Topic: Women's Issues

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Mother's Day 2013: 10 best books

Mother's Day 2013: 10 best new books for all kinds of moms
On Earth Day 2013: 13 excellent books to consume

It's Earth Day. Check out these 13 books for the literary equivalent of a green boost of antioxidants and protein.
10 most controversial authors (in recent memory)

These writers have all sold plenty of books – and taken quite a lot of flak.
International Women's day: 3 challenges women face around the world

Issues such as violence, inequality at work, and traditional expectations confront women on every continent around the world. Here is a sampling of challenges women faced this year:
International Women's day: Test your knowledge about women leaders

From the Queen of Sheba to the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty women have led their people throughout history. But it wasn't until after World War II that women began to hold elected office. How much do you know about recent women leaders?

All Content

The Vote Lena Dunham's sexy Obama ad: Youthfully alluring or bad taste?

The star of 'Girls' has cut a YouTube video for the president discussing her 'first time.' It made the Vote kind of uncomfortable, but then, we're not the demographic Obama is trying to reach.
Obama or Romney? How 5 undecided voters are making up their minds.

Last month, the Monitor profiled five undecided voters whose allegiances were especially prized because they live in swing states. Now, less than two weeks before Election Day, we check in with them to see what they’re thinking now.
Confusing polls: Has Mitt Romney closed the gender gap or not?

Mitt Romney has caught up to President Obama among women voters in one poll, but has fallen further behind in another. The truth is unclear, but Obama needs to hold his ground.
Modern Parenthood Binders full of women: Inane office supply focus misses the point

Binders full of women: Of course politicians have them, along with binders full of any kind of potential appointees. Wouldn't we crucify Romney – or Obama, for that matter – if he didn't have lists of women? The important thing is what's done with the lists of women – let's focus on that.
The Monitor's View: Women can't be airbrushed out of Arab Spring

Like IKEA's deletion of photos of women from its catalog for Saudi Arabia, Muslim countries now creating democracies can't leave out women's rights while creating civic rights.
Birth control: NYC schools dispensing morning-after pill to girls

Birth control – Plan B, morning-after pills – are distributed at 53 schools in New York's 1-million-student school system. About 7,000 15- to 17-year-old New York City girls get pregnant annually.
Akin won't give up (+video)

Though many prominent members of his own party have called for him to leave a Missouri race for U.S. Senate, Republican Representative Todd Akin is not stepping down.
Rocked by sex scandal, Air Force installs woman commander for basic training

At Lackland Air Force Base, dozens of female recruits say they were preyed upon by instructors. Now, Col. Deborah Liddick will run the unit responsible for training 35,000 recruits a year.
Pope Benedict, on tour in the Middle East, calls again for peace

At an open-air Mass in Beirut on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the horrors and deaths resulting from conflicts in the region, and appealed to Christians living in the Middle East to be 'peacemakers.'
Chapter & Verse In today's economy, are women surging while men lag?

Joining other feminist-themed books like 'The Good Girls Revolt' is 'The End of the Men,' in which Hanna Rosin posits that men are 'frail dependents in need of a protector.'
Staunchly Catholic Poland takes a new look at easing abortion laws

Poland has one of Europe's strictest abortion policies, but critics say it has only driven the practice underground. Now, parliament is expected to consider a bill that would ease restrictions.
Focus
Obama or Romney? Why 5 undecided voters are still on the fence.

The presidential election will be decided by a tiny fraction of American voters – those in swing states who have not made up their minds. What are these 1 million people waiting for? The Monitor talked to five undecided voters to find out.
NFL's first female referee: Shannon Eastin's debut game

NFL's first female referee: Shannon Eastin became the first woman to be an official in an NFL regular-season game, in the Rams-Lions game Sunday. Eastin had 16 years of football officiating experience before she became the NFL's first female referee.
Women for Mitt: why they say it's Obama waging a 'war on women'

Women voters who back Mitt Romney are ratcheting up grass-roots efforts to persuade other women that the economy is a women's issue. Polls show Romney trails Obama among women.
Bachelorette: movie review

Despite some sharp scenes, the gross-out humor of 'Bachelorette' goes nowhere.
Caroline Kennedy compares Obama to JFK

Caroline Kennedy says President Obama 'has the quality my father most admired in public life – courage.' Caroline Kennedy spoke Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.
Economist Mom Marissa Mayer and the 'mommy track': Is the work/life balance truly possible?

Is it really up to the Yahoo! CEO and expectant mother to show women how to rise to the top of the corporate world?
Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 differences on women's issues

President Obama won the women’s vote four years ago, and he’ll need to again to win reelection, given Mitt Romney’s strength among male voters. Here are some of the women’s issues on which the candidates differ.
Opinion: After Todd Akin comments: Why women – and men – still need feminism

My students' Who Needs Feminism online campaign is reclaiming feminism as an umbrella for dialogue on issues that affect all of us. And it holds the potential to effect real change, especially in the face of Todd Akin's shockingly misinformed and misogynist statements.
Pussy Riot: the anonymous band behind the high-profile conviction (+video)

Pussy Riot – which has members beyond the three convicted – isn't your typical band that performs songs back to back in a live concert. But the group now has worldwide recognition and is expected to continue recording.
15 highest-paid authors of 2012

Here's the annual Forbes ranking of the 15 top-grossing authors in the book industry. Can you guess who's No. 1?
Chapter & Verse 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is bestselling book ever in Britain

'Fifty Shades of Grey' has passed the 'Harry Potter' books and 'The Da Vinci Code' to become the country's bestselling book.
After new poll: Is Obama losing his touch with Colorado voters?

President Obama is trailing Mitt Romney in Colorado by five percentage points in a new poll, after Mr. Obama won the state in 2008. The president is in the midst of a two-day swing through the state.
Arizona 20-week abortion ban upheld by US judge

A US judge upholds an Arizona abortion ban law that imposes a 20-week cutoff for women seeking the procedure, well before fetal viability. It's latest victory for abortion opponents.
Opinion: Pass a Violence Against Women Act that protects American Indian women

Eighty-six percent of the perpetrators of sexual offenses against American Indian women are non-Indian, but tribal police have no authority to detain them. The House must pass a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that includes key protections for American Indian women.