Christopher Cox filed a discrimination complaint with the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights because he was denied entry into a woman’s health club. Cox wishes to join the Anchorage, Alaska Women’s Nautilus Club because of the location and low prices. Cox states that “we live in a society today…. where the bottom line is […]
Nora Marzouk Ahmed’s punishment for eloping was death. Her father killed her for corrupting the family honor seven days after she had married. This incident, which took place on August 19 in Cairo, is not unusual in Egypt. On August 18, a man in a village 40 miles north of Cairo was arrested for setting […]
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the Virginia High School League (VSHL), alleging that the way the VHSL schedules girl’s sports violates Title IX. The VHSL, Virginia’s governing body of high school athletics, currently schedules all three divisions of boys’ sports in the same season. For girls, three sports–tennis, basketball, and volleyball–are scheduled at […]
Prosecutor David Schwacke has decided not to charge anyone at The Citadel with hazing two female cadets who left the school in January. One of the women’s lawyers, Dick Harpootlian, announced Schwacke’s decision on August 19, and argued that the prosecutor had given in to political pressure. Harpootlian plans to contact the state attorney general […]
Results of a Canadian study suggest that performing a mammogram in the first half of a woman’s menstrual cycle may make the procedure both more comfortable and more accurate. The study revealed that there was an 11 percent greater risk that a tumor would not be detected when a mammogram was performed in the second […]
Postmenopausal women have a tough choice to make when deciding whether or not to take estrogen. Studies suggest that taking estrogen can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and heart disease by 50%, but research has also linked estrogen to a 43% increase in breast cancer deaths. Experts suggest that the decision whether or not to […]
On August 18, a scientific advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of Hologic Inc.’s application for a new osteoporosis test that can predict whether women are at risk of developing the condition. The company’s Sahara Bone Sonometer uses ultrasound to measure bone density. This test, unlike others which measure the hip […]
In a major victory for women with breast implants, a Louisiana jury found Dow Chemical Company guilty of intentionally deceiving women about the safety of its silicone breast implants. The jury also found that the company had not adequately tested the implants before placing them on the market. This decision, announced on Monday, August 18, […]
A military jury recommended demotion for a drill sergeant and two other sergeants agreed to be discharged in new developments on sexual harassment cases at Aberdeen Proving Ground on August 18. The jury that sentenced Staff Sgt. Herman Gunter could have recommended up to 12 years in prison, but instead ordered him demoted by two […]
A federal judge blocked a Louisiana law that would have allowed women to sue their doctors for up to 10 years after having an abortion. U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous Jr. struck down the legislation because it could lead clinics to close, denying women medical assistance. He also challenged the law’s constitutionality. Currently, women who […]
A new chapter of history at the Virginia Military Institute is set to open when the school’s first coed class reports to campus on Monday, August 18. The class of 400 will include 31 women. Students and staff at the college have undertaken a good deal of training to facilitate the change, and, according to […]
Afghan girls who have lost the right to education because of the Muslim fundamentalist Taliban movement face a similar problem in Pakistan refugee camps. For the 1.2 million to 1.8 million Afghans living there, severe budget cuts in international aid for the refugees have halted education beyond the sixth grade for children in the camps. […]
The Peace Corps is focusing more resources on women, both in its membership and in its programs. The 1997 Peace Corps volunteer class is 59% women, almost doubling the percentage of women volunteers 25 years ago. Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan says this trend “completes the mission of the Peace Corps, because we send people […]
The Justice Department has reported that the number of women on probation and parole has increased over the past several years. In 1996, 21% of all probationers were women, while 11% of people on parole were women. In 1990, 18% of probationers were women, and 8 percent of those on parole were women. Women on […]
In the past 16 years, the number of female judges in Maryland has quadrupled, increasing from 5.4 percent in 1981 to 19 percent this year. Many attribute this growth to Governor Parris Glendening’s pledge to increase judicial diversity. Women’s rights groups have applauded Glendening’s actions and argue that, while insensitivity to gender is still an […]
The twentieth-century Robin Hood is Phholan Devi, an Indian woman who formed a group of male bandits to steal from upper castes and kill 20 men who gang-raped her. After three years as an outlaw, the woman and her gang surrendered to the authorities on the condition that the police would imprison them for no […]
Inder Kumar Gujral, Prime Minister of India, vowed last week t o oppose a bill through Parliament that would guarantee a third of India’s parliamentary seats for women. The bill sparked intense debate in parliament and caused divisions in every political party. Gujral says that he supports gender equity but argues that affecting major social […]
The Feminist Majority, along with other human rights, labor rights, and women’s rights organizations, participated in a noontime leafleting action in front of Hecht’s Department Store on Thursday, August 14. The action was aimed at educating consumers about Guess’ inhumane treatment of contract workers. Most of these workers are immigrant women who work for sub-minimum […]
The United States has decided to suspend operations indefinitely at the Afghan Embassy. State Department spokesperson James P. Rubin said the action was taken because “of the U.S. belief that there is no effective government in Afghanistan, which is divided between two warring factions.” The embassy is occupied by two diplomats from each government, however […]
In a highly significant ruling, the Indian Supreme Court banned sexual harassment of women in the workplace. The ban also provides that sexual harassment awareness should be advertised in offices and by the government, and provides that complaints should be handled by a committee headed by a woman, with half its members women. The ban, […]
