood in the complex contexts of working class politics, internationalism and race. She is on the editorial board of the feminist quarterly The Radical Notion. http://theradicalnotion.org http://crimeandjustice.org.uk http://womansplaceuk.org About this event The ruling handed down by the High Court in FDJ v Secretary of State for Justice shows that UK law does not work for women. In dismissing the claim by a woman prisoner who had suffered a sexual assault by a male prisoner whilst in a women’s prison, the judges have exposed the failings of the UK criminal justice system and its blatant disregard for women’s rights, safety, privacy and dignity. This meeting discussed the neglect of women's needs and inherent sexism in the penal system, of which the callous disregard for women being locked up with male prisoners is just one facet, connected to others. We looked at the solutions and the need to get women out of prisons (a system designed around the containment of men) by providing better, more therapeutic, sex-specific services and approaches.
A Woman's Place is NOT in prison: Cátia Freitas (London, 27 October 2021)
YouTube Video UCzFqsUqDzyXEQMJVy42NwUw_GiNNou8hugc
Joint meeting of Woman's Place UK and the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Rosie Duffield has been Member of Parliament for Canterbury since 2017, when she became the first Labour parliamentary representative of the constituency in its hundred year history. She was chosen as one of the first Labour women for the Jo Cox ‘Women in Leadership’ scheme in 2016 and has worked with and campaigned for the WASPI women and 50:50 Parliament. She has been on the Women and Equalities Select Committee and is Chair of the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party. https://www.rosieduffieldmp.co.uk http://crimeandjustice.org.uk http://womansplaceuk.org About this event The ruling handed down by the High Court in FDJ v Secretary of State for Justice shows that UK law does not work for women. In dismissing the claim by a woman prisoner who had suffered a sexual assault by a male prisoner whilst in a women’s prison, the judges have exposed the failings of the UK criminal justice system and its blatant disregard for women’s rights, safety, privacy and dignity. This meeting discussed the neglect of women's needs and inherent sexism in the penal system, of which the callous disregard for women being locked up with male prisoners is just one facet, connected to others. We looked at the solutions and the need to get women out of prisons (a system designed around the containment of men) by providing better, more therapeutic, sex-specific services and approaches.
A Woman's Place is NOT in prison: Rosie Duffield MP (London, 27 October 2021)
YouTube Video UCzFqsUqDzyXEQMJVy42NwUw_X5BPzAtwWGs
Joint meeting of Woman's Place UK and the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Jo Phoenix is Professor of Criminology at The Open University and the co-founder of The Open University Gender Critical Research Network. She sits on the Howard League’s Research Advisory Group and is a Trustee for The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. Her research interests include sex, gender, sexualities & justice, youth justice & punishment, the production of criminological knowledge, academic freedom and research ethics. She is currently working on two projects: writing a recent history of youth justice practice & researching issues relating to sex & gender in the context of female prisons. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/harassed-silenced-for-my-gender-critical-views/ https://jophoenix.substack.com http://crimeandjustice.org.uk http://womansplaceuk.org About this event The ruling handed down by the High Court in FDJ v Secretary of State for Justice shows that UK law does not work for women. In dismissing the claim by a woman prisoner who had suffered a sexual assault by a male prisoner whilst in a women’s prison, the judges have exposed the failings of the UK criminal justice system and its blatant disregard for women’s rights, safety, privacy and dignity. This meeting discussed the neglect of women's needs and inherent sexism in the penal system, of which the callous disregard for women being locked up with male prisoners is just one facet, connected to others. We also looked at the solutions and the need to get women out of prisons (a system designed around the containment of men) by providing better, more therapeutic, sex-specific services and approaches. Transgender prison policy: Women prisoners speak out We have posted on our website a collection of previously published statements which were shared with the audience at the meeting to ensure the voices of women prisoners were heard. They express a range of views on the accommodation of male transgender prisoners in the female prison estate. These women have been living with the consequences of current prison policy, which includes the housing of male sex offenders in women’s prisons, day-to-day. This is their lived reality, and we believe it is absolutely vital that their voices are heard. You can read them here https://womansplaceuk.org/2021/11/04/transgender-prison-policy-women-prisoners-speak-out/
A Woman's Place is NOT in prison: Jo Phoenix (London, 27 October 2021)
YouTube Video UCzFqsUqDzyXEQMJVy42NwUw_HpJUjnRV3xQ