US: The Feminist Case Against a Woman President. Iowa Senate sex harassment charges should be investigated. Confronting military sexual assaults.

A still from EMILY’s List’s Madam President campaign video.

The Feminist Case Against a Woman President: A Response to Jessica Valenti The Nation At least, that’s the suggestion of Jessica Valenti’s latest column, “Why I’m Voting for Her,” in which she announces, by turns sheepish and defiant, that the author intends to vote for a woman for president in 2016. In that case, it seems obvious that …

Confronting military sexual assaults video.msnbc.msn.com Hagen tells the panel that women shouldn’t have to be constantly worried about sexual …

GOP Staffer Kristen Anderson Fired After Reporting Sexual Harassment PolicyMic A female staff member of the Iowa Senate Republican Caucus was fired last Friday with no reasons given just seven hours before she filed a memo to the staff director reiterating her previous claims of sexual harassment in the legislative environment.

Sexual harassment allegations in Iowa Senate should be investigated: Branstad The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines (blog) Anderson, who could not be reached for comment Monday, told WHO-TV she and her female co-workers have been subjected to harassment from Senate staff and from senators, too. Among her allegations were claims that women were “objectified” and …

Fired Iowa Senate aide to file complaint alleging sexual harassment Shreveport Times In one instance, in a December meeting with several GOP staffers present, a male staffer made an explicit comment speculating about a female Senate clerk’s sexual preferences, Anderson said. That staffer had a lengthy history of making such remarks …

Women’s sweep of judgeship races no surprise to local political leaders Reading Eagle Republican Chairman John A. Fielding III said women tend to vote for other women, more so than men do for other men. The remaining votes might have been spread among the five men in the eight-way race, reducing their chances of getting one of the two …

 

Anglesey worst in Wales for women’s rep. Cameron’s charm offensive on women. Study: female gender stereotypes have little impact on voting behavior.

David Cameron’s charm offensive on women Evening Standard The Prime Minister is attempting to tackle his “problem” with female voters by arranging a series of meetings with high-achieving women at No 10. He is holding gatherings of influential people from different professions to find out “what women want” as …

Electoral Reform Society warns of ‘snail’s pace’ of change in boosting number of women councillors in Wales. Walesonline

Action urged on council election ‘glass ceiling’ for women after dismal … WalesOnline A report by the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) in Wales obtained by WalesOnline, analysing the results of the poll, revealed how continuing barriers to women standing meant the island’s female representation remained the worst in Wales, with only three …

Michael Portillo visits Ewell for women’s rights exhibition This is Local London Irene Cockroft is the guest curator of Dying for the Vote, an exhibition examining women’s. An exhibition examining women’s struggle for the vote has attracted national media attention from the likes of politician-turned-journalist Michael Portillo …

Will shared parental leave turn negative stereotypes around? The Guardian “Antiquated and out of step” – that’s how Nick Clegg described the current system of maternity leave in November last year. … In that case, these changes will do little to directly address underlying negative stereotypes about women’s commitment to work.

Why do powerful men like David Cameron have to cling on to their wives? Telegraph.co.uk It’s not just his stance on Europe that has got David Cameron into trouble over the past few days, it’s his attitude towards hand-holding. Leading the … Strangely enough, the question of manual control is not asked when it’s the woman who’s the more …

Three Labour candidates vie to take on Caroline Lucas in Brighton Pavilion Brighton and Hove News Three Labour candidates vie to take on Caroline Lucas in Brighton Pavilion. Three women are in the running to be the Labour Party candidate in Brighton Pavilion at the next general election. One of the three women will take on Green MP Caroline Lucas …

Female gender stereotypes have little impact on voting behavior: study Raw Story Good news for women in politics: Most Americans are unlikely to discount your expertise regarding national security simply because you’re female. Abstract gender stereotypes do not impact people’s decision to vote for female candidates “in any …

The Rising Surge of Female Insolvency FemaleFirst.co.uk New Government figures show that for the first time, more women in England and Wales are set to be declared insolvent* than men. The analysis of Insolvency Service data by national charity Debt Advice Foundation revealed that in 20000 women made up …

