gender equality

These Rwandan women were imprisoned for having abortions, before they were pardoned and released in 2019. From left: Nyiramahirwe Epiphanie, 26, was sentenced to 15 years. Akingeneye Theopiste was sentenced to 10 years. Akimanizanye Florentine was sentenced to 10 years. Mushimiyimana Anjerike, 29, served more than five years for inducing an abortion using pills she says she bought at a pharmacy.

Health & Safety

These Rwandan women were sent to jail for having an abortion. Now free, they speak out

12:07pm September 03, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

They were sentenced for up to 10 years for violating anti-abortion laws. Some say their pregnancy was a result of rape. Rwanda has now liberalized its abortion laws and pardoned hundreds of the women.

Queue Listen Now

Protesters march in Berlin to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday.

Where there's gender equality, people tend to live longer

4:01pm March 08, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Researchers used data from more than 150 countries to connect gender equality and life expectancy. They hope their findings can help policymakers set priorities in public health and other areas.

Urvashi Vaid, then-executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, protests at then-President George H.W. Bush's address on AIDS in March 1990 in Arlington, Virginia. The pioneering LGBTQ activist and attorney died last week at age 63.

Remembering Urvashi Vaid, an LGBTQ activist who spent decades fighting for equality

12:07pm May 18, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Colleagues, friends and admirers are paying tribute to Vaid, the pioneering attorney and organizer who died at age 63 on Friday. She worked for the ACLU and National LGBTQ Task Force, among others.

Lee Bae-yong, the first woman to officiate a Confucian ceremony in the country's long history with Confucianism, at Museong Seowon, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A woman takes a lead role in Confucian ceremonies, breaking a new path in South Korea

11:15am October 19, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

Women's equality has made slow progress in South Korea. Some South Koreans want to bring about change starting at the country's cultural roots by reinterpreting Confucius.

From left: Giovanna Basso, Mofiyin Onanuga, Emma Fetzer and Joanne Lee are teen leaders for the U.N.-sponsored gender equality group Girl Up. They attended Girl Up's virtual conference last week, which featured Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai as

Teen Girl Leaders In A Pandemic: Fight For What's Right, Then Groove To BTS

7:00am July 24, 2021

by Jacky Habib

Four attendees of the Girl Up Leadership Summit share how they balance their passion for social justice issues with self-care: tuning out the news, going for a walk and binging Harry Potter.

Thousands of people with placards and banners rally in Sydney on Monday, demanding justice for women. The rally was one of several across Australia including in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart.

Thousands March In Australia As Another #MeToo Wave Hits The Country

12:49pm March 15, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The March4Justice demonstrations in Australia on Monday were organized after a series of sexual assault allegations involving government officials.

German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Franziska Giffey during the meeting of the German cabinet on Wednesday in Berlin. The cabinet approved a draft law that would require women on the executive boards of large publicly held

World News

Germany Moves Toward Requiring Women On Large Companies' Executive Boards

2:12pm January 06, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

Germany lags the U.S. and others in the number of women on boards at major companies. "[N]ot many changes are made voluntarily, and progress is very slow," said the federal minister for women.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (center) at a Paris council meeting in July after winning reelection.

World News

City Of Paris Is Fined 90,000 Euros For Naming Too Many Women To Senior Positions

6:30pm December 15, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo, 11 female and five male officials were appointed in 2018 to high-level roles — despite a rule that at least 40% of such positions should go to people of each gender.

Nathan Bieck with his wife Ashley and 9-year-old daughter Maddie. Since being furloughed in the pandemic, Bieck has become Teacher Dad, helping Maddie with virtual school while job searching himself.

Economy

'I'm A Much Better Cook': For Dads, Being Home During Pandemic Is Eye-Opening

5:06pm November 11, 2020

by Andrea Hsu

While working moms have been struggling this year, pandemic life is also taking a toll on dads, many of whom are confronting situations they may not have chosen otherwise.

A day before the Chuseok holiday, children run around artificial full moons, part of an installation at a park in eastern Seoul. Koreans believe that wishes made to the full moon on Chuseok will come true. The Seongdong District Office teamed up with loca

COVID-19 Hampered South Korea's Chuseok Holiday — But Daughters-In-Law Got A Break

10:43am October 06, 2020

by Ha-kyung Kim

Women usually clean and cook at their in-laws' — but many stayed home this year. "It's difficult to understand why we have to do so much hard work when it's not even for our own ancestors," one says.