Why Gender Inequality Is More Acute for Women in the South
Not all inequality is created equal. Though a disparity between the sexes is seen throughout the United States and around the world, women in the South have it especially rough. A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research lays out the facts, and they're pretty bleak for Southern states. Adverse workplace environment, lack of representation in state legislatures, even greater than average wage inequality and more left Southern states in the bottom of the rankings when it came to six categories women's welfare.Click through to read more about the report's findings, which are especially important in this election year.
theatlantic.com - The gender pay gap is a worldwide problem, but women in some places have it worse than others. A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) reveals that working women in the South suffer some of the harshest inequalities in the U.S., not only in terms of how much they are paid, but how they are treated in the workforce.
To compare the status of women across the nation, the report grades each state based on six categories: political participation, employment and earnings, work and family, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, and health and well-being. Not a single Southern state was given an overall grade higher than a C-. In fact, 10 out of the 14 Southern states received some form of a D grade, as shown in the chart below.
Best and Worst States in the South
While not all of the report’s findings are this bleak, many of them reveal startling realities about just how divisive the workplace is for women in the South. When it comes to political participation, for instance, only one Southern state—North Carolina—earned above a D grade. Meanwhile, the report concludes that it will take more than 200 years for West Virginia and South Carolina to achieve gender parity in their state legislatures—almost double the time it will take to close the global pay gap.
Read more here.
How the death of two Ugandan mothers is helping entrench the right to health care
Every day, an average of 16 women in Uganda die avoidable deaths during childbirth. And while neighboring Rwanda has decreased similar incidents, Uganda continues to struggle even as it promises free health services to citizens. Resources, salaries and staff training are in short supply, and even without user fees for health services patients are expected to pay out-of-pocket for some services--and are denied or delayed when they can't. It's a recipe that has led to many of the preventable deaths--deaths of infants and mothers that could have been avoided with prompt maternal care. The tragic deaths of two expectant mothers, Sylvia Nalubowa and Jennifer Anguko, are spurring calls for the Ugandan government to take responsibility--and to change the system to ensure meaningful rights to health care for all.
Respecting women's rights as well as the country's constitution and international agreements, the Centre for health, Human Rights and Development argues, includes the right to necessary maternal care.
Click through to follow the progress of this case through Ugandan courts.
venturesafrica.com - When Sylvia Nalubowa went into labour in Uganda’s Mityana district in August 2009, she was taken to a local health centre where she expected to have a normal birth, supervised by a midwife.
After she had delivered her first baby the midwife realised there was a twin on the way. The midwife recommended that Nalubowa be taken to the district hospital where a doctor could handle the second delivery.
But when she arrived at the Mityana District Hospital in Central Uganda, the nurses asked for her maternity kit. This is commonly known as a “mama kit” and contains a plastic sheet, razor blades, cotton wool or gauze pad, soap, gloves, cord ties, and a child health card. All mothers delivering babies in Ugandan hospitals and clinics are expected to bring their own “mama kits” when they go into labour.
But Nalubowa had used her “mama kit” at the first health facility when delivering her first child. The nurses would hear none of her excuses and demanded money to purchase the kit before they could attend to her.
Read more here.
New Film Production Company Focuses on Female Empowerment
An exciting new venture is in the works from leading ladies on screen—and leading female empowerment voices in movies and television. We Can Do It Together is a non-profit production company working with leading voices in the industry—both male and female—to elevate the profiles of women and other marginalized groups in movies and other forms of media. The advisory board includes Jessica Chastain, Queen Latifah, Juliette Binoche, Catherine Hardwicke, and other powerful women in the film and television industries.
The non-profit company will announce its first project at Cannes in May, and we'll be watching with great interest.
The Hollywood Reporter - A new non-profit production company called We Do It Together has been launched with a focus on female empowerment in films, TV and other forms of media.
The new banner comes with a star-studded advisory board that includes Jessica Chastain, Queen Latifah, Juliette Binoche, Freida Pinto, Catherine Hardwicke, Amma Asante, Małgorzata Szumowska, Marielle Heller, Ziyi Zhang, Haifaa Al Mansour, and Katia Lund.
The venture plans to work with male and female internationally acclaimed directors, actors, and producers to develop a slate of gender-led films, and help create opportunities for emerging voices within the industry.