CEDAW Report Suggests Equality Gains for Women Have Been Curbed by Coalition Cuts DiversityLink A recent report suggests that coalition government cuts in the past five years have disproportionately affected women so much that they are in danger of actually undoing some of the progress that has been made in gender equality in Britain . The report …

independent.ie

It’s tough being a woman TD in a Dail chamber run by the boys Irish Independent When I entered the Dail in 1992 there was a high of 22 women elected. In the 20 years since, the pace of progress has been glacial. So much so that the body politic has eventually come round to the need for positive action to increase the numbers of …

The six things women can personally do for workplace gender equality Women’s Agenda Helen Conway doesn’t want to be accused of telling women how they can “fix the workplace gender equality” issue. But the head of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency does believe we all have a role to individually play in addressing the lack of women …

 

Pk: Gunmen kill woman politician. Afg: Hardliners block child marriage, rape bill. Iran: clerics to sanction women Presidential candidates.

Pakistan politician gunned down. Gunmen have killed a Pakistani politician from Imran Khan’s party in the southern port city of Karachi.

Pakistan’s Imran Khan blames rival for killing fellow politician Zohra Hussain news.com.au The killing of Zohra Hussain, 59, vice president of the women’s wing of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Sindh province, came on the eve of a partial re-run in the southern city of the May 11 election.

Security was tight for Sunday’s re-polling in one constituency following allegations of ballot-stuffing, with troops, police and paramilitary rangers backed up by armoured personnel carriers.

Hussain was targeted by three gunmen on a motorcycle outside her home in an upmarket part of Karachi late Saturday, the latest killing following an bloody election campaign marked by more than 150 violent deaths.

Pakistan: senior female politician shot dead Voice of Russia – UK Edition Pakistan returned to the polls for a partial re-vote on Sunday amid tight security after the gunning-down of the vice-president for the women’s wing of Imran Khan’s Movement for Justice (PTI) party late Saturday. Nobody has claimed the killing. Khan …

IRAN: National conservative clerics move to sanction women from presidential bids
WNN – Women News Network Iran’s ban on female presidential candidates contradicts several articles of the country’s Constitution as well as international law and should be removed, says human rights advocates Amnesty International. Thirty women have registered to stand as candidates for the forthcoming presidential election on June 14, 2013. Women were previously prevented from standing in presidential elections, but there was a chance that the Council could have overturned that situation this time.

Mohammad Yazdi, a clerical member of Iran’s Council of Guardians, a constitutional body responsible for ensuring that legislation adheres to Iran’s Constitution, as interpreted by Iran’s religious scholars and Islamic law, and for vetting presidential candidates has announced that Iranian laws “do not allow women to become presidents”.

Conservative Afghan lawmakers block law protecting women’s freedom, saying it … Washington Post KABUL, Afghanistan — Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation on Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women’s freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience.

The fierce opposition highlights how tenuous women’s rights remain a dozen years after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime, whose strict interpretation of Islam once kept Afghan women virtual prisoners in their homes.

Afghanistan’s hardline religious heads block legislation for women’s rights Irish Independent Conservative religious politicians in Afghanistan yesterday blocked legislation aimed at strengthening provisions for women’s freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience.

Afghan women, and sometimes even little girls, are sold or traded to pay family debts. Anja Niedringhause/Associated Press/File

Women’s rights legislation is stymied in Afghanistan Boston Globe KABUL — Afghan women, and sometimes even little girls, are sold or traded to pay family debts.

So-called honor killings are a constant threat to women, especially in the country’s vast rural areas, where even talking to a man who is not a close relative can be perceived as a transgression punishable by death.

Betrothals of girls as young as age 7 are not unknown; in some parts of the country, girls are routinely married at puberty.

The only law that at least attempted to hold families accountable for such treatment is now itself in danger, as the country’s tiny women’s rights movement faces an unenviable decision: leave the law intact despite its flaws or continue to try to present changes to Parliament, where a growing conservative movement could dismantle the protections entirely.

Afghan law to protect women’s rights blocked by opponents The Guardian An Afghan MP has accused her conservative opponents of blocking a law to protect women’s rights saying parts of it violate Islamic principles. The law was enacted in 2009 by presidential decree but Fawzia Koofi wanted to cement it with a parliamentary …

Afghanistan MPs to debate law on women’s rights PakistanToday.com.pk “There is a lack of assurance that any president of Afghanistan will have any commitment to women’s issues and in particular towards this decree,” Ms Koofi told foreign media. But a number of prominent women’s rights activists believe…

