[Bobbyd14]

This may be controversial as I realise that Race for Life is a well meaning, fun event but does anyone else think that it is quite seriously sexist? If it was men only there would be uproar but apparently being women only is acceptable?? My point is that both sexes suffer from cancer and both sexes are affected by cancer so why can only one sex support this initiative? As someone who has suffered from Prostate Cancer and who has been touched by a relative with Breast Cancer I would like to take part in such an event. It seems to me that the organisers are simply turning away fund raisers by excluding 50% of the population.

 

[LEECE]

Hi Bobby

The Bobby Moore 5k is just for men why dont you look out for a race near you

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/bobbymoorefund/getinvolved/running/runformoore/?version=1

Its all with the same charity organisers as Race for life.

Check it out.

 

[JBBury]

I agree. I just think charities should be trying to raise as much money possible, and having a women's only event serves to reduce the funds and alienates a lot of people.

 

[Scarbib_jack]

I would take part in this also but I also have testicles.

There isnt a Bobby Moore race within 300 miles of me, but there is a dozen Race for life ones.

 

[Bobbyd14]

They do a men only one as well? What's the point? Why not combine them and raise more money? And why does the mens event get less publicity?

It seems to me that charities should be concentrating on raising as much money as possible as this does not do so. But this subject is very close to my heart as I am still disgusted with how little coverage and education there is on the topic of Prostate Cancer - once again us men are deemed less important.

 

[Scarbib_jack]

They do a men only one as well? What's the point? Why not combine them and raise more money? And why does the mens event get less publicity?

It seems to me that charities should be concentrating on raising as much money as possible as this does not do so. But this subject is very close to my heart as I am still disgusted with how little coverage and education there is on the topic of Prostate Cancer - once again us men are deemed less important.

Im a bloke and i have a better understanding of breast cancer and the hormanal reasons for it....than i do about prostate cancer. I dont even have anyone in my family etc who has had this problem. This highlights your point above mate.

I best smarten up!

 

[bagpuddycat]

I don't understand it at all, and I've just participated in one. It's about all cancer, not even about women-specific cancers, so why on earth is it women-only?

Reading the back-signs of the women there, an enormous number of them (myself included) were doing it for/because of a male relative or friend.

I simply don't get it and I'd much prefer it to be an event where everyone was welcome to join in.

 

[Bobbyd14]

Exactly my point. I don't mean to get on my high horse here but it really does seem that men are deemed as second class citizens when it comes to cancer education. And it's not just men - in the same way that men need educating about breast cancer (and indeed can suffer from it) as relatives may well suffer it at some stage, women also need the same education about prostate cancer. Check out the figures on the number of sufferers and it's frightening how little coverage it gets.

The sexist nature of Race for Life just goes to prove this theory - as stated above there is a men only event too but seriously who has actually heard of it or seen it all over TV in the way the women's event is? The event website states that it is women only at the request of their participants - I personally find this a little hard to believe but maybe some of the ladies on here agree or disagree? I'm intrigued.

 

[bagpuddycat]

The event website states that it is women only at the request of their participants - I personally find this a little hard to believe but maybe some of the ladies on here agree or disagree?

Well, they didn't ask me!

Maybe I should just tell them what I think and not wait to be asked...

 

[Bobbyd14]

Thank you Bagpuddycat that was the sort of reaction I was expecting.

This thread is not intended to have a go at women at all, quite the opposite - I am just questioning the organisers of these events as it seems women agree with me. Personally, through my experiences and because of my views on this subject I now run every race for a different, well known cancer charity. I think Cancer Research UK may find that is the same for a lot of men!

 

[roadrunnerrob]

I think it is probably because a woman somewhere, had the drive and determination to get something like this going and put in a hell of a lot of work to make it all happen. Would yet another mixed gender charity race have had such a huge amount of publicity and entrants? I expect there are plenty of women who feel a lot more comfortable running with just women?

My mum has cancer at the moment, I had thought of entering by pushing her around in her wheelchair but wondered if I would be set upon by a mob of baying women for turning up with testosterone in my bloodstream I will see if there is a BM run near me in future.

I do agree it would be nice to be able to enter, and would perhaps have been good to have 2 races for life, one for men and one for women...

