Gabby vs Guns
1. Two years after Tucson
Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly want to show the world that they are legitimate gun owners—and that they support tightening restrictions on firearms. Along with her ex-astronaut husband, the former Arizona Congresswoman, who was shot in the head a little over two years ago, has formed Americans for Responsible Solutions to push for greater controls, including background checks on purchasers.
April 10, 2013 11:12 AM
LEGISLATION
2. #Save the Mini Skirt
Legislation was presented to the Ugandan government by Integrity & Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo, which would ban, if passed and made into a law, the wearing of miniskirts in Uganda, as they are deemed ‘immoral.’ Ugandans have taken to Twitter to express their outrage at this government interference in their lives through the hashtag #savetheminiskirt.
April 9, 2013 1:56 PM
KNOWLEDGE
3. Girls Defy Danger for an Education
While there has been a rise in the tide of violent attacks against teachers, principles and the young girls striving for an education in Africa and Asia, there has also been a rise in the number and unity of young girls around the world standing up for their right to an education. These girls are publicly denouncing those that threaten them and are voicing their right and determination to receive an education through unified “child-marriage-free-zones,” demonstrations and by attending school day after day.
April 9, 2013 1:53 PM
SELLING WOMEN
4. A Mother’s Crusade
In 2002, Susan Trimarco’s daughter—a young mother herself—was snatched off the streets and apparently sold into sexual slavery. Since then, Trimarco has fought for stronger anti-trafficking measures and to release women from forced prostitution. Thanks to her, hundreds of women have been found and helped—but not Trimarco’s beloved daughter.
April 8, 2013 2:31 PM
A CRY FOR HELP
5. Dying to Give Birth
In Malawi, one in 36 mothers dies in childbirth—but even the U.S., which ranks 50th in the world in maternal mortality, has a long way to go in saving mothers after childbirth. At the 2013 Women in the World Summit, experts from the U.S. and Africa said that giving information about safe birth, and reinforcing their need to speak out, can bring down the number of deaths.
April 8, 2013 2:30 PM
SHE'S GOT GAME
6. The Unlikely Queen of Chess
Born into the slums of Katwe, one of the most impoverished regions of Uganda, Phiona Mutesi, who is now 17, has emerged as one of the best chess players in her native country. She began to play chess at the age of 9 and soon was beating the boys—and making them cry. Today, Mutesi competes for Uganda internationally and has become something of a worldwide celeb.
April 8, 2013 2:28 PM
TOKYO, HERE I COME
7. Caroline Kennedy, Game Changer
President Barack Obama’s anticipated choice of Caroline Kennedy to be the next U.S. ambassador to Japan would put a woman with an international political pedigree into a high-profile U.S. diplomatic post. Kennedy would be the first woman to serve as the top U.S. official in Japan, a nation where many women face discrimination in employment and other areas.
The Geneva-based World Economic Forum’s 2012 global gender gap report ranked Japan 101st of 135 countries, by far the lowest among the G-8 group of industrialized nations. Kennedy would be “a great inspiration to well-educated women in Japan,” said William Breer, a retired career diplomat.
April 4, 2013 11:24 AM
TOUGH TIMES IN TUNIS
8. Secular Tunisian Women vs. Sharia
Tensions between secular women and political Islam are growing in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab uprisings.The country’s new government expresses no outright intention to rule the country according to Sharia, or religious law. But its ability or willingness to control a minority of Salafists who want to impose Sharia and create an Islamic state by violent means if necessary is in doubt.
April 4, 2013 11:22 AM
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
9. She Writes the Most Dangerous Blog in Mexico
For three years it has chronicled Mexico's drug war with graphic images and shocking stories that few others dare show, drawing millions of readers, acclaim, denunciations – and speculation about its author's identity.
Blog del Narco, an internet sensation dubbed a "front-row seat" to Mexico's agony over drugs, has become a must-read for authorities, drug gangs and ordinary people because it lays bare, day after day, the horrific violence censored by the mainstream media.
The anonymous author has been a source of mystery, with Mexico wondering who he is and his motivation for such risky reporting. Now it has been revealed that she is, in fact, a young woman.
April 4, 2013 11:19 AM
CLINTON FOR PREZ?
10. Carville Ready for Another Hillary Run
Democratic strategist James Carville, a longtime confidant of the Clinton family, is supporting the super PAC devoted to luring Hillary Clinton into the 2016 presidential race, and is urging others to get on board.
April 4, 2013 11:18 AM
SPOKES-WOMEN
11. Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban on Women Riding Bicycles
According to a recent report in a Saudi newspaper, women are now allowed to ride bikes. In order for Saudi women to do so, they must be accompanied by a male guardian or family member, and be fully covered. A Saudi official stated that bike riding can be for entertainment purposes only, and women cannot ride near men in order to avoid harassment.
April 1, 2013 2:21 PM
CRIMESTOPPERS
12. FBI’s Next Leader Could Be a Woman
A search is underway for a new FBI director to replace Robert Mueller after he steps down on September 4 and one candidate, Lisa Monaco, would be the first woman to lead the agency if she’s chosen. In January, Monaco was named President Obama’s counterterrorism advisor, and prior to that held a senior post at the Justice Department. “Mueller will leave very big shoes to fill”, said a Justice Department official.
