My opinions and views are, oft-times, considered radical, however in the cases of violence against women and our daughters (children in general), I believe my views are not radical enough....
How can we, as human beings be aware of such atrocities and turn a blind eye... Not Attempt every possible thing to prevent and stop the horrors that befall our women, as a result of MENS WARS.....?
Just one Case of Millions.... (please don not think this case unique)
Lucienne M’Maroyi is a 24-year-old woman who has been separated from her husband since she was raped. She is in the Bwirhonzi group of Walungu, the mother of three daughters, the third of whom resulted from her rapes as a sex slave. She named her baby Luck because the people with whom she was taken in the bush were killed, but she was lucky not to have been killed along with them.
“My husband was on a trip to Bukavu when some Interahamwe broke into the house where I was staying with my sister-in-law at around 9 pm. It was in December 2006. They came with flashlights. I had my baby in my arms. They pulled it away from me and threw it aside. I was alone in the house. They left the kids behind, and they stayed with a neighbor. It was a blessing that they did not rape my daughters—they were so young and small, it would have been the worst tragedy for me. They pulled me and tied my arms behind my back with a rope together with my sister-in-law. They dragged us out and brought us to the home of another family where they collected other people. They also took my brother with us. Soon there were five of us. On the way they shot one elderly woman because she could not walk fast enough.
”When we got to the bush, they pulled me down to rape me in front of my brother. They gave him the flashlight to hold. As he hid his face in shame, they struck him with a gun and pulled him away to kill him.
“When they were about to kill me, one of them said I resembled his sister and that I would become his wife instead. They killed another woman. We were beaten many times. As we were swollen because of the walk and having been beaten, one of the men warmed water and gave it to us so we could massage ourselves. They sent a woman to us with food. Fortunately, to my surprise, it was my sister whom we mourned and thought had died. She had been taken at the time they killed my father. She told me she was ill and that nobody would allow her to get treatment. She was also pregnant.
“My sister-in-law was killed during a dispute between two men who wanted to have her as a wife. They decided to solve the problem by killing her.
“Another woman was impregnated. She tried to abort the baby, but she bled too much and died due to lack of access to medical treatment. I remained alone with my sister. I was also pregnant with this baby, Luck, whom I delivered in October 2007. I spent three months and a half with these people as a sex slave.
“I escaped when my elder sister was in labor and was being sent to the maternity clinic. They asked me to take her there, but took my clothes off so that I would not run away. I wore only pants. On the way, we met a government soldier whose wife gave me clothes to put on. They also made porridge for us. Unfortunately my sister died during her delivery. I kept the baby until its father came and took it to Bukavu.
“When my husband heard I was back, he said he would not remain with the Interahamwe’s wife. He stopped me from coming to his farms. I had to live at my father’s old friend’s place, where I sleep with my children on the floor in their sitting room.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
UN classifies rape a 'war tactic'
The UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war.
The document describes the deliberate use of rape as a tactic in war and a threat to international security.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached "unspeakable proportions" in some societies recovering from conflict.
The UN is also setting up an inquiry to report next June on how widespread the practice is and how to tackle it.
Human rights groups hailed the resolution as historic.
'Silent war'
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan said China, Russia, Indonesia and Vietnam had all expressed reservations during the negotiations, asking whether rape was really a matter for the security council.
But the US-sponsored resolution was adopted unanimously by the 15-member council.
It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed
Maj Gen Patrick CammaertFormer UN peacekeeper
Raped for opposing Mugabe
It described sexual violence as "a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group".
The document said that the violence "can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security".
During the debate in the council, Mr Ban said: "Responding to this silent war against women and girls requires leadership at the national level."
"National authorities need to take the initiative to build comprehensive strategies while the UN needs to help build capacity and support national authorities and civil societies," he added.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the world now recognised that sexual violence profoundly affected not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations.
Other speakers identified the former Yugoslavia, Sudan's Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Liberia as regions where deliberate sexual violence had occurred on a mass scale.
Deterrent?
The former commander of the UN peacekeeping force in eastern Congo, Maj Gen Patrick Cammaert, told the BBC he had personally witnessed its impact.
A womens' campaigner on the extent of rape
"It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed," he said.
"You destroy communities. You punish the men, and you punish the women, doing it in front of the men."
In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, some 40 women are raped every day, our correspondent says.
Sometimes women are even raped by peacekeepers who are supposed to be protecting them, she adds.
The question is whether those in conflict zones who use rape in war will be at all deterred by the new measures, she says.
The document describes the deliberate use of rape as a tactic in war and a threat to international security.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached "unspeakable proportions" in some societies recovering from conflict.
The UN is also setting up an inquiry to report next June on how widespread the practice is and how to tackle it.
Human rights groups hailed the resolution as historic.
'Silent war'
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan said China, Russia, Indonesia and Vietnam had all expressed reservations during the negotiations, asking whether rape was really a matter for the security council.
But the US-sponsored resolution was adopted unanimously by the 15-member council.
It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed
Maj Gen Patrick CammaertFormer UN peacekeeper
Raped for opposing Mugabe
It described sexual violence as "a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group".
The document said that the violence "can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security".
During the debate in the council, Mr Ban said: "Responding to this silent war against women and girls requires leadership at the national level."
"National authorities need to take the initiative to build comprehensive strategies while the UN needs to help build capacity and support national authorities and civil societies," he added.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the world now recognised that sexual violence profoundly affected not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations.
Other speakers identified the former Yugoslavia, Sudan's Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Liberia as regions where deliberate sexual violence had occurred on a mass scale.
Deterrent?
The former commander of the UN peacekeeping force in eastern Congo, Maj Gen Patrick Cammaert, told the BBC he had personally witnessed its impact.
A womens' campaigner on the extent of rape
"It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed," he said.
"You destroy communities. You punish the men, and you punish the women, doing it in front of the men."
In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, some 40 women are raped every day, our correspondent says.
Sometimes women are even raped by peacekeepers who are supposed to be protecting them, she adds.
The question is whether those in conflict zones who use rape in war will be at all deterred by the new measures, she says.
