‘Disabled people are practically non-existent in mainstream media. Now imagine how underrepresented Black and non-Black, women, femmes or non-binary people with disabilities are,’ the pair explain. Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2018/12/11/meet-triple-cripples-black-disabled-women-fighting-three-layers-oppression-8231398/?ito=cbshare Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/

as the feminist movement grows in strength, men – good, bad and everything in-between – seem to be vacating the conversation. Open and frank conversations with and between men, where they can express their point of view but also hear another point of view that might make them reconsider their position, are crucial.

New female characters, described by show bosses as ‘strong girl characters’, include Isla, an Australian flying medical plane, Noor Jehan, a royal express engine from India and a Hong-Mei, a number one blue tank engine from China. Asylum seekers 'drifted in English Channel for two days' before they were rescued Even the Fat Controller has a new female counterpart in the form of railway controller Charubala, from India. The changes were made to represent the female viewership of the series, which is thought to be more than 40%, and send a strong message of gender equality to the young audience.

Dame Gillian Morgan, a trained doctor and scientist, was on a recent flight when she saw stewardesses handing out stickers to the children on-board. Problem was, all the little boys had been given stickers that said "Future Pilot" while all the girls had ones that said "Future Cabin Crew". As she described it, ‘The stickers were gender neutral but it’s the way that they were handed out that makes it complicated. It happens implicitly all the time. The boys can have the Lego, the space rocket going to the moon, and the girls can have a little pony. We desperately need more women to do science, maths and engineering but little things like this take us backwards by providing restricting roles.'

The garment industry is overwhelmingly populated by women. Around 80% of garment workers worldwide are female, and bosses engage in discriminatory hiring practices in order to keep it this way. Women are desirable due to sexist stereotypes that paint them as more flexible and less likely to rock the boat. Women are routinely harassed and subjected to abuse, and the domestic responsibilities that are also heaped upon them mean that they are simply left with no time to organise, unionise or demand better treatment.

The concept of queen bee syndrome first came to light in the 1970s. A 1974 study found that women who were successful in male-dominated industries were sometimes capable of hindering the progress of other women in the workplace. Used to describe both real-life and fictional characters from former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly, the term is decidedly derogatory and at odds with today’s female empowerment, supportive atmosphere.

‘I have decided to stand with my little cousin and show him that a man can love whatever he wants and not be afraid to express that love,’ David wrote on Facebook. ‘I’ve told anyone who asked the story behind my lunchbox and to a person, they all stand with Ryker too. ‘There’s no one way to be a man. Men can be colourful. Men can be expressive. Men can be emotional and silly and gleeful. ‘I love my new lunchbox and I hope Ryker and all the other boys out there can see that their passion and self-expression is never something to be ashamed of.’

She says that the term ‘single mum’ is an offensive one. ‘It implies the woman’s been abandoned and I personally don’t know any women who have been walked out on – they’ve chosen to be single. ‘Single mum, childless woman – talking about women in the context of their childrearing and in relation to men is so outdated.’