UK: Cameron’s reshuffle will be a reshuffle for women. Pensions minister attacks Labour plans for women’s pension plan.

Interview with one of Lord Rennards alleged victims Channel 4 News Bridget Harris, a former adviser to Nick Clegg and one of the three women who spoke out about Lord Rennard’s behaviour.

 

 

Steve Webb attacks Labour’s £4.5bn women’s pension plan Money Marketing Pensions minister Steve Webb has attacked Labour plans to bring more women into the single tier state pension, suggesting they would cost £4.5bn over a 30 year period…..

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne criticised the “injustice” of 700,000 women born between April 1951 and 1953 losing out under reforms.

For example, a woman who retires aged 63 in 2015 will potentially draw a £107 basic state pension under currently rules. However, a man who is the same age will draw £144 a week when he retires three years later in 2018. Labour MPs argue it is unfair that it will result in a man and a woman who are the same age drawing different pension amounts.

Online porn: animals have more rights than women, campaigners say Telegraph.co.uk David Cameron must close a legal loophole to ban possession of pornographic images that promote sexual violence against women and girls, they say.

In a letter published in The Daily Telegraph, the groups warn that the possession of images depicting rape, such as those entitled “schoolgirl rape” or “teen slut rape”, are legal so long as the actors are over the age of 18.

But pictures of necrophilia and bestiality are illegal to possess, according to the letter, signed by Mumsnet, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, the Trades Union Congress, rape crisis centres, and academics at Durham University.

Cameron’s coming reshuffle will be a reshuffle for women conservativehome.blogs.com Having reshaped his Cabinet substantially last summer – sacking two Cabinet Ministers in the process – David Cameron is unlikely to do so again during this one.  This is because to do so would both risk destabilising his already fractious Parliamentary Party, and offend his instinct to keep changes to his front bench to a minimum. From the Prime Minister’s point of view, it makes sense to delay a substantial Cabinet clearout until next summer, when a team can be put in place to fight the election in 2015.

Leaving the next big shuffle until later in the Parliament will also minimise any backlash from sacked Ministers, since they will rally round Cameron during the election run-up (that’s the theory, at any rate).

 

UK: Nick Clegg: Liberal Democrats have let women down. Germany: Labour minister proud of Merkel’s legacy

The shaming of Nick Clegg: Deputy PM humiliated as inquiry rules he failed … Daily Mail The Deputy Prime Minister ‘made mistakes’ over the allegations against Lord Rennard, according to a highly critical report into attitudes to women among senior Liberal Democrats. Mr Clegg conceded that ‘women had been let down’ after the independent …

Nick Clegg: Liberal Democrats have let women down BBC News The Liberal Democrats have “let women down”, leader Nick Clegg has said, as a report following allegations of sexual impropriety by former chief executive Lord Rennard was published. The independent inquiry found Mr Clegg “should have asked more …

Nick Clegg: Liberal Democrat sexual misconduct report ‘makes sobering reading’ Telegraph.co.uk The review by Helena Morrissey, a businesswoman, found mistakes stretching back for 20 years in the way the Liberal Democrats dealt with sexual harassment allegations. She singled out Nick Clegg, and two ministers, Jo Swinson and Danny Alexander, …

Nick Clegg admits Lib Dems ‘let women down’ over ‘Lord Grope’ harassment … Mirror.co.uk Nick Clegg was rapped today for his bungled handling of the “Lord Grope” sexual harassment claims. A damning report said the women involved were failed by Mr Clegg, Danny Alexander and fellow Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson after they failed to investigate …

Lib Dem ‘failure’ over Rennard harassment claims – report Channel 4 News … Helena Morrissey to conduct an investigation into its handling of the affair. Women who worked for the Lib Dems made claims to Channel 4 News that Lord Rennard, the party’s most powerful official, had made unwanted sexual advances towards them.

