Stories about Women & Gender from July, 2011
Russia: Women ‘Rip For Putin’ As Election Campaign War Begins
Russian 2012 presidential candidate Vladimir Putin is quickly catching up with his supposed rival Dmitry Medvedev in engaging guerrilla marketing techniques and new media to boost his campaign.
Iran: Summer Heat Gives Way to Crackdowns on “Improper” Clothing
In many places, summer means sun, sea and holidays. In Iran, summer means at least one more thing: crackdowns on women wearing improper or “un-Islamic” clothing.
Cuba: Female Activists Reportedly Beaten/Detained
Reports of harassment of the Ladies in White and other female activists, here and here.
Cambodia: Blog About Cambodian Women Who Inspire Others
Sreyneath Poole is a young blogger who has begun documenting “inspiring Cambodian women”. Her blog project wants to dispute the traditional belief that Cambodian women belong to the kitchen. This is her story.
Bangladesh: Sexual Assault By A Teacher Triggers Student Uprising
The recent protests at the Viqarunnisa Noon School and College (VNC) in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, has stirred much buzz in the Bangladeshi blogosphere. After a three-fold campaign via Blogs, Facebook and street protests authorities were forced to sack and arrest a teacher accused of sexually molesting a student.
Bhutan: Legalizing Abortion
“Abortion is not permitted in Bhutan because we are Buddhist, isn’t it more Buddhist to forgive a woman for her mistake and give her a new life instead of letting her die along with child, which we were trying to protect?” – comments Bhutanese blogger Passu.
Cuba: Race and Sex
“Racism in Cuba has several faces. And variations. But when it comes time to “play the tune”…skin color disappears as if by magic”: Iván García is concerned that “the race issue in Cuba is a real time bomb.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Sex Education
The public reaction to Abeni‘s T-shirt, emblazoned with the words “Sex nice, but de AIDS ting…”, leads her to conclude “that HIV education has to overcome so many prejudices. The reluctance to talk about sex in a holistic way forces the young and not so young to accept myths as...
Nepal: Children Suffer In Patriarchal Society
“Our patriarchal structure of society has given men so freedom that women highly suffer from that, which means most children suffer. Most children suffer means most children do not get proper nutrition and care- forget about the health care and schooling. This eventually means the country hardly gets capable citizens,”...
Dominican Republic: Gender Equality?
María Isabel Soldevila questions if gender equality has truly been achieved [es]. She wonders how the newly elected director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, would be treated if she dated one of her employees, like her predecessor Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Macedonia: First All-Women Hacker Night
Jovanka Gulicoska informed [mk] on her blog about the upcoming All-Women Hacker Night, scheduled for Wednesday, July 13, in the KIKA Hacklab in Skopje (FB event). According to the official announcement [mk], “all girls interested in Free and Open Source Software, GNU/Linux, but also in technology, computers, hacking (not cracking),...
Russia: Women's Rights
Miriam Elder writes about the situation with women's rights in Chechnya.
Zimbabwe: Women's Lib Online and Unplugged
Zimbabwean women bloggers and Facebook users have taken up new media platforms to discuss everything from their sexuality to unpacking women's role in politics and the economy.
China: Popular Actress Sparks Homosexuality Debate
Homosexuality is not a crime in China and in the past few years the gay community has become more visible in the Chinese online world. Last week, an overseas Chinese pastor's reaction to the legalization of same-sex marriage by the New York State Senate, was echoed by an award-winning actress Lu Liping, and their words have triggered a heated debate.
Poland: Citizen Initiative for Complete Abortion Ban
Some 600,000 people have signed a petition in support of the draft amendment to Poland's abortion law intending to ban abortion in Poland without exceptions – even when the life of a woman is threatened. Katarzyna Odrozek reviews online reactions of the supporters and opponents of the complete ban on abortion in Poland.
Armenia: Yerevan Shoe Project
Visiting Armenia, Ianyan posts photographs of the types of shoes that many women in the Armenian capital wear despite the risk of associated medical problems. The post is part of a continuing project examining shoe fashion in Yerevan.
