Gender pay gap still as high as 50%, UK survey says

"Women are paid less than half as much as men in some parts of the UK, according to statistics published today that reveal huge regional variations in the pay gap between male and female workers." Some recent reading had led me to believe that this was a situation that was...

Reported rapes hit 20-year low

"Reported rapes have fallen to the lowest level in 20 years as DNA evidence helps send more rapists to prison and victims are more willing to work with police and prosecutors, victims advocates and crime researchers say."In some respects, I’m not entirely sure why I’m...

Teen pregnancies on the rise for the first time in over a decade

"SOME blame demography, others the recession. It might have something to with gender roles, or the steady stream of mixed messages about being a teenage mum. Perhaps sexually transmitted infections are not the deterrent they once were."There is much debate about why teenage...

Divorce Rate Triple for U.S. Female Soldiers, Report Finds

"More than 30,000 single mothers have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army, the most heavily deployed branch of the military, gives women just four months to stay stateside with their newborns before deploying to the war zone, leaving them little time to bond with or...

The deadly new stats on abortion bans

"According to a major just-released report (PDF) from the Guttmacher Institute, increased use of contraception has helped decrease unintended pregnancy worldwide. Abortions, ergo, are down as well, from an estimated 45.5 million procedures in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003. In...

Metropolitan Police may shut down human trafficking unit

"The Metropolitan Police may shut its specialist unit to tackle human trafficking because of lack of funding. You might remember this is the second time that the unit has been threatened with closure due to funding issues; last time, it was given a reprieve."It would be a...

Date-rape drug-testing lip-gloss debuts (seriously!)

"A lip gloss that comes with a date rape drug testing kit has been launched in the UK with plans to make it available in vending machines in bar and club toilets."When I first saw this headline, I thought that it was possibly satirical, possibly in poor taste, possibly even...

New Oklahoma Law Will Put Details Of All Abortions Online

And we have yet another example of obstructionist legality on abortion which is, I have little doubt, introduced to prevent women accessing abortions, and to make abortions more difficult to practitioners to perform. "A new Oklahoma law will require the details of every...

Single black female seeking ... a response!

"With Obama in office, Nobel Peace Prize in hand, America is said to be "post-racial" -- but apparently no one's told that to single men. "This is an interesting piece after the announcement yesterday that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The argument that...

Surviving the Holocaust Does Not Mean You're Allowed to Rape

This is a very well written (and caustic) open letter to Roman Polanski. And it's true: I don't care what you've been through in your life (even something as horrific as the Holocaust), you. raped. a. child. "However, in addition to directing some of the most legendary...

BBC seeks older female newsreader

"The BBC is actively seeking an older female newsreader, as it seeks to counter accusations of ageism. Director general Mark Thompson asked news director Helen Boaden to find the presenter, although reports of a recruitment deadline have been denied."I was so sad to hear of...

Wikipedia: It's a man's world

"A recent study, reported on the Wall Street Journal's blog, reveals that only 13 percent of Wikipedia's contributors are female." I've never given this more than a moment's thought but who would have thunk it. Wiki is the Internet's free encyclopaedia, and is filled,...