There has been criticism from the extreme right (Or is it the extreme left? Who supposedly likes Putin these days? It’s so confusing! — Of course it’s not really confusing at all; the GOP hates everything Biden; ideology is so last century!), or we’ll say criticism from the nominal right, that the left and much of the world is “uncritically” supporting Ukraine. So I decided to take a semi-deep dive into Ukraine prior to the war, specifically their record on women’s rights. (Some of this information was taken from Wiki because it’s a good summary; the most salient points were fact checked using separate Google searches.)
In theory, the women of Ukraine have equal rights with the men. Their current Constitution was adopted and ratified in 1996, shortly after Ukraine gained independence from the USSR. It was last revised in 2014. Article 24 is the pertinent Constitutional article — and reads better than ours! (Bolding mine):
Article 24:
Citizens have equal constitutional rights and freedoms and are equal before the law.
There shall be no privileges or restrictions based on race, colour of skin, political, religious and other beliefs, sex, ethnic and social origin, property status, place of residence, linguistic or other characteristics.
Equality of the rights of women and men is ensured: by providing women with opportunities equal to those of men, in public and political, and cultural activity, in obtaining education and in professional training, in work and its remuneration; by special measures for the protection of work and health of women; by establishing pension privileges, by creating conditions that allow women to combine work and motherhood; by legal protection, material and moral support of motherhood and childhood, including the provision of paid leaves and other privileges to pregnant women and mothers.
Notably, most Constitutional rights apply not just to Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine, but to all humans in Ukraine, as well as to all Ukrainian citizens outside of the country. There are also enumerated rights of children and families. The link (English translation of their entire Constitution) is fascinating — what our Constitution might have been if it were written in modern times (on a good day)!
However, that does not necessarily translate into equality in practice, of course. Although there have been feminist movements since Ukraine’s independence, and more than 60% of Ukrainian women have studied at the college level and above, women make up less than half the workforce but 80% of the unemployed. Ukrainian women have their own problems with glass ceilings and relatively low wages, about 70% of what men earn. Only 2% of large companies are led by women. Most political positions are held by men, the percentages varying with the position.
You have probably heard that women are active in Ukraine’s military. However, women pushed for that paid activity. They started out as volunteers, when allowed in at all. And they only have held official combat positions since 2016. Currently, some women are leaving Ukraine to get their loved ones to safety and/or to collect supplies, and then returning to fight; others who emigrated from Ukraine earlier are now returning to Ukraine in order to join the fight for their country.
Currently, one of the most prominent Ukrainian feminist groups appears to be the Ukrainian Women’s Fund. They state that they have been active in multiple projects, including peace initiatives. In addition, they report providing funding for others, including women’s voice and leadership projects.
Nevertheless, Ukraine still has work to do in education, where girls avoid STEM subjects; and in parenting, where only 3% of men take parental leave.
But does any of this mean that Ukraine deserves to be invaded by a foreign country? Emphatically NO!! First of all, they are in many ways no worse than the US, and we would not tolerate such an invasion. Secondly, in some ways they are better than us. Thirdly, Russia is not exactly going to be able to create for them an equal society! Like the US and Ukraine, Russia is equal in theory but not in practice. Constitutionally, women and men are equal, but women are expected to prioritise home and children, and Russian feminists struggle to advance women’s rights.
So we now have a clear-eyed look at the situation in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion. And can still say without hesitation, Ukraine has the right to self determination and autonomy. Get out from where you’re not wanted, Russia!
In Other News
Abortion
The never-ending attempts at rights rollbacks continue:
Idaho House passes Texas-style abortion ban:
While Idaho's bill does copy elements of Texas' abortion ban, the two differ in certain aspects.
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- The Idaho abortion ban does allow for some exceptions in cases of incest or rape, but requires the pregnant person to have reported their rape or incest to the police and to provide the abortion provider with a police report, 19th News reported.
- Idaho's ban only permits the person receiving the abortion or their family to sue for damages and only allows for the doctor to be sued, per 19th News.
AP via Medscape Amid Abortion Rights Threat, OB-GYNS More Vocal With Support (note that the link also details some interesting abortion history):
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — As the Supreme Court mulls whether to uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG] filed a brief against the state law, calling it "fundamentally at odds with the provision of safe and essential healthcare."
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There were good reasons for the clinic model — a precursor of today's outpatient surgical centers. Hospitals were performing abortions in operating rooms under general anesthesia, which was expensive and unnecessary, Darney said.
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But the clinic model also gave abortion opponents a clear and visible target.
WebMD via Medscape Texas Supreme Court Rules Against Providers in Abortion Ban Case "essentially shutting down the last chance to stop the law" (for now):
The Texas law allows civilians to sue anyone who "aids or abets" someone who gets an abortion after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, offering the possibility of $10,000 for successful lawsuits. It is the most restrictive abortion law in the country and directly against the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision from Roe v. Wade, which blocks states from banning abortions before a fetus is viable outside the womb around 23 weeks of pregnancy.
By allowing everyday citizens to sue and by banning enforcement by state officials, Senate Bill 8 was designed to escape judicial review in federal court, according to The New York Times. Abortion providers asked the Supreme Court to block the law even before it took effect in September, but the justices declined twice. Since state officials don't enforce the law, it couldn't be challenged in federal court, the newspaper reported.