The news of the company's formation comes on the heels of a year focused on the gender disparity in the industry, which led to an investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Read more here.
Diversity in filmmaking: How ‘Reel Grrls’ empowers young women who have something to say
Film making is an ideal medium for telling diverse stories--but the industry continues to be dominated by straight, white men, and many young women and girls hesitate to pursue movie making. One organization has been working for nearly 15 years to combat that. Seattle-based Reel Grrls, which may expand out of the state in the near future, uses volunteer and paid mentors and teachers to show the ropes of film making to girls middle-school-age and up. As the girls grow comfortable with the technology and build confidence, it also battles another long-held bias--that girls and women are not as good with tech as boys and men.
The nonprofit is empowering girls to tell their own stories, insightful works ranging from silly to serious, and is creating a twofold pipeline to improve the situation: More girls behind the camera now means more women behind the camera in the years and generations to come; and with girls and young women telling stories, the media we all consume will start to tell a more diverse--and representative--story.
The organization focuses on educating and empowering girls and LGBT individuals, and works to build a network, making connections in the video and film industries. They teach classes including vlogging, editing, storytelling, sharing strategies and more. Click through to learn more.
geekwire.com - The video recording and editing capabilities of smartphones and tablets have made it easier than ever for would-be filmmakers to create all manner of videos. And yet the world of movie-making is still overwhelmingly dominated by white, straight men.
At least for now.
Seattle’s Reel Grrls is working to empower young women and LBGT youth to find their voice in filmmaking and learn to use everything from simple smartphone technology to high-production cinematic tools.
With the help of Reel Grrls, youth are discovering “my voice is important and I have the skills and technology available to me,” said Malory Graham, who founded the nonprofit in 2001. They realize that they have something essential to say and that no one else can say it as well as they can.
“They’re making their own media,” Graham said. “And that’s going to change the face of the media we see.”
For many, that change would be welcome. Sunday’s Academy Awards drew criticism and boycotts by movie stars upset by the absence of black, Hispanic and other non-white awards nominees. And a university study released last week measured the lack of women, racial minorities and LBGT people in movies, TV and digital series — both behind the camera and in front of it.
Read more here.
Too much good stuff: A list of lists for International Women's Day
There is way too much information about women—the dangers we still face, economic inequality, the huge strides women have made over the years, inspirational stories about everyday women, how to help the women in your life—to cover in one day or even during Women's History Month. It can seem overwhelming. Sometimes, an overview is just the thing needed to find your cause and join the fight. So for a small taste, here are a few lists you might want to peruse by news sources, nonprofits and amazing organizations that join us in our fight for gender equality. Prepare to be stunned, educated and inspired.
5 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day 2016
From joining the worldwide conversation to a call for justice to making a Pledge for Parity, The Nobel Women’s Initiative has ways you can celebrate and join in advocating for women right now.
16 Courageous Women Standing Up to Violence
An amazing collection of courageous women addressing violence and its underlying causes, and helping people heal.
5 women you've never heard of who changed the world
OK, so you might have heard of some of these women, but this list of women featured at the World Economic Forum will teach everyone a few new facts, including stories of a politician, an actress, and activists and trailblazers way ahead of their time.
14 Feminist Quotes For Women's History Month 2016
Bustle rounded up some wise words from Malala Yousafzai, Gloria Steinem, Beyoncé and other ladies you may recognize (as well as some voices who might be new to you!), so head over for some inspiration, and share your own favorite women-empowering words with us!
40 New Books for Women’s History Month
The insightful folks at A Mighty Girl have an amazing collection of books about girls and women for young readers--boys as well as girls. Picture books, chapter books, young adult, biographies are all featured. (Adults can probably learn a thing or two as well!)
International Women's Day 2016: 10 best feminist books
Looking for books written primarily for adults? The Independent has you covered with this list of feminist books, from classics to new books. Get reading!
11 Must-Read Biographies About Incredible Women
One more list of books. Because we can't ever get enough of women's stories. This list from The Huffington Post is as diverse as it is intriguing.
In the United States, only 5 percent of work on museum walls is by women. Can you even name five female artists? To highlight this inequity and promote women artists, the National Museum of Women in the Arts launched the social media campaign #5womenartists. If you're falling a little short or even if you're not, check out this article from The Getty profiling five talented women artists.
