St. Louis, Missouri has long been known to face disheartening rates of poverty. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that an estimated 24.2% of residents may be living in poverty. Mission: St. Louis, a Missouri-based organization, has reported that up to 40% of children in the city may be born into poverty. While the […]
USAID Afghan Rug Project Aims to Empower Women and Bolster the Economy
A project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is putting Afghanistan’s traditional rug industry back into the hands of Afghan weavers. This project, based in Kabul, aims to grow Afghanistan’s economy and empower women. The nine-million-dollar project, run by Rob Leahy in South Carolina, acts as the ‘middle man’ between Afghan […]
Afghan Women Ask Global Leaders to Stand by Their Side
In an open letter to global women leaders, a coalition of Afghan women from across the country has asked to “stand by their side to protect women’s rights” in Afghanistan. The letter is addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, Ambassador Kelly Craft, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and the Prime Minister of Norway, […]
New Mexico Has the Historic Opportunity to Elect First All-Female U.S. House Delegation
New Mexico voters may send a historic all-female U.S. House delegation to Congress next year. The state’s three congresswomen could all be women of color, which would be another national first. Women are seeking the Democratic and Republican nominations in all six of the state’s primary races. At least one Latina or one Native American […]
Women in Academia Struggle in the Wake of COVID-19
Women seem to be submitting comparatively fewer papers for review to academic journals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elizabeth Hannon, deputy editor of the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, noted a “negligible number of submissions to the journal from women in the last month.” Anna Watts remarked upon the makeup of […]
Women Are The Majority of America’s Essential Workforce
Nearly one in three jobs held by women are officially considered essential work, meaning women are the majority of those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a new report by The New York Times, nearly 52 percent of all essential workers are women. This includes 77 percent of the health care worker, […]
Actor and Gay Icon Billy Porter Gives LGBTQ State of the Union
“Pose” star Billy Porter gave an LGBTQ state of the union hours before Donald Trump’s speech last night. Porter criticized the president ad highlighted the many issues that LGBTQ people are facing in the United States. Sponsored by Logo TV, Porter quickly called out the President as having “painted himself as a friend of the […]
Independence Day Afghan Women’s Handicraft Exhibition Uplifts Communities
This week, a three-day long exhibition of handicrafts made by Afghan women was showcased in Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, to celebrate the country’s 100th independence day. The handicraft exhibition was a part of several other upcoming programs focused on celebrating Afghan culture, people, and history. Women from the capital and neighboring provinces were able to […]
Afghan Director Roya Sadat’s Movie Wins Best Screenplay at SAARC Film Festival
On July 7, “A Letter to the President” by renowned Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat won Best Screenplay at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Film Festival in Sri Lanka. Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mohammad Ashraf Haidari, received the award on Sadat’s behalf. The festival featured 34 films from the eight SAARC countries: […]
Women Make up 25% of the Student Population at Afghanistan’s Higher Education Institutions
At Afghanistan’s higher education institutions, 25% of the student body population are women, including Tehmeena Painda, one of the highest achievers of the ‘Kankor’ University entrance examination- earning her a spot at Kabul Medical University. This is an amazing achievement for young women in Afghanistan, where girls were prohibited from going to school during the […]
Taliban Car Bomb Shakes Kabul as “Peace” Talks with U.S. Continue
Today, after a relatively peaceful period in Afghanistan, the Taliban detonated a car bomb during morning rush hour in Kabul. The car bomb is said to have rocked the entire city, killing at least 16 people and injuring 105 people, including 51 children and five women. The United Nations, NGOs working in Afghanistan, and the […]
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Emphasizes the Inclusion of Women in Peace and Security Talks
Last Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to discuss the importance of women in building a long lasting peace in post-conflict societies, emphasizing women’s role in peace efforts and calling for the inclusion of women in its efforts of conflict resolution overseas. The committee created a goal to ensure that Afghan women […]
More Women are becoming Sharia Judges in India
Women are now being trained as “qazis,” or Islamic judges who rule over marriage, divorce, and other relationship issues in India, allowing Indian brides to find justice within the Muslim community. The female qazis, unlike male qazis, listen to both individuals that are involved in the relationship and provide women information regarding their legal rights. […]
States are Passing Extreme Anti-Abortion Laws to Challenge Roe v. Wade
Yesterday, Alabama’s female Governor Kay Ivey signed into law the most restrictive and cruel anti-abortion legislation in the United States, legislation that female Representative Terry Collins introduced in the state house to challenge Roe v. Wade. This past week both Georgia and Alabama have passed extreme anti-abortion legislation, revealing the conservative agenda to overturn Roe […]
Women Call for Peace amid their Absence in the Peace Talks
Almost 3200 delegates gathered in Kabul from across Afghanistan this week to discuss peace in Afghanistan; nearly 30% of the participants in the grand assembly meeting were women. Women headed 13 committees of the total 51 committees and 28 were elected as committee secretaries. Despite some opposition and pushback from some conservative men, women continued […]
India Congress Spokesperson Quits Over Male Inappropriate Conduct
Priyanka Chaturvedi, the Congressional Spokesperson for India’s UPCC Party, has resigned from her position. Chaturvedi stated in a message on Twitter that this was a result of misbehavior by workers as well as a lack of regard for her within the party ranks. The UPCC Party recently reinstated multiple workers who Chaturvedi claims “misbehaved” toward […]
Saudi Women Continue Finding Ways to Flee Violence
Once again the world is hearing reports of two women fleeing their home of Saudi Arabia, shedding light on the status of women in the country. The two sisters, Wafa and Maha al-Subaie, have fled Saudi Arabia to seek asylum in the country of Georgia. Saudi Arabian citizens do not need entry visas for Georgia, […]
New Research Finds Women Make Nuclear War Less Imminent
New research, including research by the Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy, suggests that women are a vital part of preventing nuclear conflict, as well as resolving potential nuclear weapons issues. Including women in non-proliferation talks is proven to increase the diversity of ideas and lead to more positive outcomes. The Royal Society found that in […]
South Korea Rules Sixty Year Old Abortion Ban Unconstitutional
On Thursday, Seoul’s Constitutional Court voted 7-to-2 to overturn the 66-year-old abortion ban in South Korea, which criminalized abortion except in cases of rape, incest or imminent danger to the women’s health, and was one of the strictest abortion bans in a developed country. The court ruled the abortion ban as unconstitutional and violated a […]
Alabama Introduces Bill to Outlaw Almost All Abortions in the State
Alabama legislators introduced the most severe anti-abortion bill in the country on Tuesday that would ban abortions upon knowledge of pregnancy and make performing an abortion at any stage of a pregnancy a felony. The bill, HB314, would ban all abortions as soon as a woman is “known to be pregnant,” only giving exception if […]
