The theme for International Women’s Day earlier this month was ‘The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum’ and it could not be more apt given the recent horrific attacks on women in India and South Africa – attacks that are not unprecedented and are prevalent in too many countries around the world. These acts of violence against…
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It’s a truth universally known by all women that we aren’t trying to “have it all” when we have children and work. We’re trying to have children and live with the dignity and respect we get from being able to pay all our bills. Another universal truth known to all us women is the feeling…
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‘A woman’s opinions are useless to her, she may suffer unjustly, she may be wronged, but she has no power to weightily petitions against man’s laws, no representatives to urge her views, her only method to produce release, redress, or change, is to ceaselessly agitate.’ – Louisa Lawson, speech to the inaugural meeting of the…
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A recent photography competition casts a spotlight on the role of women in revolutionary Egypt — but women’s rights are under threat under Egypt’s new leaders, writes Farz Edraki. A woman in red hijab. She stands in a crowd of helmet-clad police officers, protesters, and cameramen. Her gaze is steadfast; resolute. The caption on the…
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‘Don’t wear revealing clothing, don’t get drunk, don’t wander around at night, and don’t walk alone’ – I’ve heard this advice repeated often, ever since the Delhi gang-rape. Most women have heard these warnings before, but now, suggestions on being constantly and vigilantly cautious have been increasingly doled out by almost everyone – politicians, celebrities,…
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Pavithra Sagar is a 25-year old female corporate writer and editor living in Tamil Nadu. Here, she discusses rape and casual sexism in India, in the aftermath of the recent horrific gang-rape case in Delhi, and sends a message to fellow Indian women. Along with millions of Indians, I have been in turn shocked…
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I really must give a shout out to one of my dearest social networking sites, Facebook. What a challenge it can be, every day to connect into the hearts, minds and walls of so many friends, colleagues, and often strangers whom you’ve befriended and now know many of their private details. But despite the potential…
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There has been rape, murder, grief. There have been protests, riots, violence. There have been calls for hangings, rights, guns. There has been grief, anger, shame. There has been a funeral. On 16 December in New Delhi, India, a 23-year-old woman was raped by six men on a bus. She was beaten with an iron…
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Despite service to their country, and enduring years of harassment and discrimination, American military women find themselves in a prolonged fight for abortion rights. Presently, the Defense Department covers abortions for female soldiers only in cases where their lives are at risk. Military woman are now fighting for the right to obtain abortions in cases…
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Sometimes, horrible things happen. And it goes without saying that sometimes, horrible things happen to women. Some happen close to home, others do not, but the good ol’ Internet has a habit of delivering the horrible news to my inbox every day. The Internet is sneaky like that. Wednesday morning was no different and I…
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Oh, I don’t tell you what to say I don’t tell you what to do So just let me be myself That’s all I ask of you A PSA is going around the internet at the moment, aimed at women voters in America. A bunch of female identified people are lip synching to Lesley Gore’s…
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At the heart of the Face Of Birth documentary is a question. That is – do women have a right to choose where and how they will give birth? It is a hot button issue, yet one where other developed nations have deemed that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. This Australian documentary plays like…
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It goes like this: A glossy lifestyle mag interviews a swish “It” girl. She’s at the top of her field. She’s worked hard to get there, and has plenty of tips for goal setting, confidence and “keeping calm, carrying on”. The journalist fawns over this success, and asks if maybe the equal rights movement had…
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In one second a life was ruined. So goes one of the many harrowing statements made in the documentary film, Saving Face. Directors Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy have detailed a sensitive issue, exposing the plights of victims of acid attacks in Pakistan, with this Oscar award-winning short proving to be worth a feature-length runtime….
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