The annual discourse of International Men’s Day once again illuminated us on November 19th with its heady mix of sexism and bad-faith politics. It’s a meme rather than a day of dutiful political activism. You only need to glance at…
There are only 174 statues in the UK that depict female figures. When we compare this to the 828 statues of memorialised men, a clear disparity between our monuments and a distinct indication of Britain’s misogynistic history emerges, even to…
Ben Wheatley’s new Netflix adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca has been pretty poorly received. With a score of just 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems that not many people particularly liked the film. A review in The…
This piece is part of a series from Backbench exploring the US 2020 presidential election. To have your say and share your opinions on this defining moment for the US, email your pitches and articles to editor@bbench.co.uk. On 27th October,…
Like many people, I am dismayed at the verdict of manslaughter that has been delivered in the case of Timothy Brehmer, a police officer who killed Claire Parry. Parry was killed after sending a text to Brehmer’s wife from his…
With the coronavirus pandemic requiring everyone to stay at home, more and more of us are having to adapt to working online. Whilst sites such as Zoom and LoopUp have seen a surge in usage over the past few months,…
Recent headlines warning that nurseries face ‘mass closures’ as a result of the coronavirus pandemic should be a cause for concern for society at large. Regardless of whether an individual has nursery-age children, the current existential threat to the early-years…
You’ve probably seen news splashed across your timelines about what the UN has named the ‘shadow pandemic’. Calls to Refuge’s domestic abuse helplines have increased by 49%. There were 4,000 domestic abuse arrests just in London in the first six weeks of lockdown. And…
There was much initial confusion surrounding government policy on abortion as the nation edged toward the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdown. On March 31st, however, it was confirmed that women would be permitted to take both medical abortion pills at home (the…