A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a progressive UK think-tank, has called for greater recognition of the caring responsibilities of older women as they increasingly look after their grandchildren and elderly parents. The report’s authors, Dalia Ben-Galim and Amna Silim, argue that balancing care responsibilities and work is becoming increasingly difficult for…
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Sydney University magazine censored for controversial vagina cover The latest edition of Sydney University’s student-run magazine, Honi Soit, has been pulled from campus shelves as its front cover, which features uncensored photos of students’ vaginas, has been deemed a criminal offence. According to a statement on the magazine’s Facebook page, the cover was intended as…
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A study from the US has suggested labour-inducing drugs are linked to autism later in life. But researchers have stressed that the link is not definitive; speeding up a birth does not in itself lead to the developmental disorder. Dr Simon Gregory, of Duke University, and colleagues, report their findings in the journal JAMA Pediatrics….
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Tony Abbott has continued into a third day of cringe-inducing foot-in-mouth, referring to same-sex marriage as ‘the fashion of the moment.’ In an interview with John Laws, Abbott spoke about his personal conviction that marriage is between a man and a woman. ‘I know where I stand on this. I respect the views of people…
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The Italian parliament has adopted a draft bill to tackle violence against women, prompted by increasing rates of ‘femicide’ in the country. A number of femicides in the media, namely the murder of 16-year-old Fabiana Luzzi who was stabbed and burned alive in May, and pleas by the United Nations to tackle the issue have…
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In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, an anti-Hillary Clinton group called The Hillary Project has featured on its website a game in which people are encouraged to deliver a virtual slap across the face to an animated image of Hillary Clinton. Alongside another game called Dancing Hillary, SlapHillary allows the user to…
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Professional networking site LinkedIn has been forced to reverse its decision to block images of female engineers posted by engineering company TopTal. TopTal CEO Taso Du Val wrote in a blog post that: ‘Today was a disappointing day at Toptal. We saw extreme sexism within the tech community, from an industry leader and advertising…
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An Adelaide law firm is looking at a case for legal action on behalf of women who suffered side-effects as a result of taking the popular contraceptive pill Yasmin and its alternate, Yaz. Forty women so far have contacted the firm Tindall Gask Bentley over the case. Their website states that ‘Australian women who use…
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Online networking is undoubtedly the way of the future; but is crowdsourcing to raise funds for cosmetic surgery innovative or troubling? A recent article by news.com.au reveals that Australian women are one of the largest groups to accept funds from donors on website myfreeimplants.com to increase their cup size. Operating since 2005, the website has been host to…
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Women’s rights in Afghanistan are at risk of being undermined in the peace process, according to a United Nations watchdog. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women says patriarchal attitudes and the country’s political turmoil are partly to blame for existing problems and that the peace process may have a twofold…
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In new research, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has found that the Australian labour market is one of the most inequitable in the world when it comes to gender. The institute says that Australian women are consistently underpaid and underpromoted in comparison to men, resulting in an 18% gap between the average male…
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Canberra’s Caroline Buchanan became Australia’s latest BMX champion over the weekend, winning gold at the UCI world titles in Auckland. The 22-year-old beat fellow Australian Lauren Reynolds by 1.296sec to claim the medal. The title is her first in BMX racing, though she holds two in mountain biking. The win marks a new beginning…
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Armed with only books and pencils, the superhero of Pakistan’s first animated television show is the Burka Avenger: a schoolteacher named Jiya who wears a burka to disguise her identity as she fights evil in the fictional city of Halwpur. The 13-episode show (running 22 minutes) aims to send positive messages to its young audience,…
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Last week the world was shocked after a video of a young Yemeni girl made the rounds on the internet. In the clip, 11-year-old Nada Al-Ahdals tells of how she ran away from her family in order to escape a forced marriage. ‘What have the children done wrong?’ she asks, her dark brown eyes pleading…
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