Vagina Monolog
"My vagina's angry! It is. It's pissed off! My vagina's furious and it needs to talk! It needs to talk about all this shi!. It needs to talk to you!I mean what's the deal — an army of people out there thinking up ways to torture my poor-ass, gentle loving vagina. Spending their days constructing psycho products, and nasty ideas to undermine my pussy. Vagina Motherfuckers.All this shit they're constantly trying to shove up us, clean us up — stuff us up, make it go away. Well, my vagina's not going away. It's pissed off and it's staying right here. Like tampons — what the hell is that? A wad of dry fucking cotton stuffed up there. Why can't they find a way to subtly lubricate the tampon? As soon as my vagina sees it, it goes into shock. It says forget it. It closes up. You need to work with the vagina, introduce it to things, prepare the way. That's what foreplay's all about. You got to convince my vagina, seduce my vagina, engage my vagina's trust. You can't do that with a dry wad of fucking cotton.Stop shoving things up me. Stop shoving and stop cleaning it up. My vagina doesn't need to be cleaned up. It smells good already. Don't try to decorate. Don't believe him when he tells you it smells like rose petals when it's supposed to smell like pussy. That's what they're doing, trying to clean it up, make it smell like bathroom spray or a garden. All those douche sprays, floral, berry, rain. I don't want my pussy to smell like berries or rain. All cleaned up like washing a fish after you cook it. I want to taste the fish. That's why I ordered it.Then there's those exams. Who thought them up? There's got to be a better way to do those exams. Why the scary paper dress that scratches your tits and crunches when you lie down so you feel like a wad of paper someone threw away? Why the rubber gloves? Why the flashlight all up there like Nancy Drew working against gravity, why the Nazi steel stirrups, the mean cold duck lips they shove inside you? What's that? My vagina's angry about those visits. It gets defended weeks in advance. It won't go out of the house. Then you get there. Don't you hate that? "Scoot down. Relax your vagina." Why? So you can shove mean cold duck lips inside it. I don't think so.Why can't they find some nice delicious purple velvet and wrap it around me, lay me down on some feathery cotton spread, put on some nice friendly pink or blue gloves, and rest my feet in some fur covered stirrups? Warm up the duck lips. Work with my vagina.But no, more tortures — dry wad of fucking cotton, cold duck lips, and thong underwear. That's the worst. Thong underwear. Who thought that up? Moves around all the time, gets stuck in the back of your vagina, real crusty butt.Vagina's supposed to be loose and wide, not held together. That's why girdles are so bad. We need to move and spread and talk and talk. Vaginas need comfort. Make something like that. Something to give them pleasure. No, of course they won't do that. Hate to see a woman having pleasure, particularly sexual pleasure. I mean make a nice pair of soft cotton underwear with a French tickler built in. Women would be coming all day long, coming in the supermarket, coming on the subway, coming happy vaginas. They wouldn't be able to stand it. Seeing all those energized, not taking shit, hot happy vaginas.If my vagina could talk it would talk about itself like me, it would talk about other vaginas, it would do vagina impressions.It would wear Harry Winston diamonds, no clothing, just there all draped in diamonds.My vagina helped release a giant baby. It thought it would be doing more of that. It's not. Now, it wants to travel, doesn't want a lot of company. It wants to read and know things and get out more. It wants sex. It loves sex. It wants to go deeper. It's hungry for depth. It wants kindness. It wants change. It wants silence and freedom and gentle kisses and warm liquids and deep touch. It wants chocolate and trust and beauty. It wants to scream. It wants to stop being angry. It wants to come. It wants to want. It wants. My vagina, my vagina. Well...It wants everything."(written for Whoopie Goldberg; Preformed Vagina Monolag)
V-Day
V-Day Founder Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues) launches “Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource, Power To The Women And Girls Of The Democratic Republic Of Congo” in Glamour Magazine
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. In 2007, more than 3000 V-Day events took place in the U.S. and around the world. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $50 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. In 2007, more than 3000 V-Day events took place in the U.S. and around the world. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $50 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org
V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. In 2007, more than 3000 V-Day events took place in the U.S. and around the world. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $50 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org
Friday, June 27, 2008
Nicolas Sarkozy~ Sexist?
The French president has irritated female members of parliament by sending them what they say is an ill-judged gift to mark France's EU presidency.
Nicolas Sarkozy's office sent a sleek black case to all MPs, male and female, including a pale grey tie.
Socialist MP Aurelie Filippetti proclaimed it "yet more proof of male chauvinism in the political class".
Others took it more lightly, gamely adding the ties to their outfits or even wearing them as headbands.
Junior minister Nadine Morano - one of Mr Sarkozy's most loyal staffers - defended her boss's blunder by saying that "even for a woman, wearing a tie can be nice," the Guardian reports.
Some 18% of deputies in the National Assembly - a total of 107 - are women.
Mr Sarkozy chose many women for cabinet-level posts, including Justice Minister Rachida Dati and Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
Women also hold the finance, higher education, culture and agriculture ministries and the health, youth and sports portfolio in Mr Sarkozy's cabinet.
Nicolas Sarkozy's office sent a sleek black case to all MPs, male and female, including a pale grey tie.
Socialist MP Aurelie Filippetti proclaimed it "yet more proof of male chauvinism in the political class".
Others took it more lightly, gamely adding the ties to their outfits or even wearing them as headbands.
Junior minister Nadine Morano - one of Mr Sarkozy's most loyal staffers - defended her boss's blunder by saying that "even for a woman, wearing a tie can be nice," the Guardian reports.
Some 18% of deputies in the National Assembly - a total of 107 - are women.
Mr Sarkozy chose many women for cabinet-level posts, including Justice Minister Rachida Dati and Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
Women also hold the finance, higher education, culture and agriculture ministries and the health, youth and sports portfolio in Mr Sarkozy's cabinet.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Fistula...
Fistula used to be present in the U.S. and Europe, but was largely eliminated in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century with improved obstetric care in general and the use of c-sections in particular to relieve obstructed labor.
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
In Ethiopia, alone, there are an estimated 100,000 women suffering with untreated fistula, and another 9,000 women who develop fistula each year.
Less than 6 in 10 women in developing countries give birth with any trained professional, such as a midwife or a doctor. In Ethiopia, only 1 in 10 women have a trained attendant. When complications arise, as they do in approximately 15% of all births, there is no one available to treat the woman, leading to disabling injuries like fistula, and even death.
The root causes of fistula are grinding poverty and the low status of women and girls. In Ethiopia, the poverty and malnutrition in children contributes to the condition of stunting, where the girl skeleton, and therefore pelvis as well, do not fully mature. This stunted condition can contribute to obstructed labor, and therefore fistula.
But, fistula is both preventable and treatable. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has treated over 30,000 women over 33 years. Their cure rate is over 90%. Fistula can be prevented if laboring women are provided with adequate emergency obstetric care when complications arise.
Q & A : Fistula
Q:
Can fistula be "cured"?
A:
Yes. An obstetric fistula can be closed with intravaginal surgery. If her surgery is performed by a skilled surgeon, a fistula patient has a good chance of returning to a normal life with full control of her bodily functions. The Fistula Hospital has a 93% success/cure rate.
Q:
How much does it cost to treat a fistula?
A:
At the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals, it costs US$450 to provide one woman with a fistula repair operation, high-quality postoperative care, a new dress, and bus fare home.
Q:
What are the causes of obstetric fistula?
A:
A fistula results from an obstructed labor that is left unrelieved and untreated. It is estimated that 5% of all pregnant women worldwide will experience obstructed labor. In the United States and other affluent countries, emergency obstetric care is readily available. In many developing countries where there are few hospitals, few doctors, and poor transportation systems, and where women are not highly valued, obstructed labor often results in death of the mother. When she survives, there is a great likelihood her child will die and she will develop a fistula. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), there are three delays that contribute to the development of a fistula: delay in seeking medical attention; delay in reaching a medical facility; and delay in receiving medical care once arriving at a health care facility.
Q:
I heard that fistulas are a result of female genital mutilation. Is this true?
A:
While harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) are rightly of concern to the international medical community, they are not major contributors to the development of an obstetric fistula. Some patients at the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals have been victims of FGM, but their fistulas are almost always caused by an obstructed labor resulting from a too-small pelvis or a malpresentation of the baby. FGM does not "cause" a fistula.
Q:
How many women does this problem affect?
A:
Because fistula affects women in the most remote regions of the world, an accurate count is very hard to achieve. The most common estimate is that 100,000 women worldwide develop fistulas every year, though some estimates put the number closer to 500,000. Experts at the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals estimate that there are approximately 9,000 new cases of fistula every year in Ethiopia alone. Because most fistula sufferers are young women—many still in their teens—they are likely to live with their condition for upwards of 25 years. By any estimate, there are at least two million women currently living with fistula throughout the developing world. The world capacity to treat fistula is estimated at 6,500 fistula repair surgeries per year.