Afghan parliament halts debate on women’s rights law BBC News A debate by Afghan MPs about beefing up a law to prevent violence against women has been halted amid angry scenes. Parliament’s speaker ended the debate after 15 minutes after traditionalists called for the law to be scrapped. A law banning violence

Effort to Strengthen an Afghan Law on Women May Backfire New York Times And now, preserving any protections long-term appears to be in question, as the country’s tiny women’s rights movement faces an unenviable decision: leave intact the only law that attempts to halt such abuses, or continue to present changes to …

Women can’t vote The News International It has been widely reported that women voters were barred from voting in some constituencies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least two written agreements have surfaced wherein the contesting parties’ local leadership agreed to bar women from voting. Although …

Women and vote The News International In the constituency PK-95 of Lower Dir, not a single woman used her right to vote. According to some media reports, the political parties of this area had made an agreement among themselves that prohibited women from polling their vote. The women of …

Barring women from voting The Frontier Post Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people. On May 11th women were not allowed to vote on many polling stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim …

Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim issued a decision on Saturday to create a violence-against-women department within the ministry. (AFP Photo)

Interior Ministry addresses sexual harassment Daily News Egypt …Mohamed Al-Meleigy, the office head of the deputy minister of interior for human rights, said the establishment of the department was instigated by the country’s growing sexual harassment phenomenon.

“The ministry is an indivisible part of society,” Al-Meleigy said. “We cannot react to the proliferating sexual harassment the society is currently facing.”

Al-Meleigy stated that the department’s responsibility is to receive harassment and rape victims and not delegate officers to arrest the perpetrators; the latter being the job of different departments within the ministry. He added that the department would also be responsible for raising cultural awareness regarding harassment through organising meeting and seminars…

Saudi Arabia has become more tolerant, says woman film-maker in Cannes Ahram Online …Conservative reaction to the movie, as measured on Twitter, remained hostile, but there had been a hugely positive reaction amongst young women, especially those on scholarships abroad, she said in an interview with AFP.

“Conservatives in general, men and women, I think what they want is for women to exist in privacy, they want women to be in a certain way, the way that they know, the way that makes them feel secure and all that,” she said.

But, she argued, “The country is not as it was before, all conservative, there is room now, there is room to bring in art and women’s rights and women’s issues, and people are more tolerant and more accepting. So it is changing.”

Waad Mohammed, the 10-year-old actress who plays the lead role, has had no negative repercussions from the boundary-testing film, Mansour said.

In Nepal, battle for representation The Hindu A CPN-UML lawmaker and leader of the Women’s Caucus on the last CA, Ushakala Rai, told The Hindu that women will reject the election and “launch a struggle” if the parties reduces women’s representation to below 33 per cent. “Women want proportional …

MPs asks Uhuru not to scrap Gender ministry The Star WOMEN MPs have asked President Uhuru to reconsider his decision of scraping the Ministry of Gender. Kenya Women Parliamentary Association has said changing the Gender ministry into a department will undermine issues touching on women. “There is …

BBC News

 

UK: Sturgeon’s benefits vow in bid to win over women to Yes camp. Moms Using Games to Educate Children on Women’s Rights.

Above: Alexandra Chauran and daughter, Eris, play Half the Sky Movement: The Game together.

How Mothers Are Using Social Games to Educate Children on Women’s Rights Forbes While some parents shy away from letting their kids play games or learn about tough social issues, such as injustices against women, there’s a new breed of mothers using social games to teach their children about the world and the real issues people face in it — specifically the issues that women face worldwide….We spoke with three mothers about how they’re using social games to teach their children — toddlers to teens, boys and girls — about women’s rights issues. Their stories were both heart-warming and inspiring. Here’s what they had to say.

Sturgeon’s benefits vow in bid to win over women to Yes camp Herald Scotland Her direct appeal to women voters comes as Scottish Labour launches its campaign to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom. Former prime minister Gordon Brown will join party leader Johann Lamont and her deputy Anas Sarwar in Glasgow at the start of …

Cllr Sarah Brown, who represents Petersfield on Cambridge City Council.

New line-up for city council Liberal Democrats Cambridge News Women have taken top positions in the Liberal Democrats new frontline team on Cambridge City Council. Cllrs Sarah Brown and Andrea Reiner join the seven-strong team of executive councillors elected on Saturday at the group’s annual meeting – putting five women in top positions. Tim Bick has retained his position as leader of the group and the city council while Catherine Smart keeps her role as deputy leader and executive councillor for Housing.

