“The Lady” Takes Office in Burma

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in as a member of Burma’s Parliament today, along with other elected members of her party, the National League for Democracy. The current issue of ...Read More

Wives Caught in China’s “Web of Abuse”

When Wang Mei’s husband first hit her in their Shanghai home, Wang (a pseudonym) instantly acted to protect herself and her newborn baby by calling 110, China’s number for emergency help. That ...Read More

Women Losing Land Rights in China

In the Masterpiece series Downton Abbey, Lady Mary Crawley, the eldest daughter of an Earl, cannot inherit the family estate because she is a woman. She finds this demeaning and frustrating, but her ...Read More

Afghan Woman Jailed for Her Rape Has Been Freed–But May Still Marry Her Rapist

It’s a scene straight out of Old Testament: A 20-year-old woman who was raped by her cousin’s husband may now marry her rapist. The woman, known only as Gulnaz, reported the rape to local authorities ...Read More

China’s “Leftover” Women

Last week, 26-year-old newlywed college graduate Li Fang (a pseudonym) explained to me over dinner why she had been in such a rush to marry: If I hadn’t gotten married now, I would still have to ...Read More

When the Rain Doesn’t Fall in Nepal

The consequences of climate change—floods, droughts, extreme weather, declining agricultural production—affect everyone. But in many developing countries, shifting temperature and precipitation ...Read More

Peace Unveiled–An Interview with Afghan Women’s Rights Activist Hasina Safi

The next installment of the groundbreaking five-part PBS series Women, War & Peace, airing October 25, takes us to Afghanistan, where women continue their fight to carve out a role for themselves ...Read More

Afghan Woman Legislator’s Hunger Strike Reaches Day Six

Today, Simin Barakzai reached her sixth consecutive day of a hunger strike to the death in a tent in front of the Afghan parliament building. [Update, Monday 10/10: On day nine, Barakzai is still ...Read More

Pawns of War and Peace: What Does the Future Hold for Afghan Women?

On November 18, 2001, in a radio address to the nation, then-First Lady Barbara Bush condemned the degrading treatment imposed on Afghan women by the Taliban regime. Thus the story of the U.S invasion ...Read More

The Women of Bamyan: A Progress Report

Last Wednesday I reached Bamyan province in Afghanistan. It was a sunny, windy day, and Bamyan looked beautiful and clean. When our small, nine-person plane got close to landing, I saw a group of ...Read More

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