Clegg: Party mistakes left women feeling let down ITV News Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg. Credit: Press Assocation. Mr Clegg said: “It shows that stretching over a 20 year period a series of mistakes were made which left a number of women feeling seriously let down and for that there is absolutely no …

Nick Clegg Should Have Ordered Inquiry Into Lord Rennard Allegations, Report …  Huffington Post UK They were made by Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and Jo Swinson. “I think you can make a mistake and learn from them, it’s different from setting out to mislead or to do something wrong.” Four women made allegations against Lord Rennard, but Ms …

Clegg Erred by Failing to Probe Sex Allegations, Morrissey Says Businessweek U.K. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg made a mistake by not ordering an official investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct made by women in his party against a senior lawmaker, an inquiry found. Newton Investment Management Ltd. Chief …

Lib-Dems failed to investigate Lord Rennard sexual misconduct claims Evening Standard 12 June 2013. Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats were guilty of a “failure” to investigate alleged sexual misconduct by former Lib-Dem chief executive Lord Rennard, an independent report found today. … She said in her report that the women rightly felt …

Nick Clegg ‘should have ordered Rennard sex harassment inquiry after 2008 … Telegraph.co.uk The accusations only became public in a Channel Four documentary earlier this year, when a series of Liberal Democrat women came forward amid concerns Lord Rennard had returned to party activism. The review by Helena Morrissey, a businesswoman, …

Clegg admits Lib Dems let women down for 20 years as damning report into sex … Daily Mail He added: ‘The report shows that the individuals who dealt with their complaints had the right motives, but there weren’t the right processes in place to support the women who’d come forward. And as Leader of the Liberal Democrats I take responsibility …

Deputy leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman visits Kirkby Mansfield Chad The Rt Hon Harriet Harman, who is deputy leader of the Labour party, addressed a conference of MPs, councillors and activists on some of the barriers currently facing women in politics, business and the media. Afterwards, members were given the …

Opinion: Gender quotas are the sensible way forward Liberal Democrat Voice Research outlined by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) shows clearly that ‘the quality of corporate governance and ethical behaviour is high in companies with high shares of women on boards’. Given some of the behaviour of some major …

Still a long way to go to full equality This is Nottingham Gender equity can only be achieved when differences in women’s and men’s approaches to achieving a particular goal, or in management styles, is positively identified by all as ensuring best value in work, politics or daily life. You cannot legislate …

Hayle UKIP Viv Lewis mistaken for a woman This is Cornwall “I think voters in Camborne thought I was a woman and I think a lot of people think women should be able to run things. “Mrs Thatcher had been in the news a lot so that might have been in the back of their minds. “I suspect this because someone rang …

Votes for Puffins? How Women and Other Majorities Are Ignored Huffington Post UK Now that the campaigners The Womens Room are threatening to take the Bank of England to court over its decision to drop prison reformer Elizabeth Fry from the UK five pound note, thus leaving the Queen as the only woman on our notes and coinage, I am …

Rebecca Front and Jessica Hynes in “Up the Women”. Photograph: BBC

 

Modern feminists can learn a lot from Suffragette sitcom “Up the Women” New Statesman As longtime fans of the television series Spaced (has a sitcom before or since so hilariously conveyed twentysomething experience?), we were extremely excited about Jessica Hynes’ new venture, a comedy called Up the Women focusing on a Banbury craft group’s sudden interest in the Suffragette movement. The first two episodes of the three-parter aired on BBC4 this month, and it has already been recommissioned for BBC2, news that is unsurprising for anyone who’s seen it. Its slightly stagey feel lends itself well to the razor sharp lines and its comic characters have been well rendered, particularly that of Helen, a Lady Bracknell-esque character and the craft circle’s chair (played by Rebecca Front), who disapproves of women’s suffrage, saying “the present system works perfectly well. My husband votes for whom I tell him to vote. What could be a better system than that?”

What Would the Suffragettes Say if They Could See Us Here Today? Huffington Post UK They would look  globally, because gender equality, like democracy, exposes how interconnected we are, both at home and overseas. One shining example under the Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, is DFID’s very explicit …

Germany

German Labour minister proud of Merkel’s legacy euronews The German Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Ursula von der Leyen is considered a serious rival to Angela Merkel inside the conservative CDU. Von der Leyen is well known for her progressive views on social issues, such as a quota for women in top …

 

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 …

 

Pk: Men, officials stole women’s votes. Afg: Male students object to women’s human rights. Iran: Ayatollahs rule out female head of state.