This is just a beginning—we haven't even covered injustices and violence women face worldwide, women's role in easing global challenges like climate change and hunger, how women's success in the boardroom translates to more powerful companies, and much more—but it's a start. Let us know what inspires you this International Women's Day, come back as we continue the conversation on investing in women, and keep fighting for gender parity!
50 Captivating Photos Of Girls Going To School Around The World
Access to education is a huge issue around the world, particularly for girls--who face obstacles even above their male counterparts through lack of resources, preconceptions about girls, obligations outside of school, stigma against mestruation, and much more. No matter the country, culture, or gender, everyone deserves an education.
Click through to see the photos.
huffingtonpost.com - All children should have the right to get an education -- no matter their gender.
Globally, 65 million girls are not in school. Of the 774 million people who are illiterate around the world, two-thirds are women. There are 33 million fewer girls in primary school than boys.
Why does this matter? Research shows that educating girls can save millions of lives, including the lives of young girls around the world.
The statistics are startling: If every woman around the globe had a primary and secondary education, child deaths would be cut in half, saving 3 million people. A girl with eight years of education is four times less likely to marry as a child. If a girl earned just one extra year of education, she can earn 20 percent more as an adult.
To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, we've rounded up 50 photos of girls going to school around the world.
The photos feature girls of all ages from China, Palestine, Kenya and more, getting an education. Whether they're walking to school with friends or excited about learning something new in class, these photos are proof that all children should have the right to get an education, no matter their gender.
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8 charts that show why life is still harder and more dangerous for women
While some countries have made great strides in recent decades toward gender equality, we still have a long way to go before reaching true parity. International Women's Day is Tuesday, March 8, and the theme this year is #PledgeForParity. "Worldwide, women continue to contribute to social, economic, cultural and political achievement," the International Women's Day website proclaims. "And we have much to celebrate today. But progress towards gender parity has slowed in many places."
We'd like to pass on this article from The Independent, with five striking graphic representations of areas that still need a lot of work to reach equality, safety, and happiness of all.
independent.co.uk - Women still earn less than men across all sectors and occupations, hold just a fifth of global parliamentary seats and face an estimated 118-year wait for the gender pay gap to finally close.
Those are some of the startling statistics showing how desperately initiatives to improve education, health and quality of life asInternational Women’s Day approaches.
Sexual abuse
More than a third of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
The most common form is domestic violence or attacks by current or previous partners, which occur most frequently between a woman’s teenage years and menopause.
Additionally, at least 46 countries have no laws protecting women against domestic violence and many nations that do enforce them poorly.
Child sex abuse
An estimated 120 million girls and women under age 20 have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts – around 10 per cent.
A Unicef report found that the violence was a “global reality” across all countries and social groups that could include harassment, rape or sexual exploitation in prostitution or pornography.
Read the rest here.
Cayman stepping up for gender equality
In the Cayman Islands, as in other areas throughout the world, residents and leaders aren't content to honor women only on International Women's Day. Cayman leaders discuss women's empowerment, education and celebration events all month long during Honoring Women Month--including why the story of Malala Yousafzai is so inspirational (the documentary film “He Named Me Malala” will be screened for free on International Women's Day), how gender equality is an issue that affects everyone, and “the importance of involving both men and women in working together to promote equal opportunities for all." caymancompass.com - International Women’s Day is Tuesday, but in the Cayman Islands, women will be celebrated with special events all month.
March is Honoring Women Month in Cayman, and the Family Resource Centre has organized several events around the theme of “Step it up for gender equality.”
The theme is tied to a commitment made by world leaders at the United Nations in 2015 to end discrimination against women by 2030 with “concrete and measurable” actions to kick-start rapid change in their countries.
“It starts with self-evaluating what is happening within our organizations, our community, and seeing whether there are ways that men and women aren’t being treated fairly or equally,” Family Resource Centre program facilitator Charmaine Miller said. “Women’s equality isn’t just a woman’s issue, it’s a human rights issue.”
Read more here.
Brands join the women's empowerment conversation
Doing well while doing good—it’s a recipe more companies are following, and this International Women’s Day is no exception. Interest in feminism has skyrocketed in recent years, and ads are going viral by spreading messages of acceptance and female empowerment. Click through to learn how to optimize content for your brand for release around International Women’s Day, which formats are most memorable and above all how to make your engagement authentic. thedrum.com - The call for greater equality of opportunity for women in all areas of life, from the workplace to politics or the sports field and beyond, is growing louder and will be a defining movement of the 21st century.