Women’s Voting Preferences Influenced By Ovulation And Relationship Status … Medical Daily  A marketing professor in San Antonio last fall created an outcry for a survey linking women’s voting preferences to ovulation, and she’s back at it again. Kristina Durante, who conducts social and behavioral research drawing on evolutionary psychology at the University of Texas, initially shared her results with CNN, which pulled their story after drawing harsh criticism from the public. As planned, Durante published the study April 23 in the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Science.

Tool aims at Twitter gender balance Orange UK News Author and journalist Joan Smith, who writes on gender equality, said that the many more men being retweeted was a reflection of society’s “male-dominated” centres of power including politics and business. Ms Smith teamed up with Swedish equal …

A Powerful Voice for Women Around the World New York Times When Clinton first made an international name for herself on this issue, at the UN’s 1995 Beijing Conference on Women – where she memorably asserted that “women’s rights are human rights” – she framed the challenge in moral terms. But as secretary…

Women candidates a minority: Benchwarmers or true leaders? Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism  (blog) By now, it is clear to all that only 8 — or only one in four — of the 33 candidates for senator are women. The gender divide turns more skewed, however, if one were to look at the number of female candidates down the line. The records of the …

Why are Pennsylvania women hard to find in politics? Pittsburgh Post Gazette HARRISBURG — You can’t help but notice it if you attend a House committee hearing, a news conference in the Capitol, or watch senators in session debating a bill: There’s not a lot of women around here. The Pennsylvania Legislature can seem at times …

Preselections show women are still lacking real political standing Herald Sun BOTH major political parties have failed to boost the number of women running for office, with women unlikely to fill even a quarter of the lower house in the next parliament. Despite a battle of the sexes being waged by Julia Gillard against Tony Abbott over the past year, neither appears to have done anything to get more women into parliament. While Labor will field a third more women candidates than the Liberal and National parties, it has failed to lift its own ratio above 31 per cent from the last election. The Coalition still trails at around 20 per cent of women candidates preselected to run for Liberal or National seats.

Rural Women’s Voting Rights to Be Strengthened Women of China The recently released Procedures on the Election of Villagers’ Committees by the Ministry of Civil Affairs has stipulated clearly that rural women’s rights in candidate nominations, by-elections and voting should be strengthened.

 

UK: Cable attacks ‘prejudice’ against stay at home moms. US: NRA’s new women’s channel: ‘Armed and Fabulous’.

Vince Cable attacks ‘prejudice’ against stay at home mothers Telegraph.co.uk The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary said he had “nothing but respect” for women who chose to care for their children full-time rather than return to work. He accepted that it was a “problem” that the tax system failed to recognise the caring duties …

Galway African women declares intention to stand for election next year Galway Advertiser Ms Ogbu signalled her intent to stand for election to City Hall while attending Ireland’s first political campaign school EQUIP, run by Women for Election. The school took place in Athlone last week. Ms Ogbu is one of the first people in Galway to …

A member of the “Pistol Packing Ladies” shooting club, practices at a shooting range outside Fredericksburg, Virginia on April 11, 2013. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)

The NRA’s new women’s channel: ‘Armed and Fabulous tv.msnbc.com The National Rifle Association re-launched its online NRA Women channel, hoping to boost …

GOP Uses ‘Mommy Blogs’ For New Ad Campaign – Huffington Post Huffington Post The National Republican Congressional Committee launched an online ad campaign on Tuesday that uses local “mommy blogs” to target female voters in 20 Democratic-held districts. The ads, which the NRCC says will be geo-targeted on over 100 popular …

Abortion legislation: ‘very important for women of Ireland’, says Labour’s Bacik Irish Times Labour Senator Ivana Bacik said she hoped the abortion legislation would become law before the summer recess. “That is very important for the women of Ireland and I am really glad we are finally legislating on this important issue,” she said. Labhrás Ó …

Australian science needs more female fellows Nature.com Australian science needs more female fellows. The Australian Academy of Science must take urgent steps to address the lack of gender equality among its elected fellows, warns Douglas Hilton1. 01 May 2013 …

Government body launches website to facilitate women scientists DAWN.com … Technology (PCST) has taken a lead to facilitate women in scientific communities and to improve visibility of women scientists by maintaining a website and starting a project on collecting data on statistics of women representation in science and …

UAE, UK agree funding to tackle abuse of women 7DAYS …The funding comes ahead of a major conference in London about Somalia on May 7, at which tackling sexual violence will be discussed. The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative is a top British priority, and is supported by the UAE. The Dhs11.6 million funding – split evenly between the two countries – will provide support to the Somali government, which has pledged to tackle the issue

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UKIP’s voters: older, more male and more working class. But especially older. Bid to honour Mary Barbour – Glasgow’s first Labour woman councillor. Clegg admits Lib Dems ‘let women down’. UK women suffer a bigger pay gap than counterparts.

