Harriet Williamson

Harriet Williamson is a freelance journalist who has written for a number of publications, including The Independent, New Statesman and Buzzfeed. Follow her on twitter @harriepw

Fear and humiliation at the job centre

The lack of self-confidence among young women looking for a job in Britain, revealed in the ‘Work It Out’ report, is a phenomenon engineered by social and cultural factors.

By Harriet Williamson

/ 23 Nov 2016

Can porn be feminist? A conversation with Erika Lust

Feminist porn is sex on film showing women and men as sexual equals - that sex is something you do together, not just something that a man does to a woman

By Harriet Williamson

/ 27 Apr 2016

Can fashion’s commitment to feminism ever be more than lip service?

Feminists have long critiqued the fashion industry, which has often responded by – at best – co-opting feminism as a ‘brand’ in order to sell products. Can the two ever genuinely engage with each other?

By Harriet Williamson

/ 22 Nov 2015

Counting violence against women

Treating acts of fatal male violence as 'isolated incidents' both downplays the frequency with which women are murdered by men, and ignores the underlying dynamics of patriarchy.

By Harriet Williamson

/ 13 Nov 2015

Manic Pixies and Cool Girls: on female solidarity and the male gaze

Pop culture tropes of ‘the girl who isn’t like other girls’ might seem subversive but they reinforce old sexist ideas that women are frivolous and exist for the male gaze.

By Harriet Williamson

/ 28 Aug 2015

Misogyny and homophobia: patriarchy, gender policing, and the male gaze

Until there is gender equality, we can’t live in a world free of homophobia.

By Harriet Williamson

/ 29 Jul 2015

Reddit, Ellen Pao, and the false neutrality of ‘free speech’

It would be disingenuous to look at what happened to former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao without factoring in endemic sexism and racism. ‘Free speech’ has to mean a space where everyone is safe to speak. Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE

By Harriet Williamson

/ 17 Jul 2015

Game of trolls: on pop culture and the public voice of women

Women who write online receive far more personal attacks than their male counterparts. When women are driven out of public conversations on pop culture, it harms all of us.

By Harriet Williamson

/ 9 Jun 2015

Which British party is making the most meaningful commitment to women's issues?

As the British election approaches, political parties are trading in the discourse of ‘women’s issues’. But do any of the parties actually meaningfully address women’s rights and needs?

By Harriet Williamson

/ 27 Apr 2015

Sex education in the UK: time for a far-reaching overhaul

Sex education in British schools is failing to educate children about consent and healthy relationships, or include LGBT issues and address harmful gender stereotypes. Do the government’s new plans go far enough?

By Harriet Williamson

/ 31 Mar 2015

Not just banter: the epidemic of sexism on university campuses

‘Lad culture’ on campus is often excused as harmless, as simple bonding among male students. But it has clear links with the epidemic of sexism and sexual harassment in our universities.

By Harriet Williamson

/ 10 Mar 2015