On the eve of International Women’s Day, it ill behoves a feminist to criticise women who’re organising for change for women. But brace yourself: in an unsisterly (unsororal?) way, as I’m about to do just that.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Oxford International Women’s Collective, who organise the annual International Women’s Festival. Made it to a few events a couple of years ago, but was always glad that even though I don’t organise for feminism in Oxford, preferring to concentrate on other causes, someone was.

So it was with dismay I came across the programme for this year’s festival (edited highlights):

Festival Procession Launch Marching for the Environment - Standing Up for Our Futures
Textiles for Peace Workshop
Tread Gently on the Earth - International Evening
Straw Bales – Building A Sustainable Future Does Not Cost The Earth
Five Rhythm Dance-Celebrating Women’s Mental Health
The “Sacred” Feminine: Sustaining the Earth
Music Changes Women’s Lives
The Feminine Call to Nature – A spiritual Perspective on the inner and Outer Environment
Women as Guardians of the Environment
Oneness of a Person and their Environment - Women with Impact
Another Inconvenient Truth: The adverse effect of animal foods on the environment
Wearing Women’s Wilderness - Kismet: Green Things Growing

To be fair to the organisers, there are some pointful events: a discussion of women and globalisation, a Palestinian woman speaker, and a women’s studies open afternoon at Ruskin - and a couple of feisty-looking social events. That’s about it. But does anyone else read programmes of fringe enviro-nonsense about the sodding sacred feminine and think, WHAT ABOUT FIGHTING FOR EQUAL PAY?! We’ve not solved domestic violence, trafficking, prostitution, gender segregation, women’s poverty pay, the motherhood penalty, decent pensions for women - and we’ve got time to dance in circles and wear our wilderness?!

PS: To add insult to injury, the city council, which is about to withdraw funding from the Dovecote Family centre and Blackbird Leys IT hub, puts money into this rubbish. And I should say that I was asked to organise an event on Rose Hill, and declined.