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The Heartbeat Act's "emphatic, unambiguous and repeated provisions" say that a private civil action is the "exclusive" method for enforcing the law, Justice Jeffrey Boyd wrote in the court's opinion.
And here comes the TN House: Tennessee bill would ban most abortions, allow private residents to sue providers.
However, the TN Senate is pushing back, Senate leaders would not support new abortion ban over conflicts with 'heartbeat' law: This is not entirely good news, as these Senators want a 6-week ban. However, the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project has been fighting the 6-week law: The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the ban for now. The state will probably decide what to do next based on the MS case in front of SCOTUS. Thank you to Breana Staten of ACLU of TN for letting me know how they are doing in this fight (private email)!
Injustice
A devastating case of the way the MeToo movement can become even more of a nightmare - the case of Cissi Wallin in Sweden, where she could serve up to two years for defamation even with plenty of evidence that her accusation is true. In Sweden apparently you can't name the person you are accusing.
https://www.nytimes.com/...
Harassment/violence
In discussing Kanye West's disturbing harassment of his ex Kim Kardashian, Trevor Noah makes a significant point: If one of the richest, most successful women in the world can't stop this behavior, what chance do other women have in this situation? Then Trevor unexpectedly opens up and talks about the domestic violence in his own family:
https://twitter.com/...
Social Media
BBC: Telegram: Where women's nudes are shared without consent:
A BBC investigation has found that women's intimate pictures are being shared to harass, shame and blackmail them on a massive scale, on the social media app Telegram.
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It remains to be seen how long the company will resist greater moderation as it moves into new markets and starts to generate revenue.
For the women whose reputations have been destroyed and lives damaged by the sharing of their intimate images on Telegram, change cannot come soon enough.
Happy St. Brigid’s Day
The Conversation:
On March 17, the world celebrates the feast day of St. Patrick, a zealous British bishop of the fifth century who became famous for spreading Christianity in Ireland. Patrick is Ireland’s main patron saint. But as a medieval historian, I suggest that we also pause to remember another of Ireland’s patron saints, the nurturing, compassionate St. Brigid.
This year, following a three-year campaign by a feminist organization, herstory, the Irish government finally acknowledged Brigid’s importance by declaring a new national holiday on her feast day of Feb. 1. Until now, Ireland counted her among their official three patrons, along with St. Patrick and St. Columcille, or Columba, but gave workers a day off only on St. Patrick’s Day.
So who is St. Brigid?
Unlike Patrick, who came from Britain, Brigid was born in Ireland, sometime around A.D. 450, the child of a slave and a king in the province of Leinster.
International
Lebanon
Ha'aretz 'This Country Is F**ked Up:' Meet Lebanon's First All-female Metal Band Lebanese Iron Maidens: They curse, sing about sexuality and social injustice and argue with relatives who want them to wear pink instead of “the devil’s color.” This is the story of 'Slave to Sirens,' which responds to gender and cultural stereotypes with a scream
South Korea
Bloomberg: "Anti-feminist" strategy may backfire on next South Korea leader:
Yoon Suk Yeol’s victory in South Korea’s presidential election last week may have come at the cost of animating a once-overlooked voting bloc that’s aligned against him: Young women.
The conservative president-elect’s effort to court “anti-feminist” voters, by vowing among other things to abolish the Gender Ministry, spurred young women to break heavily for his progressive opponent, Lee Jae-myung. Some 58% of woman younger than 30 voted for Lee, compared with 33.8% who backed Yoon, according to an exit poll conducted by the country’s three major broadcasters.
While Yoon ultimately edged out Lee in South Korea’s closest-ever presidential election, the “gender split” strategy left the electorate more sharply divided along gender lines. He may have also succeeded in mobilizing an increasingly vocal political demographic against him ahead of 2024 parliamentary elections that he’ll need to implement his agenda.
Two More Ukraine Stories:
Two Ukrainian-American Nurse Practitioners collect, ship and deliver needed medical supplies to the country of their heritage... where one of the is volunteering in healthcare.
Medscape Ukrainian-born US doctor, her husband and her brother drop the kids off with grandmother and head for Ukraine.
Celebrating the Vagina
The Conversation: "From healthy births to sustainable management, 5 essential reads on the fascinating and complex vagina" As it debunks old myths and uncovers previously ignored facts, science is finding that the vagina is both complex and busy.
Action Items
Support indigenous matriarchs:
In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day we are training and recruiting Indigenous Matriarchs on Navajo, Hopi, and Apache lands to register their families to vote.
We are less than 8 months away from the midterm elections and Indigenous women are key for early voting and Arizona Democrats winning.
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We have more recruiting and training to do, more calls to make, more stories to tell, more roads to travel, and more kits to put together to hand out.
Please go to the link to make a donation or contact the group to volunteer your help.
Volunteer, organise, donate to the ACLU (note it automatically showed me actions in NY, but should show you yours; or if not, there’s a “look up another location” button; and if you live in a safe state, you may want to click on TN or TX or ID).
Donate, support refugees, petition for assistance for Ukraine (note this is the same organisation whose ads are all over DKos lately).
As always, this column is a group effort. Many thanks to mettle fatigue, SandraLLAP, ramara, and Tara (the Antisocial Social Worker) for links and discussion this week!
I need to go help Mom, will be along later tonight. Please chat amongst yourselves!