Stories about Women & Gender from September, 2010
South Korea:A Controversy Over Reviving Military Incentive.
A policy of granting extra credits to men when applying to government institutions as a way to compensate their two years of obligatory military service had been abolished for a decade. As the National Assembly considers reviving it, a controversy broke out between men and women. More on Joongang.
Palestine: For Gaza Students, No Graduation Without Hijab
The majority of women in Gaza wear the hijab, and those who do not frequently face heavy pressure to do so. In this post we hear from a blogger who is furious that a friend who refuses to wear a headscarf has not been allowed to graduate from university.
Vietnam: Reasons for marrying foreigners
Based on an article written by Vinh Dang, about 40,000 Vietnamese citizens married foreigners between 2005-2008. The author also identifies the possible reasons why many Vietnamese are marrying foreigners.
Canada: The ‘Disappearance’ of Native Women
News from Canada that nearly 600 native women have gone missing over the past three decades has spread far and wide and throughout the Canadian blogosphere. Human rights activists claim that the Canadian government has not done enough to investigate the disappearances. Most of the women are thought to have been murdered.
Barbados: Six robbed; left to die in fire
Barbados remains shell shocked today as it struggles with the reality that what local media are calling "a scene straight out of the drama series CSI" could happen in the relatively peaceful island. What appears to have started as a robbery turned into a murder scene as the suspects reportedly set the building ablaze before fleeing, leaving the victims trapped inside.
Guyana, Jamaica: Literary Peace Prize
The Signifyin’ Woman, upon learning that Marlon James’ ‘The Book of Night Women’ is listed as a finalist for the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, asks: “Can there be such a thing as a book worthy of being prized for promoting peace? Better yet, can a work of fiction be...
Africa: That African Girl
THAT AFRICAN GIRL: LEARNING TO LIVE BETWEEN WORLDS is a blog written by African women about their childhood.
Cuba: The Mother's Experience
Isbel Diaz Torres, writing at Havana Times, says that “at the very moment the expecting mother enters the Cuban system of pregnancy attention, she ceases to be the principal figure in the management of her own problems, priorities and interests.”
MENA: That's Not Hijab!
This Ramadan, several campaigns encouraging women to wear, or correct their method of wearing hijab have been launched. Two such campaigns--in Iran and Palestine--have sparked conversation amongst a subset of bloggers.
MENA: Saudi Arabia Bans Moroccan Women From Traveling to Mecca
The decision last month by Saudi Arabia to ban Moroccan women of a "young age" from traveling to Mecca has stirred outrage in Morocco. Saudi authorities justified the ban on the suspicion that young visa applicants "may have something else in mind" than strictly pious intentions.
