Leslie H. Wexner, 82-year-old chief executive of L Brands, is stepping down after widespread criticism of his connections to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and the toxic internal culture of lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret. Wexner’s resignation follows L Brands’ announcement that it will be selling a majority share of Victoria’s Secret to Sycamore Partners, a private […]
ELLE Magazine Fires Writer after Trump Rape Allegations
ELLE Magazine declined to renew writer E. Jean Carroll’s contract last December. This is an alleged result of the personal defamation from President Trump triggered by her allegations against his predatory actions in the 1990’s. Carroll was a veteran columnist at ELLE Magazine, she wrote advice columns for nearly 30 years at the company. She […]
Alabama Legislator Proposes Mandatory Vasectomy Bill in Response to Abortion Ban
Last Thursday, Democratic state representative from Alabama Rep. Rolanda Hollis proposed a new law in which all men are required to have a vasectomy once they reach the age of 50, or after they have their third child – whichever comes first. They would also be required to pay for this surgery on their own. […]
Fiscal Policies Can Increase Female Workforce Participation
Equitable workforce opportunities for women are beneficial to everyone, but research from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows that female workforce participation still lags greatly behind that of men. Due to the stubborn persistence of gender gaps in wages and educational opportunities, the average female workforce participation rate is 20 percentage points behind the male […]
British Political Party’s Divide Deepens Over Transgender Inclusion
Last week multiple senior members of Britain’s Labour party endorsed a “trans equality manifesto” that supports more inclusive party values and claimed that anyone with transphobic views should be thrown out of the party. Backlash from this controversial charter comes with a call to produce evidence for transphobia allegations. The two women in the center […]
Scholars Debate Causes of Women’s Underrepresentation in STEM
Since the publication of a study by Psychological Science in 2018, the reasons as to why women make up a much smaller percentage than men in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields has been widely debated. According to the study, women are underrepresented in STEM, though according to performance records in these fields women […]
Women and Children Make Up Majority of 800,000 Syrians Forced to Flee
During a Syrian military campaign backed by the Russians aimed to clear opposition in northwest Syria, more than 800,000 Syrians have been forced to flee their homes. Most of these refugees are women and children. This mass removal of people will most likely continue to occur as entire towns and communities seek safety in areas […]
New Form of Birth Control Being Tested for Approval by FDA
Ovaprene, a new form of birth control, is being tested and would be the first barrier form of contraception to be released to the market since the internal condom in 2006. In recent years, most forms of contraception created are hormonal, including the birth control pill, the shot, the ring, and the patch. Hormonal forms […]
High School Girls Suing to Prohibit Transgender Athletes from School Sports
On Wednesday, three female high school athletes filed a federal lawsuit to block the participation of transgender students in girls’ sports. Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, and Alanna Smith all of whom attend different high schools in Connecticut are being backed by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative nonprofit organization in their lawsuit against the athletic conference. […]
Oklahoma State Bill Aiming to Revoke Abortion Providers’ Licenses Under Fire
Both abortion rights and anti-choice activists have slammed a recent Oklahoma bill that would take away licenses of physicians who perform abortions. Last week, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed Rep. Jim Olsen’s bill, H.B. 1182, which would mandate the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to revoke a doctor’s license for a year […]
Study Finds Young People Still Hold Conservative Views on Gender Roles
A new survey from Gallup reports that opposite-sex couples between the ages of 18 and 34 still harbor and uphold traditional views about who should do what within the home. A new study in Sociological Science also shows that high school seniors believe that the ideal family arrangement involves the man working full time while […]
Speaker Pelosi Holds Press Conference In Support of House ERA Vote Tomorrow
This morning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jackie Speier, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and a host of other members of Congress held a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s vote on H.J.Res. 79 to remove the arbitrary timeline put in the preamble to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Carol Jenkins spoke for the ERA Coalition as leaders […]
Pulitzer Winner Talks Immigration at Literacy Event
Jose Antonio Vargas, critically-acclaimed author and winner of the Pulitzer prize, began his lecture at the Washtenaw Reads event put on by Ann Arbor District’s Library this past week by saying, “If you want to call ICE on me, please wait ‘til after the lecture.” The annual event in Michigan is designed to “promote reading […]
Trump’s New Budget Cuts Benefits for the Most Vulnerable
President Trump released a $44.8 trillion budget on Monday which includes deep cuts to student loan assistance, affordable housing, food stamps, and Medicaid. It does however include an increase in spending for the military, national defense, border enforcement, individual income tax cuts, and even allocates money for the “Space Force” initiative. The budget plans recommends […]
Prominent Doctors’ Groups Standing for Medicare For All
The second largest doctors’ group in the country, American College of Physicians (ACP) endorsed Medicare For All challenging other large doctor’s coalitions. This shift signifies changing ideals within the healthcare industry about a government plan. Second only to the American Medical Association (AMA), the ACP published a position paper arguing the benefits of a single-payer […]
New Film Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Women Gaining the Right to Vote
Set to debut on June 30, a PBS film inspired by the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment will feature a number of feminist icons and activists. The 2020 MAKERS conference, happening today in Los Angeles, will announce the new documentary, NOT DONE, that celebrates the suffragists’ win in gaining the right to vote. The […]
U.S. House to Have First Vote on DC Statehood Since 1993
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a meeting today for H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would grant the District of Columbia statehood. The committee’s chair, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY 12), stated that it would be the first markup and vote for a D.C. statehood bill since 1993. H.R. […]
Documentary About Skateboarding Girls from Afghanistan Wins Oscar
At the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, a documentary featuring young girls learning to skateboard in Afghanistan won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. According to Diaa Hadid, International Correspondent for NPR, Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), features a group of young girls in the Afghan capital of Kabul “clutch[ing] […]
Rep. Maloney Announces the Smithsonian Women’s History Act
Today Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) introduced the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act, which has 293 cosponsors and is expected to go to the U.S. House floor for a vote tomorrow afternoon. This bill will establish a Smithsonian museum dedicated to women’s history on the National Mall. “We are […]
Postpartum Recovery Ad Rejected by the Oscars for Being “Too Graphic”
ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected an ad for postpartum recovery products that would have aired during the Oscars for being “too graphic.” The commercial depicts a new mom adjusting to her post-birth body and placing a pad in a pair of mesh underwear. Frida Mom, the company behind the […]