Prevalence and Legality of Consanguineous (Cousin) Marriage: Country Level Implications in Pakistan

The attached PDF is the first of a new kind of assessment produced by the Coders of The WomanStats Project. Because of the format, the assessment is available only in PDF form. This assessment was produced for review by the Bush School of Government and Public Service. It was prepared by Vivian Cassina for The …

“Is Political Representation Enough to Improve Women’s Rights? The Rwanda Paradox Proves Otherwise”

Rwanda has the highest percentage of female parliamentary participation in the world. Yet, many women leaders still find their competency questioned and their political influence limited.  Photo: UN Women In today’s world, where women are still severely underrepresented in politics, electing and appointing more women to high-ranking government positions is often presented as a direct …

Where Are All the Female Engineers?

During the summer of 2022, I interned for the Division of Project Management in the 2nd District of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The first thing that struck me on my first day at Caltrans: of the ten project managers (each of whom is required to be a registered Professional Engineer in the state …

Prostitution and Commodifying Women

Prostitution is the sexual exploitation of women and girls perpetrated by men. While some try to spin the narrative using term such as ‘sex work,’ the reality is that prostitution is rape with money (NMN, 2019). Societal misconceptions have shaped how we conceptualize prostitution as well as policy responses. Understanding the reality of prostitution reframes …

The Experiences of Romani Women and Girls

Romani women, who are part of a group that is already extremely disadvantaged in Europe, experience even more discrimination than their male counterparts. Roma people are historically and currently ostracized from the broader societies across Europe. The Roma arrived in Europe in the middle ages and were called the “untouchables” mainly due to their nomadic …

Controversial Cloth: The Struggle of Muslim Women in Europe

The struggle of Muslim women in Europe is a lengthy one that can be traced back to 2003. This was the year that Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled that, constitutionally, teachers can wear the burka, but stated that regional governments would be the ones to ultimately decide. Shortly after this declaration, half of Germany’s states …

Women, Life, Freedom

Over the last month, the world has watched Iranian women, primarily between 16 and 17-years old, remove their headscarves, put on ponytails, and stand in front of police and military officers belonging to one of the most brutal and oppressive regimes in the world. The killing of a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the morality police …

Throwback Thursday: 10/06/22

WAIST TRAINERS AND THE CONTROVERSIAL REVIVAL OF THE CORSET Original Post: 01/25/2021 Beauty practices around the world rise and fall as time goes, each one meaning something different for women. The fall of corsets led to girdles, and then to Spanx; now, “waist trainers” are being promoted by popular celebrities across social media, leading to a …

The Hidden Impact of Depp v. Heard and overturning Roe v. Wade on Victims of Abuse

At a local nonprofit called Families to Freedom, a domestic violence hotline advocate receives calls from women seeking emergency shelter or long-term safety planning. The advocate talks a victim through an intake process to determine what kind of services are the best fit for each victim by asking questions such as—  “Are you in a …

Tribal Indian Women Voicing Change

It was July 2018 when I moved to the Jharkhand state of India, having very little to no idea about the tribal culture and traditions. The Chhota Nagpur Plateau is the home to Munda Tribe, a tribe that is culturally rich, diverse, and also patriarchal. It’s a society where women, who work in fields throughout …