Q:
Where is fistula prevalent?
A:
There is a high incidence of fistula in Africa and parts of Asia, but women are susceptible to developing fistulas wherever there are insufficient emergency obstetric care systems.
Q:
Can fistula be prevented?
A:
Any woman who can gain access to emergency obstetric care such as a cesarean section will not develop a fistula. This is why Hamlin Fistula Hospitals are building new small hospitals in five Ethiopian provinces to increase the capacity of regional hospitals to provide fistula repair surgery and quality emergency obstetric care.
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
In Ethiopia, alone, there are an estimated 100,000 women suffering with untreated fistula, and another 9,000 women who develop fistula each year.
Less than 6 in 10 women in developing countries give birth with any trained professional, such as a midwife or a doctor. In Ethiopia, only 1 in 10 women have a trained attendant. When complications arise, as they do in approximately 15% of all births, there is no one available to treat the woman, leading to disabling injuries like fistula, and even death.
The root causes of fistula are grinding poverty and the low status of women and girls. In Ethiopia, the poverty and malnutrition in children contributes to the condition of stunting, where the girl skeleton, and therefore pelvis as well, do not fully mature. This stunted condition can contribute to obstructed labor, and therefore fistula.
But, fistula is both preventable and treatable. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has treated over 30,000 women over 33 years. Their cure rate is over 90%. Fistula can be prevented if laboring women are provided with adequate emergency obstetric care when complications arise.
Q & A : Fistula
Q:
Can fistula be "cured"?
A:
Yes. An obstetric fistula can be closed with intravaginal surgery. If her surgery is performed by a skilled surgeon, a fistula patient has a good chance of returning to a normal life with full control of her bodily functions. The Fistula Hospital has a 93% success/cure rate.
Q:
How much does it cost to treat a fistula?
A:
At the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals, it costs US$450 to provide one woman with a fistula repair operation, high-quality postoperative care, a new dress, and bus fare home.
Q:
What are the causes of obstetric fistula?
A:
A fistula results from an obstructed labor that is left unrelieved and untreated. It is estimated that 5% of all pregnant women worldwide will experience obstructed labor. In the United States and other affluent countries, emergency obstetric care is readily available. In many developing countries where there are few hospitals, few doctors, and poor transportation systems, and where women are not highly valued, obstructed labor often results in death of the mother. When she survives, there is a great likelihood her child will die and she will develop a fistula. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), there are three delays that contribute to the development of a fistula: delay in seeking medical attention; delay in reaching a medical facility; and delay in receiving medical care once arriving at a health care facility.
Q:
I heard that fistulas are a result of female genital mutilation. Is this true?
A:
While harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) are rightly of concern to the international medical community, they are not major contributors to the development of an obstetric fistula. Some patients at the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals have been victims of FGM, but their fistulas are almost always caused by an obstructed labor resulting from a too-small pelvis or a malpresentation of the baby. FGM does not "cause" a fistula.
Q:
How many women does this problem affect?
A:
Because fistula affects women in the most remote regions of the world, an accurate count is very hard to achieve. The most common estimate is that 100,000 women worldwide develop fistulas every year, though some estimates put the number closer to 500,000. Experts at the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals estimate that there are approximately 9,000 new cases of fistula every year in Ethiopia alone. Because most fistula sufferers are young women—many still in their teens—they are likely to live with their condition for upwards of 25 years. By any estimate, there are at least two million women currently living with fistula throughout the developing world. The world capacity to treat fistula is estimated at 6,500 fistula repair surgeries per year.
Q:
Where is fistula prevalent?
A:
There is a high incidence of fistula in Africa and parts of Asia, but women are susceptible to developing fistulas wherever there are insufficient emergency obstetric care systems.
Q:
Can fistula be prevented?
A:
Any woman who can gain access to emergency obstetric care such as a cesarean section will not develop a fistula. This is why Hamlin Fistula Hospitals are building new small hospitals in five Ethiopian provinces to increase the capacity of regional hospitals to provide fistula repair surgery and quality emergency obstetric care.
Polyandry
This particular post will focus on a more narrow and discrete topic: From a feminist perspective, is polyandry more or less acceptable than polygyny?
Let’s start with a very quick history and terminology lesson. Polygamy means taking more than one spouse, either husband or wife. Polygyny means one man taking multiple wives. Polyandry means one woman taking multiple husbands.
In the Mormon context, there are two twists to these definitions. First, the term polygamy is often used informally, to mean polygyny. Second, the term polyandry is typically used to refer to the practice of male-initiated marriage and sexual relations with already-married women. As a definitional matter, “polyandry” need not be limited to male-initiated bonds, and in some polyandrous societies, women have freedom to choose their mates. However, Mormon polyandry as practiced in Nauvoo (and later to a lesser degree in Utah) did not accord women such freedom. Rather, a small subset of already-married women were approached and asked to become the plural wives of other men, while simultanously remaining in their existing marriages.
From a feminist perspective, polyandry creates new wrinkles.
On an initial examination, polyandry has some potential to be a pro-feminist piece if the polygamy puzzle. For one thing, it adds a very satisfying “sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander” aspect to the discussion. The system of Mormon polygyny institutionalized yet another gender-based double standard. This double standard placed the brunt of the emotional costs on the plural wives, who were expected to share their husbands. Under polyandry, the costs of spouse-sharing are distributed at least somewhat among both sexes.
Second, polyandry probably fosters male empathy towards women forced to share spouses. Polygamous marriages often created tension and unhappiness in women, who dealt with difficult emotional turmoil. Similarly, we read of tension and unhappiness felt by men who were in polyandrous marriages.
polyandry potentially allows more freedom for women to enter into fulfilling relationships
On all of these counts — lessening of the double standard, greater burden-sharing and probably empathy from men, and broader relationship opportunities for women — polyandry seems like a clear gain for women
Let’s start with a very quick history and terminology lesson. Polygamy means taking more than one spouse, either husband or wife. Polygyny means one man taking multiple wives. Polyandry means one woman taking multiple husbands.
In the Mormon context, there are two twists to these definitions. First, the term polygamy is often used informally, to mean polygyny. Second, the term polyandry is typically used to refer to the practice of male-initiated marriage and sexual relations with already-married women. As a definitional matter, “polyandry” need not be limited to male-initiated bonds, and in some polyandrous societies, women have freedom to choose their mates. However, Mormon polyandry as practiced in Nauvoo (and later to a lesser degree in Utah) did not accord women such freedom. Rather, a small subset of already-married women were approached and asked to become the plural wives of other men, while simultanously remaining in their existing marriages.
From a feminist perspective, polyandry creates new wrinkles.
On an initial examination, polyandry has some potential to be a pro-feminist piece if the polygamy puzzle. For one thing, it adds a very satisfying “sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander” aspect to the discussion. The system of Mormon polygyny institutionalized yet another gender-based double standard. This double standard placed the brunt of the emotional costs on the plural wives, who were expected to share their husbands. Under polyandry, the costs of spouse-sharing are distributed at least somewhat among both sexes.
Second, polyandry probably fosters male empathy towards women forced to share spouses. Polygamous marriages often created tension and unhappiness in women, who dealt with difficult emotional turmoil. Similarly, we read of tension and unhappiness felt by men who were in polyandrous marriages.
polyandry potentially allows more freedom for women to enter into fulfilling relationships
On all of these counts — lessening of the double standard, greater burden-sharing and probably empathy from men, and broader relationship opportunities for women — polyandry seems like a clear gain for women
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Takin a minute to digest it all...
