Women
- vancouversun.com B.C. court overrules 'biased' will that left $2.9 million to son, $170,000 to daughter
Ginny Lam, who challenged her mother’s will in court, argued it was based on outdated gender values from 1960s village culture in China.
- www.townandcountrymag.com The Extraordinary Life of Martha Gellhorn, the Woman Ernest Hemingway Tried to Erase
A maverick war correspondent, Hemingway's third wife was the only woman at D-Day. Her husband wanted her home in his bed.
- yewtu.be Women are trying to escape Saudi Arabia, but not all of them make it | Four Corners
Many Saudi women are wealthy, well-educated and told they have everything, but when they disobey their male guardians, life can be more like a Handmaid’s Tale dystopia. Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-04/escape-from-saudi-the-women-who-made-it-and-the-ones-who-dont/10763324 So...
- abcnews.go.com A woman who took an abortion pill was charged with murder. She is now suing prosecutors
A Texas woman who self-managed her abortion is suing the local sheriff and prosecutors after she was held in jail on a murder charge, which was later dismissed.
- yt.artemislena.eu Why Are US Military Bases so Dangerous?
US armed forces are trained and readied to face violence anywhere in the world, but alarm is growing as enlisted personnel are falling victim to violence in a most unexpected place – on stateside military bases. Gianna Toboni meets with victims and insiders to explore stories of violence and impunit...
- www.rollingstone.com A Timeline of Donald Trump's Creepiness While He Owned Miss Universe
From walking into a teen dressing room to joking about his obligation to sleep with contestants, Donald Trump is a storied pageant creep.
- truthout.org GOP Hasn’t “Softened” on Abortion — It’s Masking Extreme Policy With Vague Words
The Republican National Committee follows Trump’s lead in hiding anti-abortion schemes behind a veneer of moderation.
- www.telegraph.co.uk ‘Diversity hire’ Secret Service chief blamed for Trump shooting security failings
Republican congressman leads criticism of female director Kimberly Cheatle
- truthout.org Project 2025 Aims to Turn HHS Into Far Right Anti-Abortion “Department of Life”
The author of the Project 2025 section on HHS also wants the department to reverse the FDA’s approval of mifepristone.
- www.theguardian.com Video appears to show gang-rape of Afghan woman in a Taliban jail
Activist claims she was threatened with release of the footage in order to silence her, amid multiple reports of sexual violence inflicted upon imprisoned Afghan women
- theanarchistlibrary.org A Letter of Resistance from the Magónista Women’s Commission of the Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca
Anonymous A Letter of Resistance from the Magónista Women’s Commission of the Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca A report from Magónistas on the impact of...
- libcom.org Unveiled and Unbroken: Woman’s Revolution in Iran
This article is the text of an Iranian workerist Marxist scholar Maryam Namazie featured in a edition of Queer Majority which claimed to be "the only magazine in the world focused on sexual and romantic liberty for all, whether you’re gay, straight, or bi". Unveiled and Unbroken, Woman’s Revolution ...
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Please help me understand the needs of those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy
For a long time I have not felt belonging to either the Pro Choice or Pro Life groups and recently came across ProGrace which sets politics aside to focus on aiding the woman and meeting her needs directly both during and after her pregnancy regardless as to how she decides to proceed. This got my attention and I have since taken their training course, listened to their podcast and started some of their recommended reading to further my understanding.
In full disclosure I am a white christian male in the southeastern USA who has experienced two unplanned pregnancies myself and after learning of how terribly the church has handled their support of women, especially around unplanned pregnancy, I am looking to work with my wife to educate those within our sphere of influence to address this.
However, as mentioned above, I am a male and so naturally my experience around the issue simply does not compare to the depth of emotion and trauma that a woman would experience and so I am hoping to learn from those here who are or have experienced an unplanned pregnancy to better understand what support is needed to bring women through the traumas associated, overcome the fear and shame around the issue, and just generally help in any way I can.
I know this is a sensitive topic and so I would not ask for sharing directly in the comments here. Rather I am hoping to chat directly whether via Signal, email, etc. or even a quick call for those comfortable with that (can use Jitsi, Signal or another private voice chat to avoid needing to share any personal details). I would like to simply listen to your experience; I will not debate, judge, etc. as my goal is entirely to learn.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider.
