New research from the Population Council has found that young girls in Egypt today are at least ten percent less likely to endure female circumcision than were their mothers. The decline seems to have begun after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) took place in Cairo in 1994, intensifying the Female Genital Mutilation […]
According to a report made by congressional auditors, the Pentagon’s estimate that it will cost $300 million to house men and women in separate barracks is misleading at best. The auditors contend that the Army and Navy’s estimates are based on the costs of building barracks for new recruits and assumes that large portions of […]
The U.S. State Department harshly condemned the Taliban’s abuse of women in its 1998 human rights report, which was issued on Friday. The report described how the Taliban has issued harsher and harsher decrees limiting the rights of women since it overtook Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, in September 1996. Under the Taliban’s decrees, Afghan women […]
Mifepristone has long been regarded as a safe and effective form of early abortion, and has also been proven effective for use as an emergency contraceptive when taken within three days of an unprotected sexual encounter. Now, a World Health Organization study reveals that the drug remains effective even 5 days after unprotected sex. Dr. […]
In a research report published in the American Psychological Association’s Developmental Psychology journal, University of Massachusetts at Amherst psychologist Elisabeth Harvey argues that mothers cause no harm to their children by working outside of the home. Harvey analyzed data that had been collected for the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The specific data that Harvey […]
U.S. Vice President Gore announced Friday that the U.S. government will give states $223 million for programs to prevent, detect, and stop domestic violence. One hundred thirty-eight million will be allocated to improve the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to improve services for abuse survivors under the S.T.O.P. Violence Against women […]
Three weeks after a federal jury ruled that creators of “The Nuremberg Files” Web site violated federal anti-racketeering laws and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones ruled that The Nuremberg Files Web site and “wanted” posters featuring abortion doctors amounted to “blatant and illegal communication of true […]
Widespread unemployment and a booming U.S. economy have spurred labor shortages, especially in the construction industry. In response, many contractors are expanding their recruitment efforts to untapped markets of women including new high school graduates and former homemakers. National Center for Construction Education and Research spokesperson Robert Moorhead said that the construction industry’s shortage of […]
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine contends that doctors’ inadequate treatment of heart disease in women and African-Americans may be due to physician bias. Past research has shown that women and African-Americans are less likely than white men to receive specialized tests and care when they report the exact same […]
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously agreed that accused rapists might not use “implied consent” as a defense. The case was brought by Alberta carpenter Steven Ewanchuck who allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl after luring her to his trailer with promises of a job interview. The girl testified that she said […]
Famed radical feminist philosopher and theologian Mary Daly has refused to allow male students into an advanced feminist theory course at Boston College despite an ultimatum issued by college officials. Daly believes very strongly that allowing male students into her courses would be distracting, disruptive and inhibiting to her female students. She told the Boston […]
A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control found that individuals who feel safe in their neighborhoods are more likely than others to exercise. The 12,767 research subjects were chosen from various neighborhoods in Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Neighborhood safety seemed to have the most impact for persons over the age of […]
Illinois state Rep. Mary Flowers (D) has introduced new legislation that would force insurance companies that cover prescriptions for Viagra to also cover prescriptions for oral contraceptives. Many insurance companies cover at least a portion of Viagra’s cost, yet deny coverage of contraceptives that would actually lower medical costs through a reduction in costly unplanned […]
A federal jury ordered Mazda Motor Corp. to pay $4.4 million after hearing Gabriella Arango’s charges that her boss repeatedly and inappropriately touched her and chased her around their Miami office. Arango also alleged that her boss, Masaki Nakashima, had struck her with a telephone and told her to go sit in a corner because […]
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA) receipt of federal funds through university and college dues does not make the association subject to Title IX. Title IX of the Education Acts of 1972 prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally-funded education, including athletics programs. In the Court’s decision, […]
The Senate passed an amendment to the Soldiers Bill of Rights that would protect military employees’ dependent spouses and children from domestic abuse. The amendment, sponsored by Senator Pall Wellstone (D-MN), would require the Defense Department to issue new guidelines regarding the privacy rights of domestic violence survivors in military families. Wellstone stated, “Battering is […]
Tokyo University professor Nobukatsu Fujioka yesterday urged educators to refrain from teaching their students about the Japan government’s sexual enslavement of about 200,000 women during WWII, arguing that the alleged atrocities never occurred. Fujioka contends that the Japanese military’s “comfort women” were “simply prostitutes taken to war zones by private brokers” and argues that the […]
The Clinton Administration, labor unions, Senator Tom Harkin, and women’s rights groups are all strategizing on how to make pay equity a top priority among legislators. Yesterday, the AFL-CIO released a report stating that women are still largely confined to low-pay, female-dominated jobs and earn only 74 cents for every dollars that a man earns. […]
The EEOC announced Tuesday that lettuce producer Tanimura and Antle of Salinas will pay 1.9 million to settle a sexual harassment suit filed by a female employee. Hispanic farm worker Blanca Alfaro alleged that two different managers told her that her job and benefits depended on her giving them sexual favors. These managers are also […]
Rev. Greg Dell of Chicago will be tried by a jury of 13 Methodist ministers next month for performing a “marriage” ceremony in which two men were united. Charged with “disobedience to the order and the discipline” of the Methodist Church, Rev. Dell could face suspension, censure, or at worst, lose his status as a […]