Now that I have, I have a few things I wanna'get off of my chest....A few questions I would like answered...
Why in the Hell is a lie easier to spill out of the mouths of men ( and women) than the truth?I know some people that actually believe their lies to be true. (can you say Psychotic)
Why is it that in the realm of LOVE usually only one person is truely in it of the right reasons?
What the Hell is a Baby Daddie... The last I checked with my Mid Wife every last one of us ( in some way ) had a daddie to get here.
Why are we accepting the word "BLACK' as the precursor to almost all things negitive..? ie.. Black ball, black listed, black Monday and blackmale ( I especially lothe that one)?
Why is a womans sexuality looked upon as something to be had/ controlled/ possessed by the oppisite of her sex?
Where was I when the ordanance was passed that allowed the Zippers of the world to dictate our (present day) sexual being????
I am so tired of My (and other women's ) sexuality being the source of debate with people that have no way of comprehending its power and worth.
If you are Pro choice, chose...If you are Pro life live.. but don't fucking Preach on the basis of morality and "god" when the strp club, blow jobs and porno get your 10% and church 'aint seen your ass in a month of Sunday's.
Where did the women with back bones move to?????? Did I miss the memo with the directions to the new subdivision.... ? Or have we all de-evolved and are now preparing to move back into caves and seeking our personal medical care and advise on the back alleys... (please someone speak up!!! Have the Zippers WON??? I dont think so.)
Where are the men that are not intemidated or tainted by the Willey Lynch syndrome, that are up to the challenges of a life time??? or should I assume the last of them died with my grand father on 4-21-06?
Why with all of the eastern and western medical/ wholelistic resources out there why are we not reproducing?Have you seen ALL of the advertisments for erectile disfunction on the tube lately????
there is a real problem...and when it begins to effect Me and what I need, want and deserve.... Well, then its A HELL of a Problem!!!!!!!!! ( brothas need to check their life styles, get some excersize( get from behind the laptop), put down the Latte, pick up some water... somethin')
Why are our babies being born into sterile, forgien, cold ass enviornments instead of being born into the familiar enviornments of home? ( sistas need to prioritize, refocus and strenghen up... Get comfortable with your instincts again. Doctors are only a reference not the answer to all. Mid wives do still exist!!!! )
why are we trying soooo hard to give our children everything under the sun ( play station 3, MP3's, XboX 360's, $1000 wardrobes ect...) except the things they need the most...? US, Our time, Our involvement?
Why/ When did we allow the government to dictate when where and how we raise educate interact and love OUR CHILDREN!!??
Since when is it "NORMAL" to have a relationship by way of a blackberry,e-mail or chatt messages???What happened to face to face honesty and personal interaction? (Insanity, I tell you) What are we afraid of.. one another??? com'on get real.If we were that damn afraid of one another we would all be looking for that same hole in the ground(that they allegedly found Sadam in ) to hide in, not on social networks trying to connect.
I could go on forever but why? You feel me..even if you dont admit it...You feel me..
Now that I have, I have a few things I wanna'get off of my chest....A few questions I would like answered...
Why in the Hell is a lie easier to spill out of the mouths of men ( and women) than the truth?I know some people that actually believe their lies to be true. (can you say Psychotic)
Why is it that in the realm of LOVE usually only one person is truely in it of the right reasons?
What the Hell is a Baby Daddie... The last I checked with my Mid Wife every last one of us ( in some way ) had a daddie to get here.
Why are we accepting the word "BLACK' as the precursor to almost all things negitive..? ie.. Black ball, black listed, black Monday and blackmale ( I especially lothe that one)?
Why is a womans sexuality looked upon as something to be had/ controlled/ possessed by the oppisite of her sex?
Where was I when the ordanance was passed that allowed the Zippers of the world to dictate our (present day) sexual being????
I am so tired of My (and other women's ) sexuality being the source of debate with people that have no way of comprehending its power and worth.
If you are Pro choice, chose...If you are Pro life live.. but don't fucking Preach on the basis of morality and "god" when the strp club, blow jobs and porno get your 10% and church 'aint seen your ass in a month of Sunday's.
Where did the women with back bones move to?????? Did I miss the memo with the directions to the new subdivision.... ? Or have we all de-evolved and are now preparing to move back into caves and seeking our personal medical care and advise on the back alleys... (please someone speak up!!! Have the Zippers WON??? I dont think so.)
Where are the men that are not intemidated or tainted by the Willey Lynch syndrome, that are up to the challenges of a life time??? or should I assume the last of them died with my grand father on 4-21-06?
Why with all of the eastern and western medical/ wholelistic resources out there why are we not reproducing?Have you seen ALL of the advertisments for erectile disfunction on the tube lately????
there is a real problem...and when it begins to effect Me and what I need, want and deserve.... Well, then its A HELL of a Problem!!!!!!!!! ( brothas need to check their life styles, get some excersize( get from behind the laptop), put down the Latte, pick up some water... somethin')
Why are our babies being born into sterile, forgien, cold ass enviornments instead of being born into the familiar enviornments of home? ( sistas need to prioritize, refocus and strenghen up... Get comfortable with your instincts again. Doctors are only a reference not the answer to all. Mid wives do still exist!!!! )
why are we trying soooo hard to give our children everything under the sun ( play station 3, MP3's, XboX 360's, $1000 wardrobes ect...) except the things they need the most...? US, Our time, Our involvement?
Why/ When did we allow the government to dictate when where and how we raise educate interact and love OUR CHILDREN!!??
Since when is it "NORMAL" to have a relationship by way of a blackberry,e-mail or chatt messages???What happened to face to face honesty and personal interaction? (Insanity, I tell you) What are we afraid of.. one another??? com'on get real.If we were that damn afraid of one another we would all be looking for that same hole in the ground(that they allegedly found Sadam in ) to hide in, not on social networks trying to connect.
I could go on forever but why? You feel me..even if you dont admit it...You feel me..
