2006 January Archive | Feministing

Boy fights to wear skirt to school

I totally kicked it with the kind of boys that would have worn a skirt to high school. I remember like it was yesterday.
via Salon.

By Samhita • 18 years ago

Update on Iraqi female detainees

Broadsheet elaborates on what seems to be women being used as bait between Iraqi insurgents and US troops in this *hostage* situation.
Apparently the US Army has been kidnapping the wives of suspected insurgents to use as bait. Lovely. (So who does have bigger balls?)
As they ask,

And we wonder why Iraqi insurgents think taking a woman hostage and attempting to use her as a bargaining chip might be an effective tactic?

Hmmm.

By Jessica • 18 years ago

Boys, bias, and the danger of glitter

It’s been super-trendy recently to cover the “gender imbalance” in colleges and how poor boys are getting the shit end of the education stick. Now, it seems our evil feminist plan has spread over to high schools. Sigh.
The Boston Globe recently reported on Doug Anglin, a 17 year-old at Milton High School who has filed a federal civil rights complaint claiming that his school discriminates against boys.
Some of my favorite parts of Anglin’s complaint:

…”The system is designed to the disadvantage of males,” Anglin said. “From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you’ll do well and get good grades. Men naturally ...

By Jessica • 18 years ago

Useless study no. 4,356

Research shows that women’s brains are “wired” for worrying. Um, yeah.

By Jessica • 18 years ago

New test tells women their reproductive “expiration date”

A new test claims to be able to tell women how long they will be fertile. Or as some oh-so-enlightened folks would say, it gauges women’s reproductive “expiration date.”

The kit assesses the number of eggs in a woman’s ovaries and then predicts the ovarian reserves over the next two years. This will help women decide how long they can delay conceiving.
…The Plan Ahead test by Lifestyle Choices, costs £179 and is only available privately. It measures three hormones in the blood – two ovarian hormones called Inhibin B and AMH, and the pituitary hormone called FSH.
Combining these three results gives a forecast of the number of eggs in reserve, meaning that women who may face ...

A new test claims to be able to tell women how long they will be fertile. Or as some oh-so-enlightened folks would say, it gauges women’s reproductive “expiration date.”

The kit assesses the number of ...

By Jessica • 18 years ago

Kidman to work on women’s issues for UN

Actress Nicole Kidman, recently appointed a goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), will work on women’s rights and gender equality.
But Kidman–and UNIFEM–are dodging questions on abortion:

“In terms of where I stand (on abortion), that is my private belief,” Kidman said at UN headquarters in New York. “I’m here to work for an organisation, so my own personal beliefs I don’t think should come into it. I’m here to help disseminate information.”
…UNIFEM backed Kidman’s right to stay silent on abortion, saying reproductive health issues fell under the mandate of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
“As a result, UNIFEM will not comment on abortion issues at all,” a spokeswoman said. ...

“In ...

By Samhita • 18 years ago

Gender mixed marathon run peacefully in Pakistan

With a whole lot of security, 500 women were able to successfully participate in one of Pakistan’s historically male dominated marathon events.

Islamic protesters had demanded women be barred from taking part, arguing their presence ran counter to Islam.
But correspondents say such events are important to Pakistan’s government, keen to seem a moderate Islamic state.
A total of three races were held: an exclusively male, professional run, a mixed-sex marathon and a family event which involved women and children running for 5km. Some 10,000 people took part, including 60 foreign athletes.

Apparently last year women participated as well, but as of April Islamic hardliners had made a ban on mixed-sex marathons.
via BBCNews.

With a whole lot of security, 500 women were able to successfully participate in one of Pakistan’s historically male dominated marathon events.

Islamic protesters had demanded women be barred from taking part, arguing their presence ran counter to ...

By Jessica • 18 years ago

Kittens of design?

Contributed by Jess Wakeman.
Readers of Step Inside Design’s December/January issue bared their claws when the magazine chose to illustrate their “women of design” issue with….kittens.
Wrote one angry reader:
“Congratulations on degrading your well-written, well-researched articles with a cover that portrays these hard-working, intelligent, and creative women as a bunch of adorable, cuddly and nonthreatening housepets.”
Wrote a male reader:
“I’ll bet a bag of cat litter that if it had been about leading men of design, you would’ve shown their faces or samples of their work.”
Mag representatives wrote in their February/March issue that they were trying to “change connotations by re-appropriating them,” pointing out that’s why Spike Lee can make a film ...