SEVs help make it ‘normal’ to see women as sex objects
In many ways, Bristol is a progressive city when it comes to gender equality. In terms of representation, three quarters of Bristol MPs are women, almost half the council (councillors and Cabinet) are women and it is also home to the only women’s commission in the UK.
But there remain some big barriers to achieving gender equality – one of which is the continued licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues (SEVs).
SEVs profit from, and contribute to, gender inequality. They create no-go areas in the city for some women. They promote unhealthy relationships between men and women; and, no matter how well run they purport to be, contribute to an overall culture which harms women.
The link between sexual violence and men’s objectification of, feelings of entitlement towards and dominance over women is well evidenced. While not all men who hold these attitudes towards women perpetrate sexual violence, all sexual violence begins with these attitudes. SEVs help make it ‘normal’ to see women as sex objects.
We need to change the attitudes and behaviours of those men and boys in order to make our city a safer, more equal place to live for all women and girls. In licensing SEVs, Bristol City Council enables more men to pay for access to women’s bodies by legitimising this form of sexual objectification.
Many men talk of being pressured into going into a strip club as part of a drunken group, a stag do, or 18th birthday party. Had the clubs not existed among the pubs and bars, they would not have sought them out. SEVs actively market themselves to encourage more men to visit. It is the supply that is driving demand.
Bristol can – and does – have a rich and varied nightlife, without the need for any SEVs. Results from the Citizens Panel survey in 2020 showed 72 per cent did not think that SEVs complement Bristol’s entertainment offer.
A nil-cap – like the ones already introduced in Exeter, Swansea, Blackpool and 10-plus London boroughs – sends a clear message to men and boys that women’s bodies do not exist for their entertainment.
It builds on the messages around respect and healthy relationships shared in schools and colleges, rather than contradicting these – which is exactly what licensing SEVs does.
Strip clubs give men access to women’s bodies by exploiting the economic instability of women. It creates a dependence on a system which stands in the way of gender inequality.
Bristol City Council should not be rubber-stamping this, but should instead support the development of quality, sustainable and flexible employment opportunities for all women across the city.
For the self-employed women who work in Bristol’s two existing SEVs, stripping is usually just one part of their income and they have other skills. It is right that those women should be supported to find work elsewhere. SEVs cannot be the answer.
It is rare that a council can take a tangible step to address the sexual objectification of women to promote gender equality, but this is one instance where it can.