The War being Waged on OUR BODIES
By Poterai Bakwa Friday, 20 June 2008 10:19 UK
Mashonaland West province, ZimbabweTwenty three-year-old Zimbabwean Maidei [not her real name] struggled to talk about her ordeal at the hands of Zimbabwe's ruling party youths who were keeping her captive.Nearby the Zanu-PF base in rural Mashonaland West province, she told me about how she had been raped and abused for two weeks.It was against my will and he did not use any protectionMaidei"I was taken hostage by Zanu-PF youths who are being led by a major and war veteran," she said."One of them said I had to renounce my allegiance to opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)."I had to give in to his demands as he said I could be beaten."It was against my will and he did not use any protection."Our interview was made possible at the shopping centre near the base by a well-known businessman with connections to the ruling party in the area.He had been providing the militia with beer and had met Maidei when she had been sent to the shops to collect it.When we arrived with three crates of beer, Maidei was again despatched to fetch it.As she quietly told us her story, she nervously kept an eye out for her abusers.She said she was not able to make a bid to escape as the men knew where her family lived - about three kilometres from the base.Zanu-PF heartlandBefore the first round of the election in March, Maidei, like many other young people fed up with Zimbabwe's economic crisis, was not afraid to make her support for the opposition known.An estimated 25,000 people have been displaced in post-poll violenceIn Mashonaland West, President Robert Mugabe's home province, the MDC made inroads into the Zanu-PF heartland, snatching five parliamentary seats from the ruling party.In the weeks after the election, Zanu-PF bases mushroomed across the province, where opposition sympathisers were targeted for "re-education".On 13 April, Tapiwa Mugwandarikwa was stabbed to death in the province by suspected ruling party supporters - one of the first of an estimated 70 opposition members to be murdered in the post-poll violence countrywide.Travelling in the area was dangerous. At business centres along the road - every 20km or so - we were searched and needed clearance to continue.Fortunately my contact smoothed the path and we occasionally gave money for the young men to buy beer.Rural victimsAs the country heads for a second round of a presidential election on 27 June, the MDC says Maidei's case is not unique.MDC Information Director Luke Tambironyoka says more than 500 women and girls have been sexually abused and raped in the political violence gripping the country.These abuses should leave politicians hanging their heads in shameBetty MakoniGirl Child Network"We are still yet to establish the exact figure as some cases are still yet to be reported officially," he says."Furthermore, the majority of the victims are in the outlying remote rural areas, where they are in hiding fearing for their lives."According to Maidei, the abuse tends to happen at night-time vigils, called "pungwes".These are gatherings held in the open where people are forced to sing revolutionary songs to prove their loyalty to the ruling party.Many residents in the area are made to attend, including girls as young as 16 where, if they catch a commander's eye, they are kept at the base until the militia leave the area.Maidei said she was more vulnerable in such a situation as she was a widow - her husband died of TB three years ago, leaving her with two children.A local Zanu-PF official explained to me that the pungwes, used during the war of independence, were still necessary as "political re-orientation" exercises to warn people "against the opposition which is backed by the West".Asked about the allegations that men were raping women and girls forcibly at the meetings, he replied matter-of-factly: "We have to share in comradeship as we have the same aim to get rid of the opposition here."He confirmed that the young and beautiful women were often identified at the meetings and made to stay on with the group leaders.SurpriseHis reply glossed over the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/Aids which has wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe.The ruling party has been campaigning vigorously across the countryLife expectancy has plunged to 37 years from 60 years in 1990, largely due to the HIV/Aids pandemic.According to a male nurse based in Chinyoi, many of the feared war veterans active in the area during the 2000 elections have died as a result of the virus."In Mashonaland West, a notorious gang of war veterans has lost its five main leaders to HIV and Aids-related illness as they raped women during their reign of terror then," said the nurse, who asked not to be named.Betty Makoni, who works for the non-governmental organisation Girl Child Network, says the scale of the rape and abuse in the last few months has taken aid workers by surprise.The run-up to the March vote was relatively peaceful, with the MDC being able to campaign in rural areas.I am living in fearMaidei"We have been caught unaware by this political crisis where women and girls are being abused and raped in the areas the ruling party has sealed off," she says."These abuses should leave politicians hanging their heads in shame for not assisting their own mothers and sisters as is the norm in African culture."The Zanu-PF bases which operated for about six to eight weeks in Mashonaland West have now been dismantled, as urban areas become their focus.Whilst captive, Maidei said that she felt her parents were safe from attack.Asked whether she would report the rapes when released, she said it would depend on the political landscape after the elections."I am living in fear," she said.
Mashonaland West province, ZimbabweTwenty three-year-old Zimbabwean Maidei [not her real name] struggled to talk about her ordeal at the hands of Zimbabwe's ruling party youths who were keeping her captive.Nearby the Zanu-PF base in rural Mashonaland West province, she told me about how she had been raped and abused for two weeks.It was against my will and he did not use any protectionMaidei"I was taken hostage by Zanu-PF youths who are being led by a major and war veteran," she said."One of them said I had to renounce my allegiance to opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)."I had to give in to his demands as he said I could be beaten."It was against my will and he did not use any protection."Our interview was made possible at the shopping centre near the base by a well-known businessman with connections to the ruling party in the area.He had been providing the militia with beer and had met Maidei when she had been sent to the shops to collect it.When we arrived with three crates of beer, Maidei was again despatched to fetch it.As she quietly told us her story, she nervously kept an eye out for her abusers.She said she was not able to make a bid to escape as the men knew where her family lived - about three kilometres from the base.Zanu-PF heartlandBefore the first round of the election in March, Maidei, like many other young people fed up with Zimbabwe's economic crisis, was not afraid to make her support for the opposition known.An estimated 25,000 people have been displaced in post-poll violenceIn Mashonaland West, President Robert Mugabe's home province, the MDC made inroads into the Zanu-PF heartland, snatching five parliamentary seats from the ruling party.In the weeks after the election, Zanu-PF bases mushroomed across the province, where opposition sympathisers were targeted for "re-education".On 13 April, Tapiwa Mugwandarikwa was stabbed to death in the province by suspected ruling party supporters - one of the first of an estimated 70 opposition members to be murdered in the post-poll violence countrywide.Travelling in the area was dangerous. At business centres along the road - every 20km or so - we were searched and needed clearance to continue.Fortunately my contact smoothed the path and we occasionally gave money for the young men to buy beer.Rural victimsAs the country heads for a second round of a presidential election on 27 June, the MDC says Maidei's case is not unique.MDC Information Director Luke Tambironyoka says more than 500 women and girls have been sexually abused and raped in the political violence gripping the country.These abuses should leave politicians hanging their heads in shameBetty MakoniGirl Child Network"We are still yet to establish the exact figure as some cases are still yet to be reported officially," he says."Furthermore, the majority of the victims are in the outlying remote rural areas, where they are in hiding fearing for their lives."According to Maidei, the abuse tends to happen at night-time vigils, called "pungwes".These are gatherings held in the open where people are forced to sing revolutionary songs to prove their loyalty to the ruling party.Many residents in the area are made to attend, including girls as young as 16 where, if they catch a commander's eye, they are kept at the base until the militia leave the area.Maidei said she was more vulnerable in such a situation as she was a widow - her husband died of TB three years ago, leaving her with two children.A local Zanu-PF official explained to me that the pungwes, used during the war of independence, were still necessary as "political re-orientation" exercises to warn people "against the opposition which is backed by the West".Asked about the allegations that men were raping women and girls forcibly at the meetings, he replied matter-of-factly: "We have to share in comradeship as we have the same aim to get rid of the opposition here."He confirmed that the young and beautiful women were often identified at the meetings and made to stay on with the group leaders.SurpriseHis reply glossed over the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/Aids which has wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe.The ruling party has been campaigning vigorously across the countryLife expectancy has plunged to 37 years from 60 years in 1990, largely due to the HIV/Aids pandemic.According to a male nurse based in Chinyoi, many of the feared war veterans active in the area during the 2000 elections have died as a result of the virus."In Mashonaland West, a notorious gang of war veterans has lost its five main leaders to HIV and Aids-related illness as they raped women during their reign of terror then," said the nurse, who asked not to be named.Betty Makoni, who works for the non-governmental organisation Girl Child Network, says the scale of the rape and abuse in the last few months has taken aid workers by surprise.The run-up to the March vote was relatively peaceful, with the MDC being able to campaign in rural areas.I am living in fearMaidei"We have been caught unaware by this political crisis where women and girls are being abused and raped in the areas the ruling party has sealed off," she says."These abuses should leave politicians hanging their heads in shame for not assisting their own mothers and sisters as is the norm in African culture."The Zanu-PF bases which operated for about six to eight weeks in Mashonaland West have now been dismantled, as urban areas become their focus.Whilst captive, Maidei said that she felt her parents were safe from attack.Asked whether she would report the rapes when released, she said it would depend on the political landscape after the elections."I am living in fear," she said.
