The Week in Women
Vulgarity galore.
Scenes from another life: Lamu, Kenya
Hello, readers, and welcome to The Week in Women, a roundup of women’s rights news from around the world, followed by links to a few good features, longform pieces, podcasts, and radio stories in the universe of gender equality, international human rights, politics, and whatever else is interesting on the internet.
Enjoy, subscribe (or upgrade your subscription!), and share.
What to Know
Roe isn’t enough: The “pro-life” right in America wants to entirely ban abortion. And, as NYTimes columnist Michelle Goldberg writes, that’s part of a broader right-wing authoritarian project.
God Damn: Women’s rights activists in Pakistan are dealing with charges of blasphemy from religious conservatives. That’s bad news, as blasphemy accusations have gotten people jailed or even killed.
Disturbing the Peace: Women in Afghanistan have been cut out of the peace process — and that might mean undoing of decades of progress.
Domestic Threat: As grassroots feminist movements grow in Egypt, so do crackdowns on women’s rights.
Get in the Game: The formula for gender equality in sports.
I’ll Tell You What’s Vulgar: The Prime Minister of Pakistan still thinks it’s ok to blame rape victims for their own attacks, saying, “If you indulge in vulgarity, it will have some impact on our society… Not everyone has the willpower to resist temptation.” My humble suggestion: If you don’t have “the willpower to resist temptation,” then maybe you should stay inside and separate yourself from society.
Pushed Out: In Jordan, 86% of women are absent from the labor market, even though more women than men graduate from university and more are literate. That’s bad for women, and it’s bad for Jordan.
Women’s Rights are Trans Rights: Hundreds of celebrities have signed a letter defending the rights of transgender people.
Her Too: More than 400 coaches, teachers, and other people in France stand accused of sexual violence, and the covering-up of sexual violence, in French sports.
And Her Too: Australian women are taking on sexual assault and harassment at the very top: In Parliament.
Bad Law: A Minnesota court held that if a woman is “voluntarily intoxicated,” she is not mentally incapacitated under the state’s sexual assault law, and it’s not rape if someone has sex with her even if she’s blacked out or has no idea what’s going on.
State Failure: Women and girls in India who survive sexual assault and trafficking are entitled to government compensation, but they rarely get it, and many wind up living in poverty and dodging debt collectors.
Not All Men: Men who identify as feminists have better sex.
The Future is Female: A brief history of the feminist t-shirt.
Coup: Myanmar security forces are leveling an all-out assault on civilians, and have killed more than 40 children since February. Here’s the story of one of those little girls.
Men In Need of a Life: Trolls targeted Egypt’s first female ship captain, claiming she’s the one who got a ship stuck in the Suez Canal (she wasn’t).
Under the Influence: Eleven Ukrainian women and a Russian man enjoyed a nude photo shoot on a balcony in Dubai, a popular city for influencers who want to look worldly and jet-setting. They did not enjoy getting arrested for it, because the UAE, despite its glitzy image for outsiders, remains a conservative nation with religious law.
What to Read
How Elizabeth Loftus Changed the Meaning of Memory: The psychologist taught us that what we remember is not fixed, but her work testifying for defendants like Harvey Weinstein collides with our traumatized moment. [The New Yorker]
Take a Break
…and read this memoir on how to raise a feminist son.
…or listen to me on Ezra Klein’s podcast talking about how Baby Boomers ruined the world (or maybe didn’t?). A lot of the conversation, which was also with conservative writer Helen Andrews, is about the family and feminism. She says feminism ruined the one-earner model and forced women into the workforce. I say feminism is an incomplete project, kneecapped by conservative politicians, and that the U.S. needs to go even further on gender equality.
…or come on a writing + yoga retreat with me! Covid-willing, there are two retreats coming up in Spring 2022: Costa Rica (February 28 - March 5th, 2022) and Kenya (March 12-20, 2022, with photography workshops as well). Retreats are filling up quickly, so do shoot me an email if you’re interested in signing up or want to know more.
And that’s it! Please feel free to share this newsletter, and feel even freer to subscribe.
xx Jill