In The News

Pakistan’s Malala Problem: Teen Activist’s Global Celebrity Not Matched at Home

Omar Waraich July 19, 2013
A young Pakistani schoolgirl survived an assassination attempt and continues to speak out on free, compulsory education for all. In a speech at the United Nations, 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai argued that books and pens are the most powerful tools against illiteracy and terrorism, reports Omar Waraich for Time Magazine. A global audience cheered her message: “One child, one teacher, one book and...

“I Am With the Uprising of Arab Women”

Marcia C. Inhorn May 21, 2013
It may surprise those who view Arab society as traditional and conservative that many Arab Muslim men are supportive of women’s rights. Marcia Inhorn, a Yale professor of anthropology, interviewed more than 300 men from 14 Arab nations – and reports in Slate that many men seek love and companionship in marriage and education and equality for their daughters. “The hundreds of professions of love...

To Lift Afghan Women, Educate All

Susan Froetschel April 8, 2013
As NATO plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, stability is in doubt for a country with inept governance and stubborn opposition from an obscurantist group. Crime reports from Afghanistan suggest the Taliban are waging attacks on police and schools, including the recent attack on a convoy delivering school textbooks, which killed a young US State Department staffer. NGOs and diplomats, often...

Delhi Gang Rape Spurs China Debate, Censorship

Ananth Krishnan January 1, 2013
A horrific crime in one country can spur reflection and debate about social mores in another. A gang rape in Delhi, and the victim's subsequent death, went from being widely reported in China to subject of censorship. Many official news outlets and commentators used the incident to criticize the unruliness of democracy, but other commenters marveled at massive protests throughout India. “...

What’s the Bigger Challenge – Baby Boom or Bust?

Philip Bowring October 5, 2012
The Philippines stands out in East Asia for its high rates of fertility and poverty. A Reproductive Health Bill would allow public distribution of contraception advice and methods, but Catholic bishops are adamantly opposed. The clerics warn that contraception contributes to population decline and potential economic struggles of a small workforce supporting social protections for the aged....

Childless by Choice

Joseph Chamie and Barry Mirkin March 2, 2012
Around the globe, more women and men are delaying childbirth, with many deciding against having children altogether. Economic recession, high unemployment rates, education and career ambitions contribute to the phenomenon. Among most developed nations, one in 10 women in their late 40s have no children, and in Italy and Switzerland, the childlessness rate approaches one in four women. The...

Egypt: 10,000 March in Protest at Woman Dragged Half-Naked Through Street

December 26, 2011
A military loses credibility when it emphasizes power over security, turning on its own citizens – especially after abuses are documented and released over the internet for the world to see. About 10,000 women marched on the streets of Cairo to protest brutal treatment of female protesters. “Even before the protest was over, the military council issued an unusually strong statement of regret for...