Hand-in-hand with the demand for greater equality is a desire for more positive representation of women in media and marketing – 53 percent of women believe that "ad campaigns have a strong influence on how women are perceived in society" (Google Consumer Survey).
Given that marketing has the ability to mold perceptions, challenge received wisdoms and 'nudge' people towards new ways of thinking, there is an opportunity for brands to contribute positively towards the equality debate with relevant initiatives and content.
One focal point for raising awareness is International Women’s Day, almost upon us on Tuesday 8 March. It is celebrated every year and searches for 'women empowerment' peak just after the event. But interest in gender equality stretches far beyond one day of activism; UK searches for 'feminism' grew 27 per cent from 2014 to 2015, with queries such as 'what is a feminist?' and 'what does feminism mean?'
Read more here.
How Our Generation Is Approaching Gender in a Totally New Way
Women are used to fighting assumptions and gender stereotypes—but even the staunchest feminists in their 30s and older might be unfamiliar with some of the terms in the latest discussions about gender and sexuality. Millennials and teens today are eschewing labels and gender restrictions in ways and in numbers that haven't been seen before in the mainstream. They're exploring uncertainty, identity and non-binary genders, they focus on individuality, and their discussions revolve most often around education and acceptance. Click through to read more and to watch an interview by Teen Vogue with some fresh faces from Calvin Klein's ck2 campaign—because accepting one another as we are is empowering to everyone.
teenvogue.com - Teen Vogue caught up with the cool kids of Calvin Klein's ck2 campaign to talk about what it means to live label free. Dancer/rapper Victoria Brito aka Vickatrillion, Kanye muse Luka Sabbat, and twin models Kelsey and Baylee Soles each talk about why gender stereotypes are limiting, proving that you don't have to identify as gender fluid in order to understand gender fluidity.
"As a woman, sometimes they just expect you to dress a certain way and act a certain way, and sometimes you aren't recognized for other things besides femininity," says Kelsey. "Each day I try to be a different character. I'll be really feminine one day, or really masculine another."
In February, Calvin Klein launched fragrance ck2, a sequel to the 1994 unisex classic CK One. CK One was the world's first unisex fragrance, and the original campaign became part of the '90s zeitgeist. Now, the gender-free ck2 is celebrating fluidity and coexistence by embracing how millennials are able to explore their relationships, friendships, and sexualities without judgement or labels.
Winners of the Freedom from Violence Photo Competition in India send a strong message for change
Check out this amazing album from the UN Women Asia & the Pacific Flickr page, highlighting the winners of their UN Women’s Freedom from Violence Photo Competition. Photographers used their skills and time to highlight women's issues, raise awareness, send a powerful message and paint a revealing picture of what women's lives—and rights—mean for them and for the world.
Click through to view the whole gallery and to read stories about the photos. Visit them online to learn more about UN Women Asia & the Pacific.
flickr.com - Tash McCarroll, Akshita Agrawal and Animesh Malakar are the three winners of UN Women’s Freedom from Violence Photo competition.
They won Nikon Cool Pix cameras for their award-winning effort.
Akshita Agrawal recognised women's freedom of choice as central to ensuring their dignity. “A woman who has the freedom to make choices lives a life of dignity and respect,” she said.
Tash McCarroll spent four days on the streets of Mumbai in Dharavi talking to people about women's rights and taking photographs.
She saw UN Women’s Freedom from Violence Photo Competition as "a great opportunity to educate others and advocate about women's rights to different groups of people, both men and women". She believes that campaigns like this contribute to pushing for change.Tash is one of the three winners of UN Women’s Freedom from Violence Photo competition.
Here we feature the three winning pictures as well as the ten runner ups from the Freedom from Violence for Women and Girls Photo Competition.
Through the two-month long photo competition that ran from 9 December 2012 to 10 February 2013, UN Women encouraged young people to show the world what freedom from violence against women meant to them. As part of the UN Secretary General's UNiTE to End Violence against Women and Girls campaign, millions were encouraged to discuss and prevent violence against women through social media and on ground activation
Afghanistan’s First Female Street Artist Has Taken Over Kabul’s Walls To Glorify Its Women
For many, "graffiti" might not evoke the power that some street artists hold to spread hope, awareness and powerful message—and Afghanistan may not bring to mind messages of women's empowerment. However, one street artist—Shamsia Hassani, who lives in Kabul—is changing that. The city's walls are her canvas, and she uses her striking works of art to spread messages of peace, strength, resiliency and hope to her community.