- theintercept.com Alito’s Dissent in Emergency Abortion Case Provides “Building Blocks” for More Extreme Bans
Despite deciding not to decide, the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority laid out a legal road map for anti-abortion zealots.
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lemmy.world The Arts of Lovemaking Worldwide - Lemmy.WorldMany adults have heard of the Kama Sutra, but did you know there are several similar texts about the arts of lovemaking that have appeared throughout the world? Many texts also describe lovemaking poetically and I would like to share what I have found here and maybe learn a few things from anyone al...
- truthout.org US Saw Record Abortions in Year After Fall of “Roe” — But They’re Harder to Get
More people are opting for telehealth and abortion pills, but both are under fire in the courts and state legislatures.
- truthout.org For People on Probation and Parole, Accessing Abortion Is Harder Than Ever
Crossing state lines to access reproductive care can be nearly impossible for people on community supervision.
- truthout.org More Than 171,000 People Crossed State Lines to Get an Abortion in 2023
The study examined travel for abortion that occurred in 2023, the first full year after Roe v. Wade was dismantled.
- truthout.org Louisiana Banned Abortion Pills. It Also Faces a Maternal Mortality Crisis.
Instead of addressing sky-high rates of pregnancy-related death, Louisiana lawmakers criminalized abortion pills.
- truthout.org Abortion Wait Times in Southeast Have Soared Following Florida’s 6-Week Ban
Before the ban, the average Florida resident lived 20 miles from a clinic. Now, it's 590 miles.
- theintercept.com Sterilization, Murders, Suicides: Bans Haven’t Slowed Abortions, and They’re Costing Lives
Abortion bans haven’t stopped abortions, but pregnant people are dying. Is this what the “pro-life” movement wanted?
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Mother's Day (some of us have complicated feelings, I wrote a short poem about mine)
I wrote a poem over the last few days to work out my feelings about Mother's Day and my mother. I have nowhere else to share it, so I'm plopping it here, below. I think writing this was helpful for me, maybe? Not sure how I feel about the final work, but the process was actually pretty cool for working through my feelings, clipping them down. Does anyone else write for therapy, poems or anything else?
Perhaps this will resonate with some of you who have settled into similar relationships with your mothers to the one I have with mine. Anyway, here goes (dropping as an image because formatting is impossible):
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Take care of yourselves today. It's tricky, being a woman with a complicated mother relationship. It's okay to feel however we do. I hope despite everything that's ever happened, that right now you have true, deep love in your life. With someone else, for others, for yourself...just some true, deep, unshakable love. You are worthy of that, just the way you are. <3
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Why Saudi Women Are Literally Living ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
www.nytimes.com Opinion | Why Saudi Women Are Literally Living ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (Published 2017)My own teenage years in Saudi Arabia were traumatic enough. Its female citizens face a life sentence of male dominion.
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Women's Rights Activist in Saudi Arabia Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
www.theguardian.com Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rightsManahel al-Otaibi, who promoted female empowerment on social media, was arrested under anti-terror laws
A young women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia was secretly sentenced to 11 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court after being arrested for “her choice of clothing and support for women’s rights”.
Saudi officials confirmed in a statement to the United Nations high commissioner for human rights that Manahel al-Otaibi was sentenced on 9 January for what the Saudi government called “terrorist offences”.
Al-Otaibi, who was sentenced in a secret hearing before the counter-terrorism court, was found guilty of charges related to a Saudi anti-terror law that criminalises the use of websites to “broadcasts or publishes news, statements, false or malicious rumors, or the like for committing a terrorist crime”.
Among other charges, Otaibi was accused by Saudi authorities of using a hashtag – translated to #societyisready – to call for an end to male guardianship rules.
Her case follows a slew of similar cases in which Saudi women, in particular, have been subjected to draconian sentences for using social media accounts to express themselves. They include women such as Salma al-Shehab, sentenced to 27 years, Fatima al-Shawarbi, sentenced to 30 years, Sukaynah al-Aithan, sentenced to 40 years, and Nourah al-Qahtani, sentenced to 45 years.
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It's been six months today since I last got my period.
Menopause thus far has been a breeze. This is not common, but it's probably because I'm on mood medication. It is really nice not to have PMS or tender breasts or leaking or surprise middle of the night flooding or any of it. I feel lucky.
