Women's Rights

Mukhtar Mai has fought for justice for the past 14 years. Pakistan's Supreme Court has said it will review its own 2011 decision to uphold the acquittal of five of her attackers.

World News

In Pakistan's Heartland, A 'Perfect Storm Of Obstacles' To Protecting Women

2:52pm July 27, 2016

by Philip Reeves

A high-profile honor killing has led to calls for stronger laws. But a gang-rape victim who's spent 14 years fighting for justice says laws are undercut by ages-old feudal traditions against women.

Majd kept a journal about a time in her life when she was torn between getting married or going to school.

Health & Safety

Diary Of A Saudi Girl: Karate Lover, Science Nerd ... Bride?

3:40pm May 31, 2016

by Radio Diaries

For two years, Majd Abdulghani kept a journal during a crossroads in her life: Should she get married or keep studying? Or can she do both?

Egypt's justice ministry says it will begin strictly enforcing a law requiring foreign men to pay to marry a woman 25 years younger or more. Human rights groups say the law only bolsters a business that preys on the poor and the vulnerable.

Does Egypt's Law Protect 'Short-Term Brides' Or Formalize Trafficking?

10:46am February 01, 2016

by Leila Fadel

Egypt has vowed stricter enforcement of a law requiring foreign men to pay if they marry much younger women. Activists say the country enshrines a practice that amounts to sex trafficking.

Queue Listen Now

Aniket Sathe, 15, is in a program that's trying to persuade India's boys to treat girls as their equals. Here he's pictured with his younger sister, Aarati, 12, waiting for the rain to stop before walking her to school.

Why This Boy Started Helping His Sister With Chores: #15Girls

7:04pm December 13, 2015

All his life, Aniket Sathe has been taught that men rule the world. He lives in India, one of the worst countries for women. How a new class is changing his attitude.

A Saudi woman casts her ballot in a polling station in the coastal city of Jeddah Saturday, as women were allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia's elections for the first time ever.

World News

Saudi Women Cast First-Ever Votes – And Vie For Offices

9:11am December 12, 2015

by Bill Chappell

But if they want to vote, women will have to catch a ride: the conservative Islamic kingdom still forbids them from driving.

Pakistani women queue to cast their ballots last month at a polling station during local government elections in Lahore, one of the country's biggest cities. In other areas, local tradition can prevent women from voting.

World News

Will The First Pakistani Woman To Vote In Her Village Also Be The Last?

8:23am November 21, 2015

by Philip Reeves

A mother of two defied village tradition and cast her vote in local elections on Thursday. "It was necessary because it is a women's right," she says. But now she and her husband fear for their lives.

Members of the women's suffrage movement prepare to march on New York's Wall Street in 1913, armed with leaflets and slogans demanding the vote for women.

How Suffragists Used Cookbooks As A Recipe For Subversion

2:40pm November 05, 2015

by Nina Martyris

Women seeking the right to vote published the cookbooks both to raise funds for their cause — and as a strategic rebuttal to those who painted them as neglectful mothers and kitchen-hating harridans.

Fatima Haidari, second from the right, and her bike riding club caught the attention of Humans of Kabul — the Afghanistan version of the popular Humans of New York blog.

A Gender Revolution Hits The Streets, Two Wheels At A Time

9:40am June 10, 2015

by Linda Poon

On one ride, a guy knocked one of the girls off her bike. But it didn't discourage these Afghan teens from cruising around Kabul every Friday and challenging the view that women shouldn't bike.

Haneen Radi, an Arab Israeli, wants to organize a marathon for her town of Tira, but was told the run couldn't include women. When she insisted, she received threats, and the back window of her car was shot out.

Trying To Organize A Marathon, An Arab-Israeli Woman Runs Into Opposition

10:26pm May 31, 2015

by Emily Harris

Conservatives in Tira pushed back hard at the idea of women and men running together in a public race. Someone went so far as to shoot at race organizer Haneen Radi's car. For now, the run is off.

Queue Listen Now

Female soldiers perform martial arts at a ceremony in Jakarta. Women in Indonesia must undergo an invasive "virginity test" to join the military.

World News

Indonesian Military Chief Defends 'Virginity Tests' For Female Recruits

10:26am May 18, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Following a letter from Human Rights Watch decrying the invasive and scientifically invalid procedure, Gen. Moeldoko said it is necessary to ensure that women are morally suited to join the military.