Editor's note

In so many ways Oscars 2019 was diverse: Green Book won best picture, Spike Lee was honoured for best adapted screenplay for BlacKkKlansman, Olivia Colman won best actress for her portrayal of a lesbian Queen Anne in The Favourite and Rami Malek best actor for his portrayal of gay pop icon Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. But when it came to best director, once again women didn’t get a look in. Only five times in the Oscars’ 91 years has a woman been nominated and only once has a female director won the award. As Claire Jenkins writes, Hollywood has a poor record when it comes to recognising its talented female film-makers.

Hyenas never get the star billing in nature documentaries. Instead they usually play the role of the bad guy, scavenging in screeching packs, stealing food from a hungry lioness. But they deserve respect too, says Richard Yarnell. Hyenas are highly effective hunters in their own right – fast and strong, with a solid understanding of the value of teamwork and social bonding.

Childhood these days is seen by many parents to be fraught with danger, and ideas about good parenting often emphasise knowing where children are and keeping them safe. But Rob Creasy and Fiona Corby say a childhood characterised by supervision and surveillance along with a lack of any real challenges, is actually highly damaging to children – and could even be contributing to the rise in mental health problems.

Honda was last week the latest in a long line of big businesses to announce a factory closure in the UK. The town in question this time is Swindon but, as Patrick McGurk and Richard Meredith explain, Britain has been here before. Until regional authorities are given real teeth and truly represent the people, they argue, there is little to protect people from the job losses that come with these kinds of announcements.

Asylum seekers waiting for an answer from the British Home Office about their asylum claim are not allowed to work – unless they’ve been made to wait for more than a year. But this policy is forcing many into destitution. Two bills currently before parliament offer a chance to change that. Alex Powell explains why the current work ban is so damaging.

Jonathan Este

Associate Editor, Arts + Culture Editor

Top stories

Oscars 2019: Olivia Colman wins best actress, but yet again Hollywood shows it thinks film-making is a man thing

Claire Jenkins, University of Leicester

In 91 years, only five women have been nominated as best director and only one has won the award.

Shutterstock

In defence of hyenas – they’re not just scavengers

Richard Yarnell, Nottingham Trent University

Revealed: spotted hyaena are actually excellent hunters in their own right.

shutterstock

Helicopter parents: the real reason British teenagers are so unhappy

Rob Creasy, York St John University; Fiona Corby, Teesside University

Children’s lives are being stifled. No longer are they able to spend time with friends unsupervised, explore their community or hang around in groups without being viewed with suspicion.

Jobs on the line. Barry Batchelor/PA Wire/PA Images

Honda: why Swindon, like so much of England, is powerless to fight factory closures

Patrick McGurk, Queen Mary University of London; Richard Meredith, University of Greenwich

Regional authorities require real teeth to protect their towns from big shocks like factory closures.

Ready to get to work. wavebreakmedia/ Shutterstock

Work ban forces asylum seekers into destitution – but we now have a chance to change this policy

Alex Powell, City, University of London

Two bills currently before the British parliament seek to reduce the 12 month ban on asylum seekers from working.

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