Before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Domestic Violence Action advocates urged rejection of bills that would gut the domestic violence offender gun ban law. Proposed legislation in Congress would amend the law, which currently prohibits those indicted for domestic violence to own or carry guns, to exclude police officers and military personnel and […]
Mitsubishi Allegedly Interfering in Sex Discrimination Case
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has accused Mitsubishi Motors Manufacturing with interfering with the government’s sex discrimination lawsuit against the company. In a brief filed with the U.S. District Court in Peoria, Ill., the government’s lawyers allege that the company improperly asked women workers whether they planned to join the class-action lawsuit, whether they […]
Bettina Hollings First Woman to Head New Zealand Network
Bettina Hollings will become New Zealand’s first female to head a major network when she assumes the reign of General Manager of CanWest Global Communications Corp.’s second network. Hollings will continue to serve as the Associate Director of Programming for TV3, the Corp.’s existing channel. Gerry Noble, Vice-President of Operation for CanWest, commented on the […]
Oscar Winner Marleen Gorris to Direct Major Studio Picture
Dutch filmmaker Marleen Gorris, who won the foreign language Oscar in 1996 for directing Antonia’s Line, has will direct her first major studio picture. 20th Century Fox has contracted with her to direct Come West With Me, a movie based on the play Abundance by Beth Henley. The nineteenth-century drama deals with the story of […]
Domestic Violence Affects Two-Thirds of Welfare Recipients
A study conducted by the McCormack Institute and the Center for Survey Research has found that two-thirds of welfare recipients have been victims of domestic violence. Approximately one fifth of welfare recipients have been victims of domestic violence within the past twelve months. Seven hundred thirty-four women participated in the first scientific study of its […]
Two Insurance Executives Resign in Harassment Scandal
The president and president’s deputy of CNA Life insurance company resigned after the sexual harassment allegations of two female employees came to light. The female employees complained of sexual harassment committed by president, Jack Kettler, to the company’s deputy president, Robert Teske. Teske failed to act in the matter, and Roger Morris, a spokesperson for […]
“Abortion Pill” Closer to U.S. Use
On March 4th, The Population Council announced that plans to use a company called Advances for Choice to market mifepristone (formerly known as RU 486). The step came after The Population Council settled legal issues with a business partner and created a new company to introduce the drug into the United States. The company said […]
Poll Shows Ferraro Could Easily Defeat D’Amato in ’98
According to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Connecticut, ex-vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro would easily defeat incumbent Senator Alfonse D’Amato in the 1998 New York Senate race. The poll interviewed 1,071 registered New Yorkers from February 24th to March 2nd. Ferraro came out ahead of all other possible Democratic contenders and ahead of […]
Hearings Finally Scheduled for Herman
After delaying Alexis Herman’s Secretary of Labor confirmation hearings for weeks, Senator James Jeffords has finally scheduled the hearings. Commenting that he found her responses concerning questions about her private finances and conduct as a White House aide to be “adequate”, the Chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Comittee scheduled the hearings for […]
T.V.’s “Ellen” to Come Out
ABC has given the t.v. sitcom Ellen the go ahead to have its lead character come out as a lesbian on an April 30th show. Ellen will reveal to Oprah Winfrey, playing her therapist, that she is attracted to a lesbian. Ellen will be the first show to have a gay or lesbian lead character. […]
Women Become Larger Force in Movie Industry
While many of the women nominated for Oscar’s this year participated in films created by small, independent studios, mainstream Hollywood has also included a variety of women in films and women-oriented films during the past year. In 1994, the “Year of the Woman” in Oscars ironically exposed Hollywood’s tendency to shut women out of executive […]
1997 Women’s NCAA Automatic Bid Teams Announced
The following teams have received an automatic bid to play in the 1997 women’s NCAA tournament: Liberty (22-7), Harvard (19-6), Eastern Kentucky (24-5), Old Dominion (29-1), Marshall (18-11), St. Peter’s (25-3), North Carolina (27-2), and San Francisco (25-5). Each team received its bid for winning its regional conference tournament.
Women Successfully Integrated into Military
Among calls by some members of Congress for segregating the military after widespread allegations of sexual harassment have emerged, a reporter from The Washington Post spent a week with integrated troops in Bosnia and found that women and men worked together easily and for the benefit of the entire operation. Dana Priest found that there […]
Abortion Foes to Picket at High Schools
So-called Operation Rescue plans to begin targeting high schools starting March 3 through the end of the 1997 school year in order to harass young men and women. The group says it wants to “educate” women on the abortion issue. Critics of the campaign believe that the picketing is a scare tactic also being used […]
Former McCall’s Editor Lerone Hershey Dies at 78
The former editor of McCall’s and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines died on February 27th due to complications resulting from Parkison’s disease at age 78. Hershey began her career by working at the promotion department of The New York Herald Tribune. In 1968 she left the position of executive director of McCall’s magazine to become the […]
United Nations Recognizes Top Women Environmental Leaders
Anita Roddick, Bette Midler and Bella Abzug were some of the twenty-five women recognized by the United Nations as world environmental leaders. On March 6th, the United Nations will host “Eyes on the Environment: 25 Women Leaders in Action” during which the women will receive the awards. Anita Roddick, CEO of The Body Shop, commented, […]
Bowing to Pressure from Feminist Groups, Vienna Philharmonic Agrees to Admit Women
An all-male institution since its foundation 155 years ago, the Vienna Philharmonic has agreed to admit women as players. In a vote which passed with a two-thirds margin, the group responded to pressures of feminist groups to boycott the Philharmonic’s upcoming U.S. tour if it did not agree to admit women. Elena Osteleitner, an assistant […]
Women’s History Month Begins
The first International Women’s Day was March 8, 1911. In 1981, Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) cosponsored a Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week. In 1986, the National Women’s History Project (founded in 1979 by Molly MacGregor) helped expand the celebration to the entire […]
Defense Secretary Sees No Reason to Segregate Military Training
U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said on February 26th that he saw no reason to segregate military training on the basis of sex. He said he was still open to comments regarding the issue, but that any changes must not cause women to lose any gains they have made in the military. After a series […]
Amelia Earhart Flight to be Recreated
A Texan woman, Linda Finch, is planning to recreate Amelia Earhart’s last and most perplexing around the world. Finch found one of only two twin-engine Lockheed Electra 10E’s, the type Earhart used, known to exist and will fly it around the same path with many of the same stops as did Earhart. Pratt & Whitney […]