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What does femininity (or masculinity) mean to you?
I've seen a few communities where this question has led to some interesting discussion and figured this community might have some thoughts on it.
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What should spaces for women look like on the fediverse?
With [email protected] being closed due to being unmoderated, there is something of a vacuum for active safe places for women. What do you guys think the future should look like, and how do we get there?
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The world’s first true female car crash dummy is here—PROGRESS!
www.zmescience.com The world’s first true female car crash dummy is here — and it's a big dealCar crash tests check a vehicle's safety only for men. Here is how a dummy representing the ladies can make the tests better.
Well, we’ve had cars for a long time….but finally we’ll be testing them for safety for women, too.
In a sea of bad news, today this got me excited.
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"How can we make lemmy a safer place for women? Is it even possible to?" - literature.cafe
literature.cafe How can we make lemmy a safer place for women? Is it even possible to? - literature.cafeSo to preface this is posted in literature.cafe’s meta community but this question is primarily aimed at generally anyone in the lemmyverse who is NOT a cisgender man no matter what instance they may be in. The purpose of this thread is to present a stage for conversation for those willing to contri...
Conversation ongoing over there, inviting anyone who wants to participate to please consider sharing their thoughts if they are willing to. If you wanna post in the original thread from your instance copy and paste the link into your instances search panel
As I said in the thread, if you aren't comfortable posting feel free to DM me here or on matrix and I can post anonymously for you.
- theconversation.com Women’s pain is often not believed – here’s how to make your voice heard when seeking help
Women are less likely than men to have positive treatment outcomes for chronic conditions.
When you go to the doctor, you expect they’ll listen to your concerns and help fix whatever problem you may be experiencing. But many women, especially those suffering with chronic pain conditions, find the opposite is true. This can make it difficult for women to get the treatment they need.
For instance, researchers who interviewed endometriosis sufferers on their experiences with healthcare practitioners found many struggled to get the support they needed. As one participant put it, “you need to try so hard that they believe you, because they don’t. You experience that immediately, that they don’t believe you.”
In the UK, a survey by the Wellbeing of Women charity (which invests in research on women’s health) found that over half of female respondents felt their pain had been dismissed or ignored by a healthcare professional at some point. Women in other parts of the world – including North America, Australia and Europe – report similar experiences.
There’s a clear gender gap when it comes to identifying and treating women’s pain compared to men’s. For instance, women are less likely than men to have positive treatment outcomes for chronic conditions such as angina and musculoskeletal pain.
Physicians are four times more likely to recommend a knee replacement for a man than a woman with the same knee injury. The poorer quality care women received compared to men after suffering a heart attack was to blame for 8,243 preventable deaths between 2003-2013 in England and Wales.
The dismissal of women’s pain also leads to long delays in diagnoses and treatment for conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis.
The gender pain gap affects not only adults, but children and young people – with research showing young women are more likely to have their pain dismissed by physicians than young men.
The gender pain gap is even worse for black women, who are more likely than white women to have their pain dismissed and receive poorer pain treatment.
There also remains little research on pain treatment for gender diverse, transgender, non-binary and intersex patients which may mean these groups are even worse off when accessing treatment.
Gender pain gap Pervasive gender stereotypes are a key reason women’s pain is underestimated. These widely held stereotypes – held even by healthcare professionals – construct men as “stoic” and women as “emotionally expressive” when in pain.
Men are thought to be less likely to seek care for pain – so when they do, they are to be believed. In actuality, this is false, with research showing men are equally likely to go to the doctor when experiencing pain as women are.
Women are also believed to have a greater capacity to cope with pain because of the pain that accompanies menstruation and childbirth. These stereotypes mean women’s pain is viewed as “natural” and “normal” – and may not be taken as seriously by a practitioner.
One study, which had healthcare professionals watch videos of female and male patients experiencing chronic shoulder pain, found practitioners were more likely to underestimate women’s pain. They also reported the women, but not the men, would benefit from psychotherapy.
Other studies have shown healthcare practitioners are sometimes more likely to prescribe sedatives than pain medication to female patients experiencing pain.
Historically, women have been underrepresented in medical research and clinical trials. In the UK, only from 2024 will it be compulsory for new GPs to have training in women’s health.
