Women’s Rights Are the Key to National Security

In an official document released in July of this year, the U.S. Government announced that it will now work to incorporate gender perspectives in its implementation of national security policies and strategy.[1] The Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Agency for International Development will head the new Women, Peace, …

How Gender Norms Affect Women Running for Office

We live in an era where more women are entering the workforce, yet there are still inequitable ratios of women to men in some arenas. The United States government, for example, has been male dominated since its establishment over 230 years ago. Of course, women have always participated in government and politics, but not at …

Why We Should Still Care About the Equal Rights Amendment

*Disclaimer: I am writing this blog post as an individual, and the views expressed within do not represent the official position of the WomanStats Project. The WomanStats Project does not take an official position on this issue. Here’s a sobering statistic: 80 percent of people in the US incorrectly believe that the Constitution already guarantees …

Let’s Talk About Money: Gender Differences in Personal Finance

Money is probably not anyone’s favorite topic of conversation. Discussing your personal finances has been relegated to a discussion only to be had with a select few: perhaps your parents, a significant other, or a financial advisor. In the United States, it is typically considered “taboo” to ask others, even close friends, how much they …

At the Intersection of Racism & Sexism: The Murders and Disappearances of Indigenous Women

The months of October and November in Canada and the United States are focused on turkeys, feasts, black Friday, and celebrations with family— months full of gratitude for all that we have. “The First Thanksgiving” in what is now the United States occurred in 1621 with 53 pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians, and it was …

Women and International Relations: WomanStats’ Participation at the VI Congress of RedIntercol

From the 2ndto the 4thof October, I had the opportunity to participate and represent the WomanStats Project in RedIntercol’s sixth Congress along with Professor Maria Catalina Monroy (one of WomanStats’co-principal investigators). RedIntercol is the Colombian network of International Relations, and its Congress is an opportunity to learn from other academics’– both teachers and students – …

Virginity Testing: Women as Guardians of Virtue and Honor

Show me a culture that does not understand or teach consent and I’ll show you many cultures that absolve men of accountability, murder women in the name of honor, violate young girls, and exacerbate trauma. Across borders and state lines, cultures and languages, a common, shared experience of being a woman is violation of consent.  …

In Figures: The State of Women’s Health Around the World

The world’s population count reveals that women outnumber men; however, improving their lives and lengthening their lifespan is not on every government’s agenda. Women do enjoy better health services and greater rights in the developed world, but as the featured infographic suggests, the disparity can’t be missed as you scan and compare different areas of …

Explaining Wartime Rape

It has been two decades since the Peruvian Civil War ended, and yet the violence of the conflict has extended far into the post-conflict period. Namely, rape and sexual violence, which were widespread during the conflict, continue to be perpetrated. Despite post-war policies designed by the Peruvian government to stop violence against women, many women …

Marriage: Could It Be Better?

  Two people fall in love, decide to marry, and live happily ever after. That is what we all like to believe marriage is, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t always so simple. Every couple will have their share of challenges and obstacles that may push them to their breaking point, and marriage is no different. It …