Perhaps somewhere there is a bloke with the vision and drive to get something on an equal scale organised just for men.

let's get cracking

 

[Scarbib_jack]

Whats the reason for It being a women only race?

Possibly as allot of women wouldnt be comfy running along side men for whatever reason....possibly encourages more women to take part.

Fair enough i say, but they should hold a mens race on ALL the same tracks as the women.

 

[dimple]

Well I did the race for life, it was quite nice all the girls together actually, getting away from our kitchen sinks

 

[Steve]

getting away from our kitchen sinks

...I trust the washing up still had to be done when you got in!

 

[dimple]

You know you're right, and I wasn't bloody pleased either

 

[Bobbyd14]

Just seems odd to me that a CHARITY feels it can afford to exclude 50% of the population. Race for Life raises a huge amount of money for a good cause, I'll never deny that, but every year I can't help wondering if they could have raised double that figure if they'd allowed men?

 

[Steve]

Faith in Man retained then!!

 

[Revenged]

But this subject is very close to my heart as I am still disgusted with how little coverage and education there is on the topic of Prostate Cancer - once again us men are deemed less important.

Yes, I agree with you here...

But I think blaming race for life for being 'sexist' is completely wrong...

In the end of the day the money goes for cancer research UK, which is a charity that finanes all cancers so it doesn't matter that it is women only...

I'm sure a lot of women don't feel comfortable running with men...

The real issue here is that most of the money is raised for 'fashionable' cancer charities...

E.g. Women's cancer's (Breast cancer / ovarian cancer) and lukaemias get most of the research money, however, lung cancer, prostate and colon cancer charities are not heard of and get practically nothing...

These are very significant cancers... Lung cancer, for example, has by far the highest mortality rate for a given cancer as the majority of people (~90%) will die from it...

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/mortality/?a=5441

Colon cancer and prostate cancer is fundamentally a problem with screening (in my opinion) and not with money...

We have had national mammography and smear tests programs for women cancer's (breast and cervical) for decades... And it works - dying from cervical cancer is vertually unheard of now...

However, there is no prostate cancer screening and colon screening only came out a couple of years ago but probably 30 years too late... It is pretty shocking that this is the case considering the lives this could save... Just look at the national statistics - colon cancer and prostate cancer, despite having signficantly lower incidence in the population compared to breast cancer, they have the same or higher mortality rates !...

The truth of the matter with cancer is still that if the cancer isn't removed surgically then it will kill you... Only a very small minority of cancers (testicular cancer and lukaemia) have had signficant cure rates with chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone... Most treatment is to prolong life... If you have inoperatable cancers then the chance of a cure is next to none... The reason that breast cancer death rates have dropped is primarily due to screening programs and by rapid access to surgeons i.e. by reforms within the health system and not by people raising money for charities... Much of the recent research money in latest years has been thrown into expensive monoclonal antibody anti-cancer treatments... You here about these things in the news (e.g. Herceptin) but they have been next to useless clinically... Throwing money at anti-cancer charities may make people feel good but as to the good it actually does in reality, this is debatable...

 

[bagpuddycat]

A slight aside, but I noticed that in this week's Marketing magazine, the Prostate Cancer charity* are advertising for a Marketing Director*, so maybe awareness will start to improve.

* Forgive me if I've got the precise names and titles wrong - there were no jobs I was interested in so I didn't bring it home!

 

[JBBury]

I am going to add another dimension (possibly controversial) to this discussion. I have personally stopped supporting Cancer Research UK because I despise their tactics for fundraising. They hire these aggressive young people to hang out in Edinburgh and harass people to set up a direct debit donation to the charity. I don't mind direct debits for donation per se, but they refuse to accept cash. I personally do not want to set up a direct debit, but would be more than happy to give a few quid once in a while, but they refuse it. This is a charity that will not accept you throwing cash at their representatives, but hire people who will give you s**t if you don't spend 10 minutes setting up a direct debit with them. The final straw was when my friend was confronted by one of these people and politely declined, and the guy shouted "It's for cancer you know. It's really serious", making out like she didn't care. As she had been fighting breast cancer herself for a year, this was extremely upsetting. Until they stop these aggressive tactics and accept cash donations, I will not support any of their work.