Afghan students protest women’s rights decree WBOC TV 16 More than 200 male students protested in front of Kabul University on Wednesday against the decree on Elimination of Violence Against Women, which includes a ban on child marriage and forced marriage, makes domestic violence a crime and says rape victims cannot be prosecuted for adultery. It also outlaws “ba’ad,” a traditional practice of exchanging women or girls to settle disputes or debts.

Women’s Rights At Stake In Afghanistan – OpEd Eurasia Review The press from conservatives to halt the approval of the law concerning the rights of women, by the very parliament that came into existence as part of democratic process and a decade of international intervention that has cost thousands of lives of …

Men cast votes on behalf of women in Orakzai The Nation Sources told TheNation that contestant reached a secret settlement a couple of days before the election aimed to bar women from voting. It was according to their plan that males cast votes on behalf of their females and presiding officers deputed at …

Female Candidates Claim Discrimination in Kenyan Elections Institute for War and Peace Reporting Several female candidates who stood in recent general elections in Kenya say male rivals intimidated and discriminated against them, causing many to drop out of the race. The allegations relate to elections to Kenya’s National Assembly and to the 47 …

All women candidates from KP lost election by huge margins The News International Badam Zari was the first ever woman to have filed nomination paper for general elections from Pakistan’s tribal areas while Nusrat Begum had filed papers from an area where women even never cast votes. Musarrat Shaheen, once a popular Pashto film …

Puntland Leaders Set Quotas for Women in July Local Elections AllAfrica.com Government officials, political party members, United Nations officials, members of the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission and representatives of a local women’s association gathered at the Puntland Development and Research Centre compound in …

ECP orders re-polling on two women’s polling stations of PK-60 The Express Tribune Khan’s opponent, independent candidate Engineer Zubair Khan, lodged a complaint with the district’s returning officer and the Election Commission of Pakistan that over 2,800 women of the district were not allowed to vote, claiming that this led to his …

Pakistani women’s political participation increased Central Asia Online The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) registered about 37.6m women to vote in this election, 2m more than in 2008. About half of them cast ballots this year, according to UPI. Women’s turnout was especially impressive because efforts to bar them …

PAKISTAN: Anti women practices and policies prevailed in the general elections …  Asian Human Rights Commission News As someone who was specifically interested in knowing the degree of inclusion of women and their issues in the election with a special focus on conflict zones of Pakistan( though these are not officially declared as the conflict zones) I began to see …

Ayatollahs rule out female head of state: women … youtube.com 1 min With Iranian presidential elections set for 14th June, Mohammad Yazdi, a clerical member of …

2015: UN Seeks Improved Participation of Women, Indigent Groups in Politics THISDAY Live The United Nation Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Dauda Toure, has called for an improved participation of women, youths and indigent groups in the forthcoming general election. Toure said this yesterday in Abuja, at the opening of a multi …

Raj Cong`s poll manifesto to feature welfare of farmers, women - Zee News – India Zee News Raj Cong`s poll manifesto to feature welfare of farmers, women Jaipur: The ruling Congress in Rajasthan today said the development of women, farmers and backward communities will primarily figure in the party manifesto for the Assembly polls, scheduled …

Where have all the women gone? Malay Mail Women representation in Najib’s Cabinet has been consistently poor. In each of the 2009, 2010, and now 2013 Cabinets, there have only been two women ministers, with this number dropping to one briefly when the prime minister appointed himself Women, …

Malaysian society remains male-dominated AsiaOne We can’t wait to change men, but commit to studying the analysis and recommendations as to why women’s representation is still low in a country with many smart women. “We could insist on quotas and reserved seats. This will not be unfair as we want …

Women’s issues rank low in Japan’s upcoming election youtube.com 2 min

 

World: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: 10 Reasons Women’s Rights Are Bad. Gender Equality in the Arab World

Female bosses pay more attention to gender equality The Tokyo Times Women who work as supervisors tend to pay more attention to gender equality in the workplace compared to their male counterparts, according to a survey by a labor ministry-affiliated think tank released on Tuesday. 91.7 percent of female department

Missing Voices: Gender Equality in the Arab World World Bank Group A new World Bank report, Opening Doors: Gender Equality and Development in the Middle East and North Africa, identifies a whole set of economic, legal and cultural hurdles that have kept the region’s women out of public life and out of the labor market.