Read more, and see more of her work, in the full article at The Huffington Post.
The Huffington Post - A woman in a purple hijab sits playing the piano, a tear rolling down her cheek. She plays her solitary tune amongst a sea of blue skyscrapers, soaring above the cars that zoom beneath her unnoticed. This subject already wears her contradictions proudly — she is strong, she is vulnerable, she is graceful, creative, separate, sad. And yet, at least it seems, she calls out to no one, content to sit with her feelings and express herself creatively, freely, in peace.
This work of street art was made by Shamsia Hassani, widely known as the first prominent woman street artist in Afghanistan. Hassani was born in 1988 in Tehran to Afghan parents, eventually moving to Kabul to pursue her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in visual art. She currently resides in Kabul, where she turns the city’s walls into colorful canvases that spread a message of peace and hope to her community.
Read more here.
5 Things Politicians Need to Know About Millennial Women to Get Their Votes
Younger voters and women are often much-coveted demographics in political elections. This year, politicians and political analysts are taking a closer look at Millennial women. Their experiences are unique, as are their outlooks, struggles and issues that most concern them. Fortune.com covers a recent national survey illuminating five key points that anyone should keep in mind, if they want to respect and win over Millennial women. fortune.com - Young women have been central to discussions of the Democratic Party nomination contest between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). Despite sweeping assumptions about young voters and this election, millennials have a relationship with feminism and these two candidates that plays out differently across ethnicities and lifestage in particular.
Specifically, a new national, proprietary, third-party validated survey of more than 1,600 women fielded by SheKnows Media found that there are nuances between those aged 25 to 29 versus those who are aged 30 to 34, and that women of color of all ages often feel excluded from the feminist movement.
1. Women in their late 20s most strongly identify as feminists: Millennial women between the ages of 25 and 29 most strongly identify as being feminist compared to their younger (18-15) and older (30-34) generational counterparts. Fifty-four percent of women in this age group responded to the question with an unequivocal “yes,” matching the passion of Boomer feminists who saw the gains of the second-wave feminist movement first-hand.
Read more here.
Yes, You Should Be Watching 'Supergirl'
From fighting for what they believe in, to discussing women's issues, to being (gasp!) imperfect examples of women; Kara (aka Supergirl) and the other characters in CBS's "Supergirl" provide a strong, progressive, nuanced look at the lives of strong women and men. From casting to directing and action sequences, the show is a powerhouse-in-the making in its own right. Read below for just a few reasons to check out the show as Kara, Catco, and co. fight for the country; the planet; and, yes, for women's rights. forbes.com - Lexi Alexander is directing tonight’s episode of Supergirl. That alone would be reason enough to tune in, as the acclaimed Green Street Hooligans/Punisher War Zone director is once again dipping her toes in the DC television universe pond after helming an episode of Arrow last year. The famously upfront and vocal director, who constantly hits back at the film industry’s deeply entrenched gender and racial inequalities, was recruited for the fourth episode of Arrow’s fourth season. That gig led to tonight’s Supergirl and will hopefully lead to more high-profile television directing jobs in the future (like a confirmed gig directing a comparatively action-free episode of Limitless).
If the movies don’t want her, then television should relish the opportunity. That an immigrant would find herself directing an episode titled “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” is perfectly fitting with the show’s openhearted optimism and a narrative where the two showiest heroes are aliens in both senses of the word. Point being, if you haven’t been watching Supergirl or you gave up after the not-great post-pilot episodes, it’s time to rectify that mistake.
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5 Proven Reasons Feminism Is Great For Your Health
We all know that caring about women's rights is important—for everyone. Fighting for equality through advocating for women's rights ends up improving the lives of women as well as entire societies, and everyone wins. But did you know the feminist lifestyle is good for your health? Bustle.com covers five ways feminist habits and outlooks are correlated with physical and mental health. bustle.com - Feminism is awesome. It fights long-entrenched gender inequalities based on the really fundamental belief that women deserve the same economic, social and educational privileges as men. (Not that hard, really.) There are a lot of undeniable plus-sides to being a feminist, from standing up for your fellow women to being on the right side of history, but science is also finding that feminism and the equality it creates can have some serious health benefits, too. Quoting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie can make us healthier? Sweet, let's get campaigning!