April 1, 2013 2:15 PM
GOODBYE, DELHI
13. Rape Keeping Female Tourists Away from India
India’s appalling rape and sexual assault crisis is hurting the country’s tourism industry, with a precipitous 35 percent decline in the number of female, foreign tourists. The heinous gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student last year, in addition to the rape of a Swiss woman, and a British woman who jumped out of a window to avoid attack, were some of the major headlines that may have contributed to the downturn in foreign visitors.
India’s National Crime Records Bureau statistics show that one woman is raped every 20 minutes. Stats like that have tourists bypassing India for other Asian destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Read it at International Business Times
April 1, 2013 2:12 PM
NOT BORN THIS WAY
14. Smith College Rejects Transgender Applicant
Male-to-female transgender student, Calliope Wong was denied admission into the all-women’s private college. The rejection stated, "Smith is a women's college, which means that undergraduate applicants to Smith must be female at the time of admission.” It went on to say, "Your FAFSA indicates your gender as male. Therefore, Smith cannot process your application.”
Wong wrote on her blog, “…From what I understand, Smith College will only evaluate me as a 'real' girl if I get sex reassignment surgery.” She continues, “Trans women are most likely not ready for surgery at 17 or 18, the typical age of a college applicant. It's a monumental personal decision that usually arises from years of introspection and deliberation.”
April 1, 2013 1:57 PM
TOO YOUNG TO WED
15. Stopping the Child-Marriage Epidemic
Human Rights Watch recently released a report calling on the government of South Sudan to adopt measures that will protect girls from forced marriages. Forced marriages lead to many issues, including gender gaps in school enrollment, pregnancy complications and an increase in violence suffered by these girls.
March 12, 2013 4:57 PM
HALF THE SKY?
16. Challenges to Equality Abound for Chinese Women
While women have obtained success in the business and sports arena, they still struggle to achieve the higher political positions. China’s culture, as a patriarchal society, makes it difficult for women to advance in the field of politics, however, as the quota for female members in Congress was surpassed this year by 2.1%, hope has been re-ignited.
March 12, 2013 3:32 PM
UPRISING
17. Women in Middle East Fight Repression
Women around the Arab world are mobilizing, refusing to be intimidated and deterred from forming groups to expose injustice, harness national and international outrage, fight for reforms, and create a role in the public sector for women.
Read it at Council on Foreign Relations
March 12, 2013 2:51 PM
ACROSS THE POND
18. No New Margaret Thatcher on the Horizon
While two-thirds of women in Britain are employed, there are startling statistics showing that women face many barriers to obtaining equal positions of power and pay as men. Twenty-three years after Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of Britain ruled, chances of another female PM are slim.
March 12, 2013 1:50 PM
NO RESTRICTIONS
19. Tunisia’s Ruling Party Says It’s Open to Women Leaders
Tunisian Ennahda Party leader Rashid al-Ghannushi told a "Women's Day" event organized by his party that they worked towards preserving fundamental rights and freedoms and women's rights.
March 12, 2013 1:01 PM
CAN WE HAVE IT ALL?
20. Sheryl Sandberg Sets off a Firestorm
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has touched off a raging debate with her new book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, which urges women to be bold in their quest to get ahead. Her defenders believe that her ideas about work-life balance, and the need for women to be more assertive, are necessary for women to ascend professionally. Her detractors however, see her as elitist and out of touch with the average working mother.
March 11, 2013 2:35 PM
YOUNG AND BRAVE
21. Malala Yousafzai is the Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out on the necessity of schooling for girls, has become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee ever. Unfortunately, some observers believe that winning may make her an even bigger target for extremists. "Malala has become an ideology not only in Pakistan but all over the world for women's right of education,” says Qamar Zaman Kaira, the Pakistani Information Minister.
March 11, 2013 2:29 PM
NO TOYING AROUND
22. Pink Legos: Are They Steering Girls Away from Science?
Britain trails behind many other countries when it comes to girls enrolling in science courses—and Lego’s new pink blocks aren’t making the gender gap any narrower, says Alice Roberts, a professor and TV presenter. “Lego has always been a good toy which teaches children about engineering. But Lego is now producing a range which it says is for girls,” she says, noting that the new Legos are intended for building plastic cakes.
March 11, 2013 2:22 PM
UNSPEAKABLE ACTS
23. South Africa Pledges to Get Tough on Rape
South Africans are rallying to protest the killing of a teenage girl, Anene Booysen, who died after being raped and tortured. Although President Jacob Zuma has launched a national campaign to get schoolchildren to give a daily pledge not to commit rape or sexual violence, critics say that is far from enough. “It’s fine to recite something but what does it mean?” says the director of a legal advocacy center. “What is the impact of rape, what does it mean for women?
March 6, 2013 1:46 PM
MOVING IMAGES
24. Afghanistan Holds First-ever Women’s Film Festival
Afghanistan’s first-ever women’s film festival will be held in Herat—a city whose high incidence of violence against women made it the perfect location, according to organizers. Many of the films will be tackling the issues that effect women like forced child marriages and domestic violence, among other topics. “They are women directors, with films about women, that talk about women’s issues,” says one of the sponsors and organizers of the Festival.
March 6, 2013 1:43 PM
B-SCHOOL BOUND
25. More Women Than Ever Want to Go to Grad School
Women took a record 122,843 GMAT tests during the 2012 testing year, beating the previous record of 106,800 set in 2011. More than half of the women taking the test are under 25. Globally, women from China are leading the way; 65 percent of the GMAT takers there are women.
March 6, 2013 1:39 PM