Mary Barbour campaigned against steep rent rises during the First World War,

Bid to honour Mary Barbour – Glasgow’s first Labour woman councillor Glasgow Evening Times Former MP Maria Fyffe wants a statue built to honour “working class heroine” Mary Barbour, who was the city’s first female Labour councillor. Mary, who lived in Govan in the early 1900s, campaigned against steep rent rises during the First World War ..

Jo Swinson speech at the Spring Conference Rally Liberal Democrats The women also had an entirely understandable wish for privacy which I was careful to respect – so of course I didn’t name names when I spoke to people in the leader’s office to express these concerns. I made sure that further action was …

UKIP’s voters – older, more male and more working class. But especially older. Slugger O’Toole The biggest variation from the general population characteristic of UKIP voters in YouGov’s surveys is that they are more likely than average – much more likely than average – to be old. While 38% of the electorate is aged between 18 and 40, only 15 …

Independent inquiry chair announced Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats have today announced that Helena Morrissey has been appointed as the chair of the independent inquiry into culture, process and complaints within the Liberal Democrats. The review will also look at attitudes towards women in the party, as well as the employment relationship between staff, elected officials and volunteers; training; and how to lead a wider change in Westminster.

Liberal Democrats appoint inquiry leader The Independent Liberal Democrats today appointed a prominent female City figure as chairwoman of the independent inquiry into the party’s culture and handling of complaints, launched in the wake of the allegations against Lord Rennard. Helena Morrissey’s review will …

Clegg admits Lib Dems ’let women down’ Scotsman (blog) The Deputy Prime Minister took the unusual step of making the opening speech of theLib Dems’ spring conference, and he tried to rally his troops by pledging to take whatever steps were necessary to prevent a repeat of the controversy. He said sexism…

Lib Dems failed over Lord Rennard scandal, admits Clegg Telegraph.co.uk Several female Lib Dems have said that Lord Rennard pestered them sexually and that party leaders did nothing about their concerns. The peer denies the allegations. Opening his party’s spring conference in Brighton on Friday night, Mr Clegg admitted…

Clegg Says Liberal Democrats Handled Sex-Harassment Claims Badly Bloomberg U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will tell fellow Liberal Democrats that his office didn’t do enough when women contacted officials saying they’d been sexually harassed by the party’s chief executive officer. “The women involved feel let down …

Women’s labour market progress stalls Financial Times Women’s progress in the labour market has stalled since the recession and left Britain lagging behind international competitors in efforts to narrow workplace inequality. UK women suffer a bigger pay gap with men than counterparts in other developed …

Lib Dems let people down – Clegg WalesOnline We didn’t, and as a result we let people down. Liberal Democrats, that is not acceptable to me. For a party that cherishes equality and women’s rights, we have no excuse for failing to live up to the highest standards in the treatment of women.

Lib Dems gather for spring conference amid controversy BBC News Liberal Democrats are gathering in Brighton for their spring conference during troubled times for the party. Lib Dem president Tim Farron … Mr Clegg is expected to tackle the issue at a rally later to mark International Women’s Day.

Nick Clegg tells Lib Dem conference party ‘let people down’ BBC News The Liberal Democrats ”let people down” by not dealing with claims made against the party’s ex-chief executive Lord Rennard, Nick Clegg has said. The leader told party delegates that allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women would be …

Nick Clegg told alleged Lord Rennard victim he didn’t know the ‘big picture’ Telegraph.co.uk Lord Rennard, the party’s former chief executive, is facing claims that he inappropriately touched a number of women. The peer strenuously denies all the allegations, which date back as far as 2001. Mr Clegg has … to them I think that proper review

“The party is in a critical state”: President says Lib Dems are “cockroaches … Mirror.co.uk Meanwhile Clegg tonight said the Lib Dems had to take “a long hard look in the mirror” at the way it handled the “Lord Grope” scandal. In a frank speech to party activists he said there was “no excuse” for its conduct and the women involved were “let …

 

UK: Cameron: ‘Not nearly enough’ women MPs. Will Wikileaks Party will attract female voters? Women shouldn’t settle for Etonians ruling UK

Conservative party candidate Maria Hutchings campaigns for the Eastleigh byelection with the support of David Cameron. Photograph: Getty Images

Tories put women in spotlight in attempt to harness female vote The Guardian One female Conservative MP tells a story about how, in the weeks after the influx of new female Tories into the House of Commons at the last election, some of her male colleagues struggled to tell them apart. Instead they resorted to calling any or all of the new women “Caroline”.