There are several relationships between feminist thinking and better health outcomes. One is that of consequences: better equality, for instance, leads to more wealth for women, which tends to lead to more access to healthcare, more educated decisions about childbearing, and other health-positive stuff. Another is a bit more direct: it seems that thinking like a feminist seems to have genuine positive psychological benefits for our mental health. And then there's the health benefit of having a medical system that takes women's pain seriously, which is definitely a feminist issue.
Here are five different ways in which being a feminist will boost your mental and physical health, from the more abstract to the tangible. A dose of feminism may keep the doctor away more effectively than any old apple.
Read the list here.
NPR Interviews Young Visionary Behind #1000BlackGirlBooks
Marley Dias loves to read. But the New Jersey 11-year-old—who, among other things, has traveled to Ghana to help feed orphans and received a grant from Disney—has made it her latest passion to collect children's books featuring black female protagonists so she and other students can have role models in fiction that include people like themselves.The project, #1000BlackGirlBooks, saw its beginning when Dias commented to her mother that she was "sick of reading about white boys and dogs." Determined to show that there are wonderful black girl protagonists—and to introduce the books to schools and show that reading is enhanced by including diverse perspectives—Dias set out to collect 1,000 such books by the beginning of February. She's currently at 4,000 books and counting.
Dias spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about her effort and the importance of students being able to identify with protagonists.
"I think it's important in general for kids to be reading books with diversity. When you read about a character that you can connect with, you'll remember the things that they learned, so if I like hair bows, and the character I'm reading about likes hair bows; I'll remember what he or she learned in that book because I have something in common with them," Dias told Morning Edition's David Greene.
Read an excerpt and listen to the interview, and click through to check out the rest of the article, including book recommendations from Dias.
NPR Ed - (Excerpt) Black girls, like Marley, were almost never the main character.
What she was noticing is actually a much bigger issue: Fewer than 10 percent of children's books released in 2015 had a black person as the main character, according to a yearly analysis by the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. And while the number of children's books about minorities has increased in the past 20 years, many classroom libraries have older books.
Last fall, Marley decided to do something about it. She set a goal of collecting 1,000 books about black girls by the beginning of February, and #1000blackgirlbooks was born.
Arkansas Domestic Violence Shelter for Male Victims First of its Kind
When we hear "domestic violence," many of us imagine a female or child victim and a male perpetrator. And while this is often the case, violence can happen in many different ways or relationships. In a move that shows domestic violence can affect everyone, men in Batesville County in Arkansas now have a dedicated shelter to turn to if they are victims domestic violence, according to Arkansas Online. Men had been sheltered in a six-bedroom facility in the past, but the Taylor House Domestic Violence Shelter for Men appears to be the first registered shelter for males in the country. We think this is a wonderful idea. Men—and everyone—deserve safety and care without being blamed or stigmatized. The same sexist stereotypes that harm women cab also harm men, and we're so happy to see that men in one neighborhood have somewhere to turn.
Click through to read the whole story, visit the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence to learn more about resources in the area, or visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1 (800) 799-7233 if you need help or additional resources.
Arkansas Online - When most people hear the term “domestic violence,” their minds automatically turn to women or children in dangerous household situations. Men are often seen as the abusers in domestic-violence scenarios, but there are times when men are on the receiving end of abuse.
“Many people do not realize that domestic violence also affects men,” said Patty Duncan, executive director of Family Violence Prevention Inc. in Batesville. “It’s not just male/female relationships. Domestic violence includes intimate partners, family and household members.”
Family Violence Prevention has housed men in its private six-bedroom Safehaven Shelter in the past, but in October, the nonprofit opened The Taylor House Domestic Violence Shelter for Men. Duncan said that — as far as she can tell — it is the first registered shelter for males in the country.
Read the rest here.