Seminar emphasises on ‘gender equality’ in Pakistan Pakistan Daily Times Seminar emphasises on ‘gender equality’ in Pakistan. Islamabad: Speakers at a seminar on ‘Gender Equality’ on Thursday emphasised that collective efforts are needed for the promotion of gender equality in Pakistan. The seminar was organised by the …

businessinsider.com

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Offers 10 Reasons Why Women’s Rights Are A Bad Idea Business Insider The upcoming U.N. vote to ratify the declaration titled ”End Violence against Women” has rankled Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, so much so that they released an official statement on their English language website…The rights they don’t want to see include:

1. Granting girls full sexual freedom, as well as the freedom to decide their own gender and the gender of their partners (ie, choose to have normal or homo- sexual relationships), while raising the age of marriage.

2. Providing contraceptives for adolescent girls and training them to use those, while legalizing abortion to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, in the name of sexual and reproductive rights.

3. Granting equal rights to adulterous wives and illegitimate sons resulting from adulterous relationships.

Egypt Muslim Brotherhood blasts UN women document U.S. News & World Report The text of the document has not been published because negotiations are continuing, regarding how to address sexual violence and rights of women to control their sexuality as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Egypt’s Brotherhood blasts UN women’s document Yahoo! News (blog) Discussions of women’s issues in Egypt, and in the Muslim world at large, are traditionally buried in debates over Islamic laws and whether their interpretations are compatible with demands for more personal freedoms.

Egypt’s Brotherhood calls UN women’s rights doc ‘deceitful’ The Times of Israel Egyptian woman activists chant slogans while taking part in a protest against sexual harassment and against the Islamist dominated Shura Council blaming women for the attacks against them, in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Song Xiuyan on how to enhance gender equality China.org.cn “The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) stated explicitly China’s adherence to the basic national policy of equality between men and women, which was an important milestone in the development history of women,”

Voting Will Change the Lives of Zimbabwe’s Women Inter Press Service MOUNT DARWIN, Zimbabwe, Mar 15 2013 (IPS) – “Ten reasons why women must vote ’Yes’ for the draft constitution…” says the Constitution Select Committee’s campaign radio jingle that plays over the airwaves in a grocer’s store at Mukumbura border post …

Five Per Cent Women MPs to Represent Kenyan Women Aspirations AllAfrica.com “So far according to our estimates, it is about seven per cent of women for the senate, seven per cent for the county assembly, and only three per cent for women governor candidates,” said Ms Monika Izydorczyk, a member of the EU observer mission.

 

UK: MP Dr. Sarah Wollaston calls on Cameron to reshuffle, promote more women.

The Prime Minister sets out his plans for a fightback Photo: AFP

David Cameron is still the Tories’ best leader but his inner circle must change Telegraph.co.uk

By Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP for Totnes

David Cameron remains far more popular than that tiny cabal of right wing back bench agitators. They are deluding themselves if they think that UKIP will meekly fade away if the Conservative Party lurches to the right. Nigel Farage is enjoying his fame far too much to let a detail like actually delivering a referendum get in the way of all the attention. The Shock of Eastleigh wasn’t a shock at all.

Sarah Wollaston: Cameron has two months to change the Tories
Telegraph.co.uk As pressure on the Prime Minister’s leadership intensified, Dr Wollaston called on Mr Cameron to reshuffle his Cabinet within weeks and promote more women. It is essential for the Conservatives to reconnect with voters before May’s local elections, she said. The MP issued her call amid reports that Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was positioning herself to succeed Mr Cameron after a series of poor opinion polls and election results….Dr Wollaston, the MP for Totnes who insisted she was a “Cameron loyalist”, warned that the Prime Minister’s “inner circle” still appear “far too posh, male and white”.

 

 

Research methods workshop a success. Lecturers: send us your best gender and politics undergrad essay

Women and Politics Research Methods Seminar a Success!

