Stories about Women & Gender from May, 2007
Arabeyes: Short Skirts Looked Down at in Tunisia
From a conversation about her friend Fatima, Tunisian blogger Maheva takes us deep into an argument about education, freedom of choice and personal preferences. Click to read the full translation.
Guyana: Monetary Compensation & Sexual Assault
Following a case in which when a 39 year-old man was accused of sexual assault against a 17 year-old girl, The Guyana Groove writes: “When a woman is forced to accept monetary compensation from the very person who already violated her, it is as if she is forced to put...
Kuwait: Pedicure Bliss
Ansam from Kuwait announces the launch of a new service – a pedicure service done right in the convenience of your home. “This is amazing… specially for Kuwaiti people! We like to have everything at our doorsteps!” she notes.
Arabeyes: 1001 Tales from Libyan Taxi Rides
Can taking a taxi be an eye-opening experience to the society you live in? Libyan blogger Libyano takes us on a ride of a lifetime which gives him the chance to contemplate on his society, the behaviour of young men and the antics of some taxi drivers. Enjoy the ride!
South Korea: Gender Gap
Kotaji comments on the widening of gender gap in South Korea, there are more male than female. The writer's quick suggestions are acceptance of homosexuality, sex change, clone female.
Palestine: Honour Killings
Palestinian blogger Amal A gives us an insight to the atrocities being committed against women in her country. According to a report she posts: “A forum of Palestinian organizations which fight anti-women violence published on Monday a report about killing Palestinian women under the guise of so-called family honour. The...
Jordan: Woman Chief of Court Appointed
Jordanian blogger Tololy announces the appointment of a woman chief of court in her country. “Good news; now we have women police officers, nurses, doctors, engineers, journalists, garbage-truck drivers, professors, teachers, mini-Sheikhs, nuns (obviously), managers, ministers, parliament members, and chiefs of court,” she notes.
Poland: “A Teletubby in the Closet”
The beatroot writes on the Polish Children’s Ombudsman (Ombudswoman) Ewa Sowinska and her discovery of a “Teletubby in the closet.”
Pakistan: Begum Nawazish Ali
The Pakistani Spectator on a delightful talk show where a man presents himself as a woman named Begum Nawazish Ali. “One thing is clear and established that the program “Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali” broadcast by AAJ channel, is in striking contrast with the Pakistani values, but its...
Maternal Mortality Still High in Tunisia
Zizou from Djerba writes that Tunisia is on its way to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in all areas except for maternal mortality [Fr]. Zizou attributes the problem to poor quality emergency health care, citing an incident where a woman who hemorrhaged after giving delivery died while waiting to...
Iran:How Iranian Girls Used to Wear Before Revolution
Here is a photo that shows how Iranian girls used to wear in University of Tehran before 1979 revolution and after that.
Uganda: Free solar mobile phone chargers for rural women
Pius Sawa writes about solar mobile phone chargers in Uganda: “Motorola company has introduced a new innovative technology of phone charging called Motorpower Kiosk.The project was launched on May 10th 2007 in Kampala. Each Motorpower kiosk is charged by a 55 Watts Direct Current (DC) inverted solar panel, capable of...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Miss Universe Pick
Zahra Redwood will represent Jamaica at tonight's Miss Universe competition as the first Rastafarian Beauty Queen - but Abeni has “taken a liking to Miss Tanzania for being bold enough to enter a beauty pageant sans hair.”
Iran: A Bloody Face Symbolizes the Violent Repression of Women
On Sunday a young woman in Tehran became the latest victim of the crackdown. Citizen reporters captured photographs of her bloodied face which were subsequently published on many Iranian weblogs. According to some reports she was filming the police crackdown on women when she was attacked herself by police. Some eyewitnesses say the police wanted to push her into their car because of how she was dressed and she resisted.
Korea:Is Sexual Harrassment just for Women?
While sexual harassment is regarded as the worst scenario that would happen to women and the weak, a male blogger insists that men also run into harassment in their daily lives through his and his friends’ experiences. His post has received a lot of responses especially from young bloggers. It...
Bangladesh: No under-30 maids to the Gulf
a bengali in TO points to a recent move in India banning women under 30 to work as maids in the Gulf. “Renuka Chowdhury, the Indian minister of women and child development, has called for a ban on women under 30 to work as maids in the Gulf in a...
Cameroon: Nkuma, a new movie about female genital mutilation
Dibussi Tande reviews a new Cameroonian movie, Nkuma: “Nkuma is a simple but interesting film which shows that FGM is a complex issue which is more than just about the sexist agenda of patriarchal Africa. It also has the merit of steering away from off-putting preachy and moralistic discourse aimed...
Palestine: Don't Take Me for Granted
“One thing I can’t stand about people is those that take me for granted. They don’t take me seriously. They just look at me and just judge me on looks. That’s it! Those people are shallow and have no life. I got sick of it. Especially guys. They just don’t...
Arabeyes: Breast-Feeding Dilemma
Imagine having to breast feed your colleague at work - five times - to ensure that your relationship remains professional! This is the fatwa (religious edict) that had Arab and Muslim bloggers buzzing with excitement and anger this week. Read the rest of the article to see how some of the region's bloggers reacted to the ruling, which has since been withdrawn.
Japan: B-guy
Mari blogs about the changing preference of Japanese women's choice towards their boyfriends from IKEMEN (nice looking guy) to B-otoko (B class guy).
Hungary: Police Rape Scandal
Pestcentric writes about the Budapest police rape scandal.