How the Biggest Book Club on Goodreads Is Making a Real-World Impact
Actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson has spent much of the last year learning as much as she can about feminism and women's causes, and she wants to share the learning journey. Goodreads covers their largest group: the books Watson and her book club friends worldwide are reading, and how the club is inspiring movements and clubs to organize around the globe. goodreads.com - When Emma Watson starts a book club, readers pay attention. On January 6, the British actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador announced her intention to start a feminist book club. It took less than 24 hours for Watson to turn her intention into reality. By January 7, Our Shared Shelf was up and running—and less than a month later, it became the largest group on Goodreads with 100,000 members (and counting).
"As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading as many books and essays about equality as I can get my hands on," Watson wrote on Our Shared Shelf's group page. "There is so much amazing stuff out there! Funny, inspiring, sad, thought-provoking, empowering!" Her plan is to select one book a month to read and discuss with her fellow book club members. Her first pick was My Life on the Road, journalist and feminist activist Gloria Steinem's 2015 memoir. This month, the club is reading The Color Purple by novelist and feminist activist Alice Walker.
But Our Shared Shelf is more than just a place to find reading recommendations.
Read the rest here.
Meet the 24-year-old who could change how the US handles sexual assaults
No one should ever suffer an assault—let alone have to suffer and struggle in the aftermath as they seek care and justice. But that's just what happened to Amanda Nguyen. Nguyen, 24, has already accomplished much: She's a State Department liaison to the White House and an aspiring astronaut, but one of her biggest struggles was after she was sexually assaulted and had to navigate a confusing, broken system to try to keep her rape kit from being destroyed. It led Nguyen to research rights guaranteed to victims of sexual assault across various states, and to work with legislators and legal experts to draft new bills ensuring rights like a trained sexual assault counselor for survivors of sexual assaults, as well as information about their legal rights and the status of their rape kit.
Nguyen founded the Rise organization, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of survivors of sexual assault. Activists and volunteers came together under Rise to research laws and protections in various states and eventually gathered support for a bill, which is expected to have bipartisan support and inspire more similar actions at the state level.
Read much more about the efforts of Nguyen and Rise, Nguyen's personal story and tenacity, the legal difficulties faced by survivors of sexual assault and more in the full article.
theguardian.com - In what they hope will become a bipartisan bright spot, Democrats in the Senate on Tuesday introduced a sweeping new bill to guarantee and standardize certain rights for people who have experienced sexual assault.
The bill is the latest attempt to fix a system for prosecuting sex crimes that many public figures agree is broken. But where many bills focus on expanding resources for law enforcement, this is the first national proposal to focus so directly on improving legal protections for those who are sexually assaulted.
And the bill has a unique driving force behind it: Amanda Nguyen, a 24-year-old State Department liaison to the White House in training to be an astronaut who helped craft the bill. Nguyen became an activist because of her own enormous struggles with a difficult legal system that nearly destroyed her rape kit.
“Basically, I had to pen my own rights into existence,” she said in a recent interview.
The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act draws from legal rights that already exist in patchwork form in different states across the county. It requires steps to ensure that people who have been sexually assaulted have access to a trained sexual assault counselor and comprehensive information about victims’ legal options. For individuals who submit to a rape kit, the bill would give them the right to know the location of the evidence, whether the kit has been tested, and the test results.
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Soledad O'Brien Nails The Absurdity Of 'Work/Life Balance'
In the second episode of Pioneers, a new HuffPost Originals series talking with people at the top of their fields about what success and fulfillment mean to them, Soledad O'Brien discusses how she finds balance in life. The idea behind "work-life balance" is a "false dichotomy," she believes. She believes the important thing is to focus on finding a good balance of what moves you and you're able to be fully present in your home and work life. O'Brien also talks about her new media business, what moves her and more. Click through to watch the video.
huffingtonpost.com - Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien has all the traditional trappings of success: She's an award-winning journalist, founder of her own company and mother of four.
But for her, daily life is about something more simple.
"You have to be about the business of doing good work," she said. "That to me is success."
O'Brien's philosophy led her to the top of her field, and became a key factor in helping her reach new heights. She founded Starfish Media Group in 2013, a production and distribution company that creates documentaries about people who are often overlooked, and whose stories are interwoven with difficult, complex social issues.
"Telling stories through people, really trying to understand human beings... that makes me happy, I like to do that," she told HuffPost. "If we can continue to do that and grow that, I'll be really happy."
Because she focuses her time on things that bring her joy, O'Brien said that she doesn't experience conflicts between work and life -- to her, the idea of work-life balance is a "false dichotomy."