Time Line
1756: Lydia Chapin Taft, also known as Lydia Taft, became the first legal woman voter in America. She voted in 3 town hall mettings with the consent of the electorate.
1776: The State Constitution of New Jersey granted all property-owning citizens the right to vote, regardless of race or color. However, this right was lost in 1807 when it was restricted to white males.
1869: Wyoming becomes the first sub-national territory to grant women the right to vote, followed by Utah (1870, lost in 1887, restored in 1895), Colorado (1893), Arizona (1912), Oregon (1912), Illinios (1913) and Montana (1914).
1872: Susan B. Anthony is the first US woman to vote in a presidential election; subsequently, she is arrested for having voted illegally. However, her trial provided her with a much more public platform to spread her message. True to her word, she never paid the fine imposed upon her as punishment for voting.
1881: The Isle of Man gives property-owning unmarried women and widows the right to vote, becoming the first nation to do so.
1882: Aletta Jacobs is the first woman in the Netherlands to attempt to register to vote; her application is denied.
1893: New Zealand grants all women the right to vote; however, New Zealand is not a sovereign nation at this time but a self-governing colony of the British Empire. Regardless, New Zealand is often credited today for being the first nation to grant all women the right to vote. Women gained the right to stand for office in New Zealand in 1919.
1906-1907: Finland becomes the first European nation to give women the vote, and 19 women are elected to the new 200-person Finnish parliament.
1916: Jeanette Rankin of Montana is the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
1920: The US ratifies the 19th Ammendment, providing universal sufferage to women.
1928: Women ages 21 to 29 in Britain are able to vote for the first time, as women's suffrage is reduced from age 30 to 21.
1930: Alexandra Kollontai is appointed Ambassador from the Soviet Union to Sweden, becoming the first woman Ambassador in modern history.
1933: Frances Perkins, the first U.S. female Cabinet member, is appointed Secretary of Labor.
1946: Women vote and stand for election to the House of Representatives for the first time in Japan. Of the 79 women running for office, 39 are elected.
1960: Nakayama Masa is appointed Minister of Health and Welfare in Japan, becoming Japan's first female cabinet member.
1960: Siramavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) becomes the world's first female Prime Minister.
1966: Indira Gandhi becomes the first Prime Minister of India.
1968: Soong Ching-ling named Co-Chairwoman of the People's Republic of China, becoming the first non-royal woman to lead the state of China.
1969: Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
1974: Maria Estela (Isabela) Martinez de Peron succeeds her husband and becomes the first woman President of Argentina and the first female head of state in the Americas.
1979: Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo becomes the first woman Prime Minister of Portugal.
1979: Lidia Geiler is the first woman elected President of Bolivia.
1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime MInister of the United Kingdom. She served in that position -- winning re-election in 1983 and in 1987 -- until resigning in 1990.
1979: Simone Weil of France is the first woman elected President of the European Parliament.
1980: Vigdis Finnbogadottir is the first woman elected President of Iceland.
1980: Jeanne Sauve is the first woman appointed Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.
1981: Gro Harlem Brundtland is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Norway.
1982: Agatha Barbara is elected President of Malta.
1982: Milka Planinc is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.
1982: Eugenia Charles, Doinica, is the first woman to become Prime Minister in the Caribbean.
1982: Rosario Ibarra de Piedra is the first woman to run for President of Mexico.
1984: Geraldine Ferraro is the first woman nominated for Vice-President by either major political party in the United States.
1985: Maria Liberia-Peters is the first woman to become Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles.
1986: Corazon Aquino is the first woman elected president of the Philippines.
1988: Benazir Bhutto is the first woman elected Prime Minister of Pakistan and becomes the first woman elected to head a Muslim country. However, she was removed from office 20 months later on false charges of corruption. In 1993 she was re-elected but was again removed in 1996. She went into self-imposed exile in Dubai for security reasons. In 2007, she returned to Pakistan as a popular figure, likely to win election to be Prime Minister once again. She was assassinated by Islamic Fundamental Extremists on December 27, 2007.
1989: Violeta Barrios de Chamorro elected President of Nicagagua.
1990: Mary Robinson is the first woman elected President of Ireland.
1990: Ertha Pascal-Trouillot is the first woman elected President of Haiti.
1990: Carmen Lawrence is Australia's first female Premier.
1991: Edith Cresson is the first woman elected Prime Minister of France.
1991: Khaleda Zia Rahman is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
1991: Rita Johnston is Canada's first female Premier.
1992: California elects two women, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, to the U.S. Senate.
1992: Betty Boothroyd is the first woman chosen to be Speaker of the House of Commons in Great Britain.
1992: Hanna Suchocka is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Poland.
1993: Toujan Faisal is the first woman elected to the Parliament of Jordan.
1993: Tansu Ciller is the first woman elected Prime Minister of Turkey.
1993: Agathe Uwilingiyimana is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Rwanda, though she was officially relieved of her position eighteen days later. She remained in the position however in a "caretaker capacity" until her assassination in 1994 at the beginning of the Rawandan Genocide.
1993: Anson Chan is the first woman, also the first Chinese person, to be appointed Chief Secretary, the number two position in Hong Kong.
1993: Sylvie Kinigi is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Burundi.
1993: Canada received first female Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
1994: Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga elected President of Sri Lanka.
1995: Two women run for President and 8 for Vice President of Peru, the first time women have been candidates for these offices.
1997: Mary McAleese elected President of Ireland.
1999: Vaira Vike-Freiberga elected to President of Latvia. She is the first woman to president of a country in Eastern Europe of the former Soviet Union.
1999: Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias becomes first female President of Panama.
1999: Helen Clark elected Prime Minister of New Zealand.
2000: Tarja Kaarina Halonen elected to be Finland's first female President.
2001: Maria Gloria Macapagal Arroyo elected President of the Phillippines.
2001: Megawati Sukarnoputri elected as the first woman President of the Republic of Indonesia.
2002: Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as the House Democratic Whip - the highest-ranking leadership position ever held by a women in the United States Congress at that time. She was later named Minority Leader.
2003: Beatriz Merino was elected as Prime Minister of Peru, becoming the first woman to hold the position. However, unsubstantiated rumors began to circulate about Merino that she was a lesbian due to her status as unmarried and having bought a house with a female collegue. Due to the fact that Peru is a deeply Roman Catholic nation, these rumors were enough to have Merino dismissed from office 6 months after her term began, despite a 60% job approval rating.
2004: Luisa Diogo is elected Prime Minister of Mozambique.
2004-2005: Yulia Tymoshenko helps lead the Ukrainian Orange Revolution and is named Prime Minister by her "Orange Partner" President Viktor Yushenko. Yushenko removes her from office in 2006 and reappoints her once again to the office in 2007.
2005: Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson elected Africa's first female president as Liberia's head-of-state in November.
2005: Angela Merkel elected Chancellor of Germany.
2006: Democrats take control of the United States Congress and Nancy Pelosi is elevated to the position of Speaker of the House. She is the third highest ranking official in the United States government and the highest ranking female in US political history.
2006: Michelle Bachelet is elected President of Chile.
2006: Portia Simpson Miller elected first Prime Minister of Jamaica.
2007: Senator Hillary Clinton is the first woman to ever be considered as a top candidate (or even a serious one) for the US Presidency. However, she eventually loses the Democratic Party Nomination to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in the tightest Primary race in US history.
2007: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner elected President of Argentina.
2007: Pratibha Patil is elected President of India.