This may somewhat explain the lack of knowledge practitioners have had in regards to women’s pain and their health concerns. And, women may be given medications and treatments that have only been trialled with men – despite female patients being more likely to experience side effects from new medications.
The gender pain gap cannot be addressed until disparities in medical research and funding are. Conditions which have a disproportional affect on women (such as migraines and endometriosis) receive “much less” funding relative to their severity and prevalence, while conditions which predominantly affect men (such as HIV) receive more funding – despite their lower prevalence.
Getting the right care Pain is never something you should accept and put up with. If you need to speak with a practitioner about your pain, there are many things you can do to ensure your voice is heard.
For example, telling your practitioner how pain affects your ability to function in your day-to-day can be more effective than trying to rate pain on a scale. Using an app or diary to track pain and related symptoms, and bringing it with you in the consultation room, can also be helpful.
If you’re comfortable, raise the issue of bias in pain care. Ask how your practitioner is ensuring you’re not part of the larger statistic of women feeling dismissed. Ask them to explain their diagnostic decision-making and how they’ve ruled out certain conditions. You can also ask them to note in your file why they haven’t made a referral for specialist care. This may be helpful if you return with the same symptoms later.
Bring a family member or friend to advocate for you if you don’t feel comfortable doing it alone. In the UK, you can also ask for a patient advocate, who will speak up for you and help you get the right care.
Addressing inadequate funding for conditions that affect women, improving training for practitioners and increased awareness of the gender pain gap, will all help ensure women in pain are no longer dismissed.
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New Female Fashion Advice Community
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/3855472
> as the title says, a community to ask and discuss all things related to female fashion.
- www.bbc.com Transgender women banned from women's chess events - BBC News
The ruling by the International Chess Federation is drawing criticism from some players.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) says it is temporarily banning transgender women from competing in its women's events.
The FIDE said individual cases would require "further analysis" and that a decision could take up to two years.
The move has been criticised by some players and enthusiasts.
Many sports governing bodies have been working on policies towards transgender athletes, but chess does not involve comparable levels of physical activity.
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New billboards for missing and murdered women aim to change narrative of B.C.'s 'Highway of Tears'
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/3413638
> New signs emphasize strength and hope of Indigenous women and communities. > > Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women in northern B.C. and an Indigenous social service agency have unveiled four new billboards to honour and remember the women and girls who've died or disappeared along a notorious highway that's been dubbed the Highway of Tears. > > The route has been called the Highway of Tears because more than 40 women and girls, mostly Indigenous, have gone missing or been murdered along the 700-kilometre stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in northern B.C. since 1969.
- www.bbc.com Afghan women escape for a chance at education
More than 450 women from Afghanistan have escaped the country to study abroad.
AUW organised for 148 Afghan women to go on the last US hanger out of Kabul. (...)
(...)AUW hopes to help more women - the goal is 1,000 - to continue their education by offering scholarships and a safe exit from Afghanistan.
- theconversation.com Women get far more migraines than men – a neurologist explains why, and what brings relief
For women ages 18 to 49, migraines are the leading cause of disability throughout the world.
A migraine is far more than just a headache – it’s a debilitating disorder of the nervous system.
People who have migraines experience severe throbbing or pulsating pain, typically on one side of the head. The pain is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light or sound. An attack may last for hours or days, and to ease the suffering, some people spend time isolated in dark, quiet rooms.
About 800 million people worldwide get migraine headaches; in the U.S. alone, about 39 million, or approximately 12% of the population, have them regularly.
And most of these people are women. More than three times as many women as compared to men get migraines. For women ages 18 to 49, migraine is the leading cause of disability throughout the world. (...)
- jezebel.com Alabama Woman Jailed for Using Drugs During Pregnancy Wasn’t Even Pregnant
Stacey Freeman was arrested for "chemical endangerment of a child" after one of her young children falsely told a social worker she was pregnant.
- www.newscientist.com Women may age fastest during their 30s and 50s
A woman may be most likely to give birth in her 30s and go through the menopause in her 50s, with these life events causing hormonal changes that may accelerate ageing
Women tend to experience accelerated ageing around the ages of 30 and 50, according to a study that analysed a wide range of molecular and physical markers. This may be due to hormonal changes that occur when some women give birth or go through the menopause.
In recent years, there has been growing recognition that ageing doesn’t always progress at the same pace and certain factors, such as stress and smoking, can speed it up. (...)