That story, from inside the party’s own parliamentary ranks, reflects the wider suspicion of the Tories among women voters. Although ICM polls for the Guardian fluctuate, the Tories have a longstanding problem with the female vote. This week’s poll shows that Labour has a seven point lead over the Tories among men, but a 26 point one among women.

David Cameron: ‘Not nearly enough’ women MPsThe Guardian The Conservative party, British business and the judiciary need to do more to get women into senior positions, the prime minister has said. David Cameron acknowledged that, despite the increase at the 2010 general election, there were “not nearly enough” female Tory MPs. It was not enough for institutions simply to allow women to compete for jobs, without taking action to overcome other barriers to female success, he said.

Julian Assange: Wikileaks Party will attract female voters Women’s Agenda The nascent WikiLeaks Party will combine a small, centralised leadership with grass roots involvement and will attract many female voters, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said. Assange, who is living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations, made the comments in an exclusive interview conducted by John Keane, professor of politics at the University of Sydney for The Conversation.

Conservatives worried by diminishing support among women voters The GuardianThe Tory party was “very, very, very concerned” about women’s votes, he added. “However, there’s no need for Downing Street to panic. It simply needs to keep trying to get the economy right, and get a grip on family policy, because it will be more …

Rachel Johnson: women shouldn’t settle for Etonians ruling UK The Telegraph Rachel Johnson, the sister of London Mayor Boris Johnson, has bemoaned the fact that old Etonians are running the country and the lack of women in senior roles across politics, media and business. Talking last night in a debate at the Oxford Union she said: “In 2013 we don’t have a country that is run by women – [instead it’s run] by old Etonians who have passed through this university reading PPE [philosophy, politics and economics] or history on their way to the highest offices of state to be mayor [referring to her brother, who went to both Eton and Oxford], chief whip and prime minister – and I’m only talking about the old Etonians who were at Oxford.”

TWEETS OF NOTE

Gender Politics ‏@genderpol Independence vote split by gender | Lesley Riddoch http://www.scotsman.com/news/lesley-riddoch-independence-vote-split-by-gender-1-2796656 … #womencount

Bobby Duffy ‏@BobbyIpsosMORI Should women stay at home? A third of older generation still agree, inc among older women http://bit.ly/Xex5HE

YouGov ‏@YouGov Peter Kellner’s latest commentary on how the politics of gender have bubbled to the surface of political debate: http://y-g.co/VyWRIK

 

Ire: Constitutional convention favours “gender-neutral” language. Women-only election brawl brewing in Paris. AU: Gillard, Abbott equal on trust with female voters

Convention favours gender equality and change to ‘women in home’ clause Irish Times The constitutional convention has narrowly rejected a proposal to amend the Constitution to ensure the State takes action to enhance women’s participation in politics and public life. However, suggested measures to introduce “gender-neutral” language into the Constitution, and to alter the clause on women in the home, received strong support from participants who met in Malahide, Co Dublin, at the weekend.

Women-only election brawl brewing in Paris FRANCE 24 (blog) Of the thousands of elections that will take place across France in just over one year, perhaps no other will get more attention than the one in Paris. Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoë is stepping down after 12 years and the fisticuff for the French capital is already stealing headlines. The main event is shaping up to be a women-only royal rumble you won’t want to miss. The favorite, according to early opinion polls, is Anne Hidalgo. A fellow socialist, she has served as Delanoë’s deputy ever since he took office. Although she has been anointed by the mayor as his chosen successor, city hall sources that asked to remain anonymous wonder if the 53-year-old has the fire or the fight needed to face her formidable challengers.