2008: Zinaida Greceanîi is elected Prime Minister of Moldova.
1776: The State Constitution of New Jersey granted all property-owning citizens the right to vote, regardless of race or color. However, this right was lost in 1807 when it was restricted to white males.
1869: Wyoming becomes the first sub-national territory to grant women the right to vote, followed by Utah (1870, lost in 1887, restored in 1895), Colorado (1893), Arizona (1912), Oregon (1912), Illinios (1913) and Montana (1914).
1872: Susan B. Anthony is the first US woman to vote in a presidential election; subsequently, she is arrested for having voted illegally. However, her trial provided her with a much more public platform to spread her message. True to her word, she never paid the fine imposed upon her as punishment for voting.
1881: The Isle of Man gives property-owning unmarried women and widows the right to vote, becoming the first nation to do so.
1882: Aletta Jacobs is the first woman in the Netherlands to attempt to register to vote; her application is denied.
1893: New Zealand grants all women the right to vote; however, New Zealand is not a sovereign nation at this time but a self-governing colony of the British Empire. Regardless, New Zealand is often credited today for being the first nation to grant all women the right to vote. Women gained the right to stand for office in New Zealand in 1919.
1906-1907: Finland becomes the first European nation to give women the vote, and 19 women are elected to the new 200-person Finnish parliament.
1916: Jeanette Rankin of Montana is the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
1920: The US ratifies the 19th Ammendment, providing universal sufferage to women.
1928: Women ages 21 to 29 in Britain are able to vote for the first time, as women's suffrage is reduced from age 30 to 21.
1930: Alexandra Kollontai is appointed Ambassador from the Soviet Union to Sweden, becoming the first woman Ambassador in modern history.
1933: Frances Perkins, the first U.S. female Cabinet member, is appointed Secretary of Labor.
1946: Women vote and stand for election to the House of Representatives for the first time in Japan. Of the 79 women running for office, 39 are elected.
1960: Nakayama Masa is appointed Minister of Health and Welfare in Japan, becoming Japan's first female cabinet member.
1960: Siramavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) becomes the world's first female Prime Minister.
1966: Indira Gandhi becomes the first Prime Minister of India.
1968: Soong Ching-ling named Co-Chairwoman of the People's Republic of China, becoming the first non-royal woman to lead the state of China.
1969: Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
1974: Maria Estela (Isabela) Martinez de Peron succeeds her husband and becomes the first woman President of Argentina and the first female head of state in the Americas.
1979: Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo becomes the first woman Prime Minister of Portugal.
1979: Lidia Geiler is the first woman elected President of Bolivia.
1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime MInister of the United Kingdom. She served in that position -- winning re-election in 1983 and in 1987 -- until resigning in 1990.
1979: Simone Weil of France is the first woman elected President of the European Parliament.
1980: Vigdis Finnbogadottir is the first woman elected President of Iceland.
1980: Jeanne Sauve is the first woman appointed Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.
1981: Gro Harlem Brundtland is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Norway.
1982: Agatha Barbara is elected President of Malta.
1982: Milka Planinc is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.
1982: Eugenia Charles, Doinica, is the first woman to become Prime Minister in the Caribbean.
1982: Rosario Ibarra de Piedra is the first woman to run for President of Mexico.
1984: Geraldine Ferraro is the first woman nominated for Vice-President by either major political party in the United States.
1985: Maria Liberia-Peters is the first woman to become Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles.
1986: Corazon Aquino is the first woman elected president of the Philippines.
1988: Benazir Bhutto is the first woman elected Prime Minister of Pakistan and becomes the first woman elected to head a Muslim country. However, she was removed from office 20 months later on false charges of corruption. In 1993 she was re-elected but was again removed in 1996. She went into self-imposed exile in Dubai for security reasons. In 2007, she returned to Pakistan as a popular figure, likely to win election to be Prime Minister once again. She was assassinated by Islamic Fundamental Extremists on December 27, 2007.
1989: Violeta Barrios de Chamorro elected President of Nicagagua.
1990: Mary Robinson is the first woman elected President of Ireland.
1990: Ertha Pascal-Trouillot is the first woman elected President of Haiti.
1990: Carmen Lawrence is Australia's first female Premier.
1991: Edith Cresson is the first woman elected Prime Minister of France.
1991: Khaleda Zia Rahman is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
1991: Rita Johnston is Canada's first female Premier.
1992: California elects two women, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, to the U.S. Senate.
1992: Betty Boothroyd is the first woman chosen to be Speaker of the House of Commons in Great Britain.
1992: Hanna Suchocka is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Poland.
1993: Toujan Faisal is the first woman elected to the Parliament of Jordan.
1993: Tansu Ciller is the first woman elected Prime Minister of Turkey.
1993: Agathe Uwilingiyimana is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Rwanda, though she was officially relieved of her position eighteen days later. She remained in the position however in a "caretaker capacity" until her assassination in 1994 at the beginning of the Rawandan Genocide.
1993: Anson Chan is the first woman, also the first Chinese person, to be appointed Chief Secretary, the number two position in Hong Kong.
1993: Sylvie Kinigi is the first woman to become Prime Minister of Burundi.
1993: Canada received first female Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
1994: Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga elected President of Sri Lanka.
1995: Two women run for President and 8 for Vice President of Peru, the first time women have been candidates for these offices.
1997: Mary McAleese elected President of Ireland.
1999: Vaira Vike-Freiberga elected to President of Latvia. She is the first woman to president of a country in Eastern Europe of the former Soviet Union.
1999: Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias becomes first female President of Panama.
1999: Helen Clark elected Prime Minister of New Zealand.
2000: Tarja Kaarina Halonen elected to be Finland's first female President.
2001: Maria Gloria Macapagal Arroyo elected President of the Phillippines.
2001: Megawati Sukarnoputri elected as the first woman President of the Republic of Indonesia.
2002: Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as the House Democratic Whip - the highest-ranking leadership position ever held by a women in the United States Congress at that time. She was later named Minority Leader.
2003: Beatriz Merino was elected as Prime Minister of Peru, becoming the first woman to hold the position. However, unsubstantiated rumors began to circulate about Merino that she was a lesbian due to her status as unmarried and having bought a house with a female collegue. Due to the fact that Peru is a deeply Roman Catholic nation, these rumors were enough to have Merino dismissed from office 6 months after her term began, despite a 60% job approval rating.
2004: Luisa Diogo is elected Prime Minister of Mozambique.
2004-2005: Yulia Tymoshenko helps lead the Ukrainian Orange Revolution and is named Prime Minister by her "Orange Partner" President Viktor Yushenko. Yushenko removes her from office in 2006 and reappoints her once again to the office in 2007.
2005: Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson elected Africa's first female president as Liberia's head-of-state in November.
2005: Angela Merkel elected Chancellor of Germany.
2006: Democrats take control of the United States Congress and Nancy Pelosi is elevated to the position of Speaker of the House. She is the third highest ranking official in the United States government and the highest ranking female in US political history.
2006: Michelle Bachelet is elected President of Chile.
2006: Portia Simpson Miller elected first Prime Minister of Jamaica.
2007: Senator Hillary Clinton is the first woman to ever be considered as a top candidate (or even a serious one) for the US Presidency. However, she eventually loses the Democratic Party Nomination to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in the tightest Primary race in US history.
2007: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner elected President of Argentina.
2007: Pratibha Patil is elected President of India.
2008: Zinaida Greceanîi is elected Prime Minister of Moldova.
Women in Politics
As of June 2008:
- Women occupy only 18% of parliamentary seats around the world.
