Dear friend of Arkadia, You are warmly invited to ‘Gender, Sex, Feminism’ the first meeting of  the ‘Helsinki Feminist Group’ on Wednesday 13.7 at 6pm. Claire Röpelinen has kindly accepted to start this discussion group. Any questions or comments can be made on the ‘Helsinki Feminist Group’ event page on Facebook. Welcome! Warm regards, Ian www.arkadiabookshop.fi –Entrance is free and green tea will be offered. A donation of €2 (or more!) to fund the event is suggested and would be most welcome.‘Helsinki Feminist Group’ I would like to invite women of all ages whom have interest in gender issues and feminist thought to an evening of discussion at Arkadia International Bookshop. As this is the first meeting, the evening’s topic will be ‘Gender, Sex, Feminism’ and shall explore a small selection of literature as a starting point for our discussion. Whilst sex is used to classify what is biologically male or female, gender represents the socially constructed belief that objects, colours, professions, desires, films, appliances – practically anything and everything – is of male or female character. We have all been influenced by the social expectations of our gender since leaving the maternity ward donned in a pink or blue suit – how have gender stereotypes affected your life? The purpose of this group is to provide a casual atmosphere for both friendly discussion as well as the sharing of common experiences. Claire RöpelinenAustralian born and raised, I moved to Helsinki with my husband Lasse in 2009 and now live in Espoo with our ten month old son Leino.I completed my degree in Gender Studies and Indigenous Studies at Griffith University in Brisbane (my home town), during which I studied for a semester at the University of Helsinki’s Christina Institute. Currently I serve my days as a domestic goddess and mother, however I am still very passionate about women’s rights and women’s health issues (especially regarding Indigenous women) and look forward to doing some volunteer work in the near future. Meanwhile, I hope this group is of some use to gender students or those, like me, who can appreciate a mildly academic and hopefully amusing discussion. Any questions or comments can be made on the ‘Helsinki Feminist Group’ event page on Facebook.