This week was International Women’s Day (March 8th). LaFemnista had a powerful IWD diary on The Global War on Women.
It’s become routine for organizations to put an “inspiring” post on social media, then go back to underpaying women and ignoring harassment. On Twitter, the Gender Pay Gap Bot names and shames them every year:
I like purple, but I’d rather have equal pay.
As always, this diary is a group effort. Thanks to mettle fatigue, SandraLLAP, Angmar, and the WOW crew for links & discussion.
Reproductive Rights:
Latest from Jessica Valenti: Utah's governor will sign a law outlawing abortions outside of hospitals. Current anti-abortion bills in Iowa didn't make it to the legislature's deadline, so abortion remains legal to 20 weeks. California will no longer do business with Walgreens after they stopped selling abortion pills in states where it's legal. And New Jersey state Sen. Ed Durr, who is running again, has the following to say about abortion: “A woman does have a choice! Keep her legs closed!”
Also via Jessica Valenti: as Florida moves toward a 6-week abortion ban, a new poll of Florida Republicans found that over 60% opposed the six-week ban. Of Republicans! (The Associated Press also has a short explainer on the bill, for those interested.)
The majority of Americans — Including almost 40% of Republicans — believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
The Pentagon will allow up to three weeks leave for service members to travel for abortions and other reproductive health care for themselves or their spouse.
In an Indiana case arguing about the “religious freedom” to deny women reproductive rights, Fundamentalist Christians are seriously arguing that only conservative religious beliefs can be genuine.
A Texas man is suing three women for helping his now-ex wife obtain medication for a self-managed abortion.
The first woman President in Honduras has legalized the morning-after pill.
KHN via Medscape "For Young People on Medicare, a Hysterectomy Sometimes Is More Affordable Than Birth Control" at least in the present, and despite associated health risks later on.
And, from the NY Times- Five Women Sue Texas Over the State’s Abortion Ban:
"Five women who say they were denied abortions despite grave risks to their lives or their fetuses sued the State of Texas on Monday, apparently the first time that pregnant women themselves have taken legal action against the bans that have shut down access to abortion across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The women — two visibly pregnant — plan to tell their stories on the steps of the Texas Capitol on Tuesday. Their often harrowing experiences will put faces to what their 91-page complaint calls 'catastrophic harms' to women since the court’s decision in June, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion after five decades."
International News:
Via Jill Filipovic: Some 400 female leaders from 15 African nations gathered in Juba, South Sudan to strategize solutions to broad gender inequities across the continent.
Also via Jill Filipovic: the UN Secretary General says that at the current rate it will take 300 years to achieve equality.
International Women's Day: Global opinion remains committed to gender equality, but half now believe it is coming at the expense of men. In Britain, more than half of younger generations (millennials & gen Z) polled say women's rights are now discriminating against men.
Globally, gender equality is linked to life expectancy.
Africa’s shift to low-cost manufacturing puts women at risk.
And some positive news, from Reuters- Canada repeals historic laws targeting women, LGBTQ community.
Workplace Issues:
An anti-strike bill in the UK would disproportionately affect female workers, feminist groups say.
Equal Pay Day [Nat'l Committee on Pay Equity] falls in 2023 on March 14 — a date determined by how long into the new year American women must work to catch up to American men’s earnings the previous year. In 2022, women earned 82% of what men earned. The wage gap for Black and Hispanic women is even higher — these groups made 70% and 65%, respectively, of what white men made. The Convo offers “5 tips for women to negotiate a higher salary.” Now when will we see tips for bosses to stop underpaying women?
Intersectionality:
Remembering the women of the early Civil Rights Movement.
Unemployment for Black and Hispanic women increased in February.
Media:
Over three-quarters of teens have seen online porn — sometimes before they were teens — and 52% have seen violent porn, including “choking, slapping, gagging, hitting and crying.” And for some kids, porn is all the sex education they get. While it’s far from the only source of misogyny, it’s worth noting that a lot of mainstream porn is misogynist, and there’s a correlation between boys consuming violent porn and engaging in real-life sexual aggression. Meanwhile, right-wingers crusade to make sure kids never encounter any mention of drag or LGBT people.
Some thought on why Andrew Tate appeals to teenage boys and young men.
Good acting roles are scarce for Asian actors and women, especially those over 40. In “Everything, Everywhere All at Once,” Michelle Yeoh shines.
“Stranger Things” actor Grace Van Dien talks about turning down movie roles after being sexually propositioned by the producer.
Action Items:
There’s this petition from Oxfam to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry demanding "Climate Justice for Women and Girls", in honor of International Women’s Day.
And a couple more petitions: From Amnesty International- Immediately release Zeynab Jalalian.
"Iranian-Kurdish woman Zeynab Jalalian has dedicated her life to empowering women and girls. For her advocacy, Zaynab has spent the last 15 years behind bars, where she is currently serving a life prison sentence."
And from Change.org, also targeting the Iranian regime, to halt the pending execution of a 24-year-old woman the petition calls “the voice of his people during the recent protests in Iran”.