A poll of female voters found Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott were trusted equally. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: The Daily Telegraph

Gillard, Abbott equal on trust with female voters NEWS.com.au An exclusive Galaxy poll of 800 female voters conducted for News Ltd found 38 per cent of women believed the Prime Minister was the leader they would most likely trust. The Opposition Leader tied with 38 per cent of female voters responding they were most likely to trust him. Galaxy’s David Briggs said reasons for Ms Gillard’s low showing were obvious having broken promises on the carbon tax and a surplus but Mr Abbott had failed to benefit, he said.

Galaxy poll shows female voters choose Tony Abbott The Daily Telegraph Female voters have rejected Julia Gillard’s claim Tony Abbott is a misogynist and are preparing to elect him prime minister despite some concerns about his “negativity” and views on abortion. In the nation’s first female-only Galaxy poll, The Sunday…

Afghan women march against violence Video on NBCNews.com Women in Afghanistan marked Valentine’s Day by holding a march …

 

UK: Do women really want Ed Miliband to be Prime Minister? US: 21 GOP Vote Against Violence Against Women Act

Impressive: Ed Miliband made a powerful speech at the Labour Party conference last year that shows the Tories not to underestimate him. Photo: Eddie Mulholland

Do women really want Ed Miliband to be Prime Minister? Telegraph.co.uk The latest ICM poll for the Guardian reveals that 51 per cent of women voters would plump for Labour under Mr Miliband, and only 25 per cent for David Cameron’s Conservatives.Men are much more evenly split between the two parties – with 36 per cent supporting Labour and 29 per cent the Tories. So Mr Cameron’s ‘woman problem‘ rears its head again. The undercurrent of sexism (his “calm down, dear” Commons moment – RIP Michael Winner), the relative dearth of women ministers, the child benefit cuts: all are trotted out with monotonous regularity as reasons why the PM just can’t woo women.

Marco Rubio Leads 21 Republicans Who Vote Against Violence Against Women … The Moderate Voice From the Los Angeles Times: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said at a news conference following the vote that women across the country would be watching Congress closely as it considered the legislation. “One of the lessons from this election is that …

Meet the 22 Republicans who voted against protecting women from beatings New York Daily News The 22 Senate Republicans who voted against reauthorizing the popular Violence Against Women Act this week include a trio of presidential aspirants, a pair of tea party rookies and the chamber’s most high-ranking GOP members. Democrats were most …

The Role of Women in Peace and Elections – YouTube 22 min We are doing a series of hangouts promoting peace under the Sports 4 Peaceful Elections …

 

UK: Why are many academics on short-term contracts for years? US: In the debate over gun laws, two female archetypes have emerged.

Enhancing the Election of Women at NAS 26 min Susan Wessler, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Genetics, University of California, Riverside

Why are many academics on short-term contracts for years? The Guardian According to the latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa), more than a third of the academic workforce is now on temporary, fixed-term contracts. Moreover, the official staffing statistics conveniently exclude the 82,000 academics employed in jobs such as hourly paid teaching, which are classed as “atypical”, so the real figures look much worse. While universities are jostling to present themselves as committed to “the student experience”, following the ramping up of fees, it is teaching staff who have been hit hardest. The number of teaching-only staff on temporary contracts went up by a third between 2009-10 and 2011-12.

Susan Walsh/AP – Gayle Trotter, senior fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum, left, sits next to National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre, in Washington, on Jan. 30, as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence.

Women take spotlight in gun control fight Washington Post In the increasingly confrontational debate over the nation’s gun laws, two female archetypes have emerged. There’s the grieving mother whose child was killed in a shooting and whose pleas for stricter regulation seem unassailable. And there’s the flinty mother who wants maximum firepower to take matters into her own hands to protect her brood. As Congress weighs President Obama’s agenda to toughen gun legislation, powerful lobbies on both sides of the issue are turning to women as leading spokespeople and symbols.

Does easier access to firearms make women safer … video.msnbc.msn.com In a new article, Slate contributor Amanda Marcotte challenges the pro-gun testimony of Gayle Trotter during Senate hearings in which she advocated the need for women to have guns for self-defense.

Need for more female staff in electoral process stressed Frontier Post PESHAWAR (APP): Speakers at a consultative meeting organized jointly by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and UNDP here Sunday underlined the need for enhancement of women participation and increasing female staff in the election process with …

Tonga women urge government to work on gender equality Radio New Zealand International A Tongan women’s agency says the latest review of human rights by the United Nations is a wake up call for the government and civil society to speed up progress on gender equality and domestic violence laws. Tonga is the first Pacific country to …