Whether Oklahoma elects a Republican or Democrat as governor this November, one thing is clear– it will be a woman. A woman has never before occupied the gubernatorial position in Oklahoma, a gender disparity that exists for 26 other states, as well. And as NPR reports, an all-female face-off for a state’s top elected position has only [...]
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: Feminism, jari askins, mary fallin, oklahoma, Politics, women | 2 Comments »
In May, I wrote about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement that the United States would not abandon the women of Afghanistan by allowing President Hamid Karzai to make any deals with the Taliban. Clinton told three senior female Afghan officials that “we will not abandon you. . . . [I]t is essential that women’s [...]
Filed under: Education, International, Politics, Religion, Violence | Tagged: Afghanistan, Hillary Clinton, Karzai, Taliban | Leave a Comment »
This is such a ridiculous story that it must be true. A strawberry farmer in Austria has banned women in skirts from picking strawberries at his pick-your-own fields. (He first instituted the ban in 2008, but the ban recently became news again.) This article from the Croatian Times gives the farmer’s reasons for the ban [...]
Filed under: International, Pop Culture | 1 Comment »
An update to my post yesterday about the vote in the French Parliament to ban burqas: The French lower house today passed the bill by a 335 to 1 margin. (335 to 1???) The bill must still be approved by the French Senate, which is expected to vote in the week of September 20.
Filed under: Burqa and Other Veils, International, Law, Religion | Tagged: Burka, Burqa, France, Sarkozy | Leave a Comment »
The day has finally come. It has been more than a year since French President Sarkozy first proposed a ban on wearing burqas in public places. Tomorrow, the French Parliament will vote on the proposal. After some initial wavering, I came to my position on the proposed ban last July and have not changed my [...]
Filed under: Burqa and Other Veils, International, Law, Religion | Tagged: Burka, Burqa, France, Sarkozy | 5 Comments »
I recently reread the 1948 book Walden Two by B.F. Skinner. This was the (sort of) novel that posited an experimental utopian community based on Skinner’s behavioral psychologist beliefs. I wanted to reread the book because I had a vague recollection that, when I first read the book many years ago, it had had a [...]
Filed under: Feminism, Workplace | Tagged: B.F. Skinner, Behaviorism, Walden Two | Leave a Comment »
When I first saw a story today about CNN firing Octavia Nasr, I couldn’t believe CNN had acted so stupidly. All Nasr had done was say “”Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.” Later, after a deluge of criticism, Nasr, in a blog, [...]
Filed under: International, Religion | Tagged: Octavia Nasr, Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah | Leave a Comment »
Twenty-seven states have laws that require some level of prescription contraceptive coverage. Access to additional free or subsidized contraceptives may (or may not) occur in the fall, when the health care reform changes will require new health plans to begin providing a range of preventive health services at no cost to members. What that means [...]
Filed under: Health, Politics, Reproductive Rights | Tagged: Contraceptives, Health Care | Leave a Comment »
I’m a few days late on this, but June 30 marked the 28th anniversary of the demise of the attempt to have 38 states ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Here’s a quick summary. The language for the ERA was drafted by Alice Paul in 1923. It was introduced in every Congressional session between 1923 and [...]
Filed under: Feminism, Law, Politics, Workplace | Tagged: Equal Rights Amendment, ERA | 2 Comments »
