Re: @gnasher729 - Define gender!
Yes, the Equalities Act 2010 avoids favouring any protected groups above any others. Still, perhaps you've forgotten this: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11670138/Why-are-our-universities-blocking-mens-societies.html
Sex is a single protected characteristic within the Equality Act, covering both male and female discrimination and harassment at the same time. Favouring one over the other is impossible since they are covered by the same clause. You seem a bit rusty of the ten year old that provides the basis for non-discrimination in the UK, despite trying to give the impression you are Mr Equality (and failing).
And if you think a 2015 article (by Martin Daubney) about how a Uni wouldn’t allow a Men’s Society to be created is the pinnacle of sexism, then you have lead a very sheltered life. How lucky you are.
But since I raised gender bias in the law, let's return to that.
Gender is not protected by law, as I have already mentioned. And sex is almost certainly what you really mean. Sex, biological sex, is something we cannot change and is the reason for a great deal of discrimination in life (back to the reason why the Equality Act protects sex and not gender). I know, it is difficult to keep up.
Are you going to pretend that women can't commit violent acts just as bad as men? There have been female mass murderers, women have tortured people, women stab people. Perhaps you missed the farcical sentencing of Lavinia Woodward, or maybe you agree with the judge that women should be allowed to stab other women without censure: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/eve-hewitson-cross-best-friend-stabbing-preston-170630451.html
You don’t get to make claims about things I never said. I’m sure some women can be equally violent, but they are unusual. Because women *can* do this it doesn’t mean they do it as frequently as men, and this really isn’t up for debate because it’s a matter of often recorded fact. Of a current UK prison population of about 80,000, about 3,400 are women, a figure that hasn’t significantly changed in a long time. There have been about 18 female serial killers since the beginning of the 19th Century, and about 60 male serial killers (and I’m not going to get into the total number of deaths because we all who would “win” that one). You seem to like to pull out single examples of cases that will prove your point without the ability to look at the bigger picture. Perhaps you are struggling to make your case otherwise?
There are more men in prison with mental health issues in prison than women in prison. Not women with mental health issues, women. Full stop.
No shit, Sherlock. So you agree that there is a large disparity in the number of men in prison compared with women, despite also claiming women carry out the same sort of crimes in the same quantity? And pointing out the obvious that there are more male prisoners with mental health problems (from a population of 80,000) that women prisoners (3,400) doesn’t actually mean much, does it. If you bothered to look at the stats from the MoJ (2013) you’ll see that the proportion of female prisoners with mental health is reported to be higher than in male prisoners.
No, not a change in sentencing, just some basic equality in how the law is applied, and indeed, in the law not being fucking gendered. Have you seen the efforts by certain MPs to make the latest domestic violence bill explicitly gendered?
Again, gender has no basis in law, you mean sex. And that is why you should be more familiar with the Equality Act if you reckon men are so hard done by.
(So, rape by a woman is now possible) It always was. Women demanded that the legal definition of rape be changed so that only men could be legally charged with rape, but women are capable of (and do) commit serious sexual assault, and I assure you that's no less serious or impactful on the victim than rape. Separating the two is an explicit gender divide in law that allows certain people to demand resources go into rape prevention, while hiding entirely the sexual abuses caused by women.
Rape is different, in law, to sexual assault. In law (the Sexual Offences Act 2003) rape is penetration by a penis so women cannot rape (and this was also true in the previous 1956 Act, so please don't claim otherwise). Penetration by anything else without consent is a sexual assault (which women can be convicted of), but again, the statistics are not comparable between men and women. There is no gender divide, it’s a biological sex divide because women do not have penises, I don’t think I should have to be the one to break this to you. And you are also assuming that rape is by a man on a woman, you seem to be overlooking rape of a man. Rather sexist of you, don’t you think? And if you don’t like how the funding (by charities) is focussed, then get out protesting and campaigning for male victims of rape, like women had to do.
Are you for or against such gender equality?
I think I have made it very clear I am for sexual equality. The social construct of gender is rarely helpful in society, and men suffer from these stereotypes as much as women. The “moody silent” stereotype of man, unable to talk to his friends with problems (or get counselling for mental health problems that can contribute to the significantly higher suicide rate), the “get drunk and solve problems with fists” stereotype helps to keep the incarceration rates so high for me, the “can’t become a teacher because you may be accused of being a paedophile” concern is keeping male teachers from providing male role models to our children. If you want a rant about gender I think this is where you should be looking. You seem to be rather keen to blame women for being equally violent (despite this not being proven by the statistics) and getting a softer time. You are keen to highlight individuals cases but are unable to see the bigger picture. You also seem more keen to rant at me than do anything about changing any inequalities in society.