Stories and news related to feminism
Here’s an interesting infographic from CityTownInfo.com that breaks down the challenges and opportunities for women interested in scientific careers. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, women hold less than 25 percent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs. This, despite the fact women represent close to half of all workers in the U.S. Courtesy of: Citytowninfo.com
Today would have been Rosa Parks 100th birthday. Parks sparked a boycott and a movement when in 1955 she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on bus in Montgomery, Alabama. While best known for her bravery on the bus, Parks was a lifelong civil activist. In a proclamation marking the day President Obama said, “As we mark the 100th anniversary of Rosa Parks’s birth, we celebrate the life of a genuine American hero and remind ourselves that although the principle of equality has always been self-evident, it has never been self-executing. It has taken acts of courage from generations of fearless and hopeful Americans to make our country more just. As heirs to the progress won by those who came before us, let us pledge not only to honor their legacy, but also to take up their cause of perfecting our Union.” Also today, fifteen-year old education activist Malala Yousafzai released her first public statements since she was she was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen. Yousafzai recently underwent surgery; news outlets have reporterd that the surgeries were successful. Related articles VIDEO: Malala: ‘I am getting better’ Malala Yousafzai speaks publicly for first time since Taliban attack [...]
On Super Bowl Sunday, I imagine what it would be like to not be a feminist. I imagine being excited about “the greatest game on the grandest stage.” I wish I could find the magic in two brothers coaching against each other. I wish I could support making it a national holiday. And if I can’t support the notion it’s a spiritual event complete with divine intervention, then at least I’d like to simply enjoy a good party with beer and wings. But alas, no Super Bowl fun for me. The New York Times says, the Super Bowl speaks to all of us in different ways. For me, that means wondering if the threat of sex trafficking is real, how women can enjoy a game where the only role they’re allowed to play is half-dressed eye candy, what the long-term impact of sexist ads will be on my daughter, if people really think throwing a pigskin can lead to redemption for anyone, especially guys like Ray Lewis and, a few years ago, Ben Roethlisberger? It’s no fun being a feminist on Super Bowl Sunday. For just one day, I wish I could simply kick back and enjoy the game. It [...]
I love this clip from Ellen DeGeneres about all the lady products on the market. From BIC Pens for Her (Click here to read the reviews on Amazon -they’re hysterical.), to a car that comes in colors that “match a woman’s eye shadow,” companies think pink is the way to a woman’s wallet. Who’s behind these products? Well, here’s a picture of the BIC leadership team: And here’s a picture of the Honda Board of Directors: If that doesn’t make the case for gender diversity in the boardroom, what does?
I didn’t want to write about the rape case unfolding in Steubenville, Ohio, but it needs to be discussed. The details in this case are so wild, the incidences of rape in this country, so frequent, we need to know what happened. Last August, two high school football players from Steubenville were arrested and charged with raping a 16-year-old girl. They are awaiting a February trial. Videos and pictures of what took place that night were posted on social media sites, as were cruel tweets. Many of the posts have been deleted, but some were captured in screen grabs by a blogger at Prinnified.com. And Anonymous has been tracking them as well and threatened to go public with information about the people involved unless they issued public apologies. Wednesday, the group made good on that threat and posted a video (WARNING: it is very disturbing) of what appears to be a former high school student talking about the incident. If you’ve seen the video you’ve seen a twisted, cruel and frightening scene of a bunch of high school boys joking about the incident and the victim. One or two of the boys present muster a weak, “That’s not cool, bro,” but the rest seem [...]
Here’s a roundup of news affecting women. ForbesWoman has shared the best jobs for women based on satisfaction, salary, projected growth and annual openings. The top job? Diagnosing doctors including physicians, dentists and optometrists. See the rest of the jobs here. Speaking of women and work, Think Progress created an interesting infographic view of how the United States’ zero weeks of paid maternity leave compare to other countries. To see the sobering facts, click here. And for women not quite ready for maternity leave, interesting news out of the Supreme Court: Two companies, Hobby Lobby Stores and Christian bookstore chain Mardel, asked the Supreme Court to excuse them from having to provide free health insurance to their employees for emergency contraceptives, per the Affordable Care Act. According to reports, the companies said the provision would cause “irreparable harm to their religious freedom and to their businesses.” The high court turned down the request. In other reproductive rights news, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed an anti-abortion “superbill” according to RH Reality Check’s Robin Marty. HB5711 requires doctors to screen women for coercion before performing an abortion, bans telemedicine to prescribe first trimester medication abortions and regulates abortion clinics as hospital operating rooms. [...]
My cell phone rang yesterday at 3 p.m. I was in a meeting so I didn’t pick up the voicemail until 3:45. The message was from my daughter’s dance instructor. She was letting me know that my daughter’s 6 p.m. Thursday dance class, was changing to a 5 p.m. Thursday dance class, effective that night. In one hour and 15 minutes. Really? What if, like me, my husband took a 6:15 train home from the city? What if we were paying to have our child in an after school program that ran until 5:30 or 6? What if we had to leave work an hour or two early? What if flex time was a career killer for us? What if our carefully orchestrated drop off and pickup plan involving two other families, four other working parents and seven other kids, no longer worked? What if we had to pull our daughter out of the class because we just couldn’t get her there? It turns out my husband and I can make the time change work – but that’s not that point. The year is 2012 and parents work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the percentage of married couple [...]
It’s the most stressful wonderful stressful time of the year. Most of us have crazy to-do lists this month and some of our regular activities fall off of our radar (remember exercise and sleep?). Luckily, even as we scramble to cross off every item on our to-do list, we can still be mindful of supporting women and girls. Miss Representation has just released a video compilation of the worst ads of 2012 as far as gender stereotypes and hypersexualization of girls and women. We can send these companies a message this Christmas by not shopping in their stores or buying their products. Instead of companies that objectify women try to shop with companies that promote them. 2020 Women on Boards, a campaign dedicated to increasing the percentage of women on corporate boards, publishes a gender diversity directory that quantifies companies by the percentage of women on their boards. Companies are ranked based on the percentage of women on the board. W, or Winning, companies have 20 percent or more women on the board. V, or Very Close, companies have 19 percent women on the board. T, or Token, companies have only one woman on the board. And Z, or Zero, companies have no women on the board. Click here [...]
Delight the feminist on your holiday shopping list with these priceless gifts. (Click the bottom of the list to view it on The SkinnyScoop and get more details.) View this SkinnyScoop List
Rep. Burgess against abortion due to fetal masturbation
Rep. Burgess against abortion due to fetal masturbation - YouTube
Senator Claire McCaskill is Ready For Hillary Clinton for President 2016
