Josephine Bartosch

Assistant Editor at The Critic Magazine (UK)

Journalist - words in Spiked, Telegraph, The Times, New Statesman, Unherd, The Spectator, 4W, Mail on Sunday & more. Assistant editor at The Critic.

Featured in: Favicon

unherd.com Favicon

thecritic.co.uk

Articles

Sanity prevails on sex

1 week ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

Yes, it’s official — women are adult human females After months of deliberation, the Supreme Court has finally answered “the woman question”: being female isn’t about paperwork or vibes. It’s biology — and yes, your sex still matters in law. Unlike on social media, emotional blackmail or cries of “you’re erasing my existence” don’t stand-up as arguments in courtrooms.
Give this word a miss

1 week ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

There’s one question that makes me growl like a premenstrual hyena: “Is it Miss or Mrs?” The implication is clear — your marital status must be divulged before we can proceed with the business of insuring your Ford Fiesta. As a proud Ms, I’m baffled as to why any self-respecting woman would comply with this archaic and sexist request. Ms — that delightfully neutral, rebellion-tinged, no-nonsense honorific — has been more constant to me than any relationship.
Verification stops predation

1 month ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

We have to keep children safe from predators on dating apps Grindr is not an app for children. It’s essentially a delivery service for gay sex — a place where men can scroll through nearby users to find hook-ups based on shared sexual interests. It might be risky, and certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s something adult men ought to be free to use. The problem is, children are on Grindr. And predators know it. Gaining access is shockingly easy.
Oxford on the spectrum

1 month ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

Why do so many bright undergraduates claim to be “neurodiverse” This article is taken from the March 2025 issue of The Critic. To get the full magazine why not subscribe? Right now we’re offering five issues for just £10. At the University of Oxford, neurodivergence isn’t just a diagnosis, it’s an upgrade. It signals you’re not merely a high achiever; you’re an oppressed high achiever.
Sanitising “sex work”

1 month ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

A real “ally” should address the severe harms of pornography and prostitution It was just a few years ago that Hollywood A-listers turned the spotlight on the casting couch, exposing the powerful men who promised careers in exchange for sex. But as last night’s Oscars showed, sexual exploitation is now back in vogue. Anora — a tragicomedy about a Brooklyn lap dancer who marries a Russian oligarch’s son — bagged five Oscars.
The NHS is letting down its nurses

2 months ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

Female staff should not have to share a changing room with men Imagine paying your subs for years, only to find that your union has opened the changing room door at your workplace to perverts. Not only that, but the shop stewards, officers and reps who promised to protect your rights as a worker have labelled you a fascist and sided with your employer. This is the reality for millions of employees across the UK — mostly women — who simply want the right to have single-sex facilities.
Describing reality is not “harassment”

2 months ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

It is absurd that women are being persecuted for defending the truth and their basic freedoms You’ve probably seen pictures of Sandie Peggie, the nurse taking on her employer at court after she was forced to share a changing room with a trans-identified male colleague. Her face has been splashed across the papers and social media, and shockingly misleading headlines have claimed that she “harassed” the trans identified doctor.
Women in the police

2 months ago | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

Emotional, hormonal, and vain. Perhaps men should be barred instead? All American beard, Matt Walsh, this week coughed up a steaming take so obnoxious and ignorant it made headlines in the mainstream press.
Women’s March madness

Jan 20, 2025 | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

The London Women’s March was hypocritical and blinkered This Saturday, barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman (she/her) found a window in her schedule of self-promotion to address the crowd at the London Women’s March. It was one of several organised in the UK “in solidarity with all oppressed women around the world”, with the gatherings apparently being sparked by the election of Donald Trump.
The delusions of “consent”

Jan 7, 2025 | thecritic.co.uk | Josephine Bartosch

We can be too willing to believe in people’s willingness Until recently, the British establishment believed that children could consent to sex. In 2001, our national broadcaster referred to the deceased pregnant 16-year-old Lucy Lowe as having been the “girlfriend” of 26-year-old Azhar Ali Mehmood. She was in fact his victim — targeted and groomed from the age of 12.