On Saturday March 2nd Women and Politics PSA and FWSA held a research methods workshop at Bristol university. Over 20 PhD students attended and participated in discussions on:

• What does it mean if gender is statistically significant?
• Researching gendered discourse in policy debates: the case of abortion legislation;
• Problems, potentials and challenges of working with intersectionality; and
• A roundtable on the nexus of research and activism.

Thanks to our attendees whose interactions made the day so exciting, rewarding and productive.

Thanks our speakers: Fran Amery (University of Birmingham), Dr Elizabeth Evans (Bristol), Finn McKay (Bristol), Dr Thom Oliver (Oxford Brookes), Dr Maud Perrier (Bristol), Dr Kristi Winters (GESIS)

And special thanks to Dr Elizabeth Evans for organizing such a successful event!

Announcing the PSA Women and Politics Group
Undergraduate Essay Competition 2013

Deadline: June 30 2013

1st Prize £150
2nd Prize £75

To enter: Lecturers should send their ‘best’ gender and politics undergraduate essay, maximum 3,000 words) (NB Students must not independently send their essays. Such submissions will not be considered)

Send essays to Dr Kristi Winters drkmwinters@gmail.com

 

UK: Cameron’s prescription for NHS failings: target pay of nurses. Time for gender equality on peerages? Also: Gender equality eludes groundbreaking scientist.

The Downton dilemma: Is it time for gender equality on peerages? BBC News Royal succession laws are changing to stop sons being favoured over daughters. Is it time for the UK’s hereditary peerages to go the same way? Once the Succession to the Crown Bill, currently being fast tracked through Parliament, is passed, men will …

David Cameron’s prescription for NHS failings: target pay of nurses The Guardian David Cameron wants nurses’ pay to be tied to how well they look after patients as part of changes to banish poor care in the NHS in response to the devastating findings of a report published on Wednesday into the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal. The prime minister told MPs the change should reward nurses who provide excellent care as the government began considering the 290 far-reaching recommendations set out by inquiry chairman, Robert Francis QC, to improve patient safety and overhaul what he called a flawed, self-serving “NHS system”.

David Cameron has identified nurses as the key group of health professionals to improve patients’ experience of the NHS. Photograph: Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty

Gender equality observatory Europolitics.info The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has announced the launch of a website ( http://www.charter-equality.eu) to assist municipalities and regions working to promote gender equality at the local level. The site has been set up in the …

Gender equality eludes groundbreaking scientist The Globe and Mail Veronica Dahl isn’t the sort of person to get worked up over $17. But, back in 1984, when Simon Fraser University refused to reimburse her $17 for one hour of babysitting for her infant son while she gave a lecture at an out-of-town conference, the computer scientist was incensed. “Why isn’t babysitting an allowable expense?” Dr. Dahl recalls asking. Personal expenses don’t count, she was told. The response from the university dissatisfied her. “How is childcare more personal than the bed I sleep in?” she wondered. The response: having a child is a choice.

Fatyana’s proposals: Senate panel chief rejects 10% party tickets for women The Express Tribune Fatyana had also proposed that elections in the polling stations should be declared null and void in case there is less than 10% turnout of registered female voters. PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar, who presided over the special committee meeting, argued if …

Women around the world fighting sexual violence … Video on NBCNews.com: Egyptian columnist Mona Eltahawy, GritTV.org’s Laura Flanders …

Kenyan women struggle in politics Deutsche Welle Even getting elected to the Kenyan National Assembly is difficult for women, Rachel Yegon, who is hoping to be elected to parliament, told DW. She is a business woman from Kericho in western Kenya. And unlike most women in her country, Yegon is …

Trailblazers for women in Hong Kong politics South China Morning Post It reflects growing participation by women in politics at all levels – from district councils to senior government posts. But women politicians say the challenges remain as family responsibilities and traditional views about the role of women make life …

 

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 …

 

World: Women head three major parties in Israel’s elections. Saudi women seek wider representation. Six women in Tobago election race

Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Tel Aviv on Nov. 27. Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters

Women head three major parties in Israel’s elections The Jewish Journal of Greater L.A. For the first time in Israel’s history, three of the major parties are headed by women. The Labor party headed by Shelly Yacimovich is expected to become Israel’s second-largest party, Hatnuah headed by former Foreign Minister Tzippi Livni is set to win seven seats, and the dovish Meretz and Zahava Gal-On is projected at five seats in the 120-seat parliament.