- Regional averages of the percentage of women in parliament vary greatly:
Nordic countries - 41.4%
Americas - 21.8%
Europe (excluding Nordic countries) - 19.1%
Asia - 17.4%
Sub-Saharan Africa - 17.2%
Pacific - 13.4%
Arab states - 9.6%
-The US currently rankes 68th of 134 nations worldwide with only 16.8% women elected to the House of Representatives and 16.0% women elected to the Senate. If you count all nations that tied for a position due to the same number of women represented in government seperately as well as those nations for which no information is available (such as Myanmar), the US is ranked 83rd of 189.
- In October 2003, Rwanda became the country closest to reaching parity between men and women of any national legislature. Currently, Rawanda has 48.8% of Lower House seats held by women and 34.6% held in the Upper House.
- From 1945 to 1995, the number of sovereign states with parliaments increased seven-fold but the percentage of women members in parliament worldwide increased only four-fold. From 1945-1997 only 42 of the 186 States with a legislative institution have at one time or another selected a woman to preside over Parliament or a House of Parliament; 18 European, 19 of Americas, 3 Africa, 1 Asia, 1 Pacific.
Women Ministers
- Women ministers remain concentrated in social areas (14%) rather than legal (9.4%), economic (4.1%), political (3.4%) and executive (3.9%) areas.
Women Heads of Government
There are only 13 women in the highest positions of State out of 189 governments:
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines
Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Luisa Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique
Mary McAleese, President of Ireland
Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of the Swiss Confederation
Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile
Pratibha Patil, President of India
Tarja Halonen, President of Finland
Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine
Zinaida Greceanîi, Prime Minister of Moldova
Women's Suffrage
- Women still do not with have the right to vote or have voting restrictions placed upon them in a few countries.
Brunei — Both women and men have been denied the right to vote or to stand for election since 1962.
Lebanon — Partial suffrage. Proof of elementary education is required for women but not for men. Voting is compulsory for men but optional for women.
Saudi Arabia — No suffrage for women. The first local elections ever held in the country occurred in 2005. Women were not given the right to vote, to stand for election or to bring appear before a judge without male representation.
United Arab Emirates — Limited, but will be fully expanded by 2010.
Quota Systems
There are currently many countries in the world that have instituted a quota system to ensure a minimum number of women elected to office. Some of these include:
- In 1994, South Africa ranked 141st in the world in the percentage of legislative seats held by women. After the African National Congress enacted a 30% quota for female candidates, South Africa jumped to 13th place in 2004 with women elected to 32.8% of its lower parliamentary seats.
- The Panchayat Raj Act in India reserves 33% of the three-tiered panchayats (village council, council of cluster villages and the district council) for women. Today there are close to one million elected women leaders at the village level. A recent assessment revealed that corruption has gone down and transparency has greatly increased because of women's participation in the panchayats.
- Finland's law requiring that at least 40% of each sex should be represented in the membership of various decision-making bodies led to an increase in women's membership from 25% in 1980 to 48% in 1996.
- Argentina has a 30% quota for women on electoral lists. As a result, the number of women in the House has remained the same from 2001 to 2003 at 34.1% in the lower house. Women have made no significant impact in Senate commissions where they are still traditionally represented in the social and family commissions while their male counterparts are in the commissions for industry, custom revenues, mining, energy, defense and foreign relations. However, Argentinians elected Senator and former First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to the Presidency in 2007.
- The French Constitution was reformed in 1999 to state that "the law favors the equal access of women and men to electoral mandates and elective functions." In 2000, French law was changed so that political parties must present equal numbers of men and women (within two percent) for most elections. In 2007, socialist Ségolène Royal stood for the Presidency, but lost with 47% of the vote to conservative Nicolas Sarkozy.
- Women occupy only 18% of parliamentary seats around the world.
- Regional averages of the percentage of women in parliament vary greatly:
Nordic countries - 41.4%
Americas - 21.8%
Europe (excluding Nordic countries) - 19.1%
Asia - 17.4%
Sub-Saharan Africa - 17.2%
Pacific - 13.4%
Arab states - 9.6%
-The US currently rankes 68th of 134 nations worldwide with only 16.8% women elected to the House of Representatives and 16.0% women elected to the Senate. If you count all nations that tied for a position due to the same number of women represented in government seperately as well as those nations for which no information is available (such as Myanmar), the US is ranked 83rd of 189.
- In October 2003, Rwanda became the country closest to reaching parity between men and women of any national legislature. Currently, Rawanda has 48.8% of Lower House seats held by women and 34.6% held in the Upper House.
- From 1945 to 1995, the number of sovereign states with parliaments increased seven-fold but the percentage of women members in parliament worldwide increased only four-fold. From 1945-1997 only 42 of the 186 States with a legislative institution have at one time or another selected a woman to preside over Parliament or a House of Parliament; 18 European, 19 of Americas, 3 Africa, 1 Asia, 1 Pacific.
Women Ministers
- Women ministers remain concentrated in social areas (14%) rather than legal (9.4%), economic (4.1%), political (3.4%) and executive (3.9%) areas.
Women Heads of Government
There are only 13 women in the highest positions of State out of 189 governments:
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines
Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Luisa Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique
Mary McAleese, President of Ireland
Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of the Swiss Confederation
Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile
Pratibha Patil, President of India
Tarja Halonen, President of Finland
Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine
Zinaida Greceanîi, Prime Minister of Moldova
Women's Suffrage
- Women still do not with have the right to vote or have voting restrictions placed upon them in a few countries.
Brunei — Both women and men have been denied the right to vote or to stand for election since 1962.
Lebanon — Partial suffrage. Proof of elementary education is required for women but not for men. Voting is compulsory for men but optional for women.
Saudi Arabia — No suffrage for women. The first local elections ever held in the country occurred in 2005. Women were not given the right to vote, to stand for election or to bring appear before a judge without male representation.
United Arab Emirates — Limited, but will be fully expanded by 2010.
Quota Systems
There are currently many countries in the world that have instituted a quota system to ensure a minimum number of women elected to office. Some of these include:
- In 1994, South Africa ranked 141st in the world in the percentage of legislative seats held by women. After the African National Congress enacted a 30% quota for female candidates, South Africa jumped to 13th place in 2004 with women elected to 32.8% of its lower parliamentary seats.
- The Panchayat Raj Act in India reserves 33% of the three-tiered panchayats (village council, council of cluster villages and the district council) for women. Today there are close to one million elected women leaders at the village level. A recent assessment revealed that corruption has gone down and transparency has greatly increased because of women's participation in the panchayats.
- Finland's law requiring that at least 40% of each sex should be represented in the membership of various decision-making bodies led to an increase in women's membership from 25% in 1980 to 48% in 1996.
- Argentina has a 30% quota for women on electoral lists. As a result, the number of women in the House has remained the same from 2001 to 2003 at 34.1% in the lower house. Women have made no significant impact in Senate commissions where they are still traditionally represented in the social and family commissions while their male counterparts are in the commissions for industry, custom revenues, mining, energy, defense and foreign relations. However, Argentinians elected Senator and former First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to the Presidency in 2007.
- The French Constitution was reformed in 1999 to state that "the law favors the equal access of women and men to electoral mandates and elective functions." In 2000, French law was changed so that political parties must present equal numbers of men and women (within two percent) for most elections. In 2007, socialist Ségolène Royal stood for the Presidency, but lost with 47% of the vote to conservative Nicolas Sarkozy.
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