Chief electoral official for women polling staff Times of India AGARTALA: Chief electoral official (CEO) Ashutosh Jindal mooted the idea of deploying women polling staff in the upcoming assembly election on an experimental basis considering the peaceful atmosphere in the state and the enthusiasm among the female …

Outcry over India gang rape pushes window to gender equality wide open, says … Reuters India NEW DELHI (TrustLaw) – The unprecedented public protests and national debate over the treatment of women following a brutal gang rape and murder case in India suggest the country could play a pioneering role in advancing gender equality around the …

Field more women in elections, Smriti Irani tells State BJP Deccan Herald BJP Mahila Morcha National President Smriti Irani on Wednesday appealed the party State organisation and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to field more women candidates in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Speaking after inaugurating a State-level …

Congress to target women voters ahead of 2014 polls Livemint With general secretary Rahul Gandhi expected to take over the reins of the Congress, the Jaipur session will witness for the first time a large number of younger members participating in discussions and putting forward suggestions.

Women’s issues still hanging, Saudi activist says gulfnews.com Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s king granting women seats on the country’s top advisory council has come against the backdrop of heavy restrictions on women, who are not allowed to travel, work, study abroad, marry, get divorced or gain admittance to a public …

Saudi women seek wider representation MENAFN.COM A group of Saudi women pose for a commemorative picture during the First National Forum for Businesswomen in Riyadh in this file photo.  Following the decision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to …

Tunisia: UN expert group calls for guarantees on gender equality and women’s … AfricanBrains The United Nations Working Group on discrimination against women in law and in practice called on the Government of Tunisia to adopt stronger constitutional provisions on gender equality and non-discrimination, and to implement temporary special …

Female under-representation in parliamentary elections criticised Daily News Egypt In a strongly worded statement the party bases its claims on the legislature’s decision not to include a condition that female candidates must be listed in the top half of electoral lists. In previous elections women were mostly placed at the bottom of …

Promote women candidates for by-elections- WILDAF Citifmonline Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) is calling on all political parties who want to contest the two by-elections in the Buem and Akatsi South Constituencies in the Volta Region to prioritize women as candidates for the elections. It says …

Party Pushes for Better Female Representation in Parliament AllAfrica.com An Egyptian political party “Misr” announced on Monday that it holds on to its initial stance of women’s status in the electoral list for the proposed amendments in the elections law. The party’s official spokesman, Walid Abdel Moneim, called on all…

Gender Equality, A Criteria For Success Of Vision 20:2020 – UN Leadership Newspapers Nigeria needs to ensure equal participation of women in economic, social and political activities, if it is to achieve the objectives of Vision 20:2020, a UN official said. The Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, Ms Michelle …

Six women in Tobago election race Trinidad Guardian There are six women contesting the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election on January 21, the largest number ever, and it is hoped there will be a greater female presence in the THA in the coming years. The expectation is coming from Hazel Brown, head …

Why many women in the North lost the 2010 Assembly Election – Report GhanaWeb A number of reasons including cultural barriers and practices, low literacy level of women, women voting against women candidates and the lack of finances for campaign have been identified as the major causes of many women losing the 2010 District …

Narok County Women in Politics AllAfrica.com For a long time, the Maasai community has discriminated against women when it comes to leadership. In the history of the community only three women have ever defied odds to be elected as leaders in Narok county. Surprisingly, the three were only …

Women’s fears grow over chaos at Thursday polls The Star Women aspirants in Migori county have said lack of money, security and violence are some of the challenges they are facing in the campaigns. During a one-day workshop organised by two local NGOs in Migori town, the aspirants said violence in polling …

Electoral Lists to Include Copts, Women – Head of Islamist Party AllAfrica.com The Building and Development Party’s electoral lists in the upcoming parliamentary elections will include Coptic candidates as long as they meet the criteria the party requires for those who will apply for candidacy, head of the party Nasr Abdel Salam …