North America | United States | Ethics

Air Force pilot-turned-congresswoman in dogfight for WWII air women

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Air Force fighter pilot-turned-congresswoman Martha McSally is in a dogfight for a generation of female aviators who paved the runway for her, but not even the president can help, according to a top Pentagon official. The Arizona Republican, who became the first female fighter pilot in U.S. history to fly in combat and command a fighter squadron, is battling to win a place in Arlington National Cemetery for some 1,000 women who flew non-combat missions during World War II. At a House hearing Wednesday, she pressed the acting secretary of the U.S. Army on why President Obama has not taken ac
South Asia | India | Career

Women auto drivers bravely fight all odds in Chennai to work

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This story is not about ordinary women, but the ones who fearlessly fight gender inequality everyday. Chennai, known as the gateway to South India, also acted as a gateway towards women empowerment. Since March 2014, hundreds of women have started driving auto rickshaws in the city. The count is increasing at a fast pace as the passengers feel safe travelling with them. But with such great initiative comes obstacles. This move has threatened male auto rickshaw drivers and their income. Out of anger, male auto drivers harass these women drivers. But these sneers from the male auto driv
International | Ethics

Why More Women in Law Enforcement Means a More Just and Peaceful World

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When I was 11, my family visited Washington, D.C., and the absolute highlight of the trip was a tour of FBI Headquarters. Without giving away the "state secret" of my age, suffice it to say that J. Edgar Hoover was very much alive and also the Director of the FBI at the time. I asked the guide a question that day that turned out to be quite prescient: "Can girls be FBI agents?" His response: "No, because girls would spend all their time painting their nails." At that tender age, encouraged by parents who told me I had no limits in life, I recognized how incredible his response was. Fifteen
Africa | Kenya | Environment

Single mom wins top prize for forcing toxic plant closure

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Phyllis Omido, a Kenyan single mother, has won the prestigious annual Goldman environmental prize for her arduous but ultimately successful campaign against a battery recycling plant that was exposing inhabitants of a community in the port city of Mombasa to lead poisoning. As an employee of the factory and, therefore, regularly exposed to its harmful toxic effects, Omido was pushed to act after her own baby son was diagnosed with lead poisoning that he received from the breast milk she had been feeding him. She immediately quit her job to launch a concerted campaign, along with other a
North America | United States | Activism

This Store Lets Women Pay Less Than Men to Combat the Wage Gap

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The prices in Less Than 100 work like this: if you’re a woman (or identify as a woman) you only pay 76% of the retail price for any product in the shop. If you’re a man, you pay 100%. The discounted rate is relative to what women earn in Pennsylvania compared to men (76 cents to every dollar). In addition to this eye-opening tactic, the store also hosts events surrounding the issue. For instance, next week you can attend a candid conversation with women entrepreneurs on confidence, pricing and self-worth. A few days later, they’re organizing a bus tour around the city that takes attende
Middle East | Lebanon | Culture

Lebanese TV host Rima Karaki: I don’t feel like a hero, it was self-respect

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When Rima Karaki cut off the mic after her guest, Hani Sibai, an Islamist sheikh, ordered her to “be silent”, little did she expect it would become a viral video sensation in Lebanon and around the world. Supporters online have hailed her for standing up for women’s rights against a patriarchal religious establishment that sought to subjugate them. But for Karaki herself, it was a simple question of self-respect. “Had I not answered, I would have hated myself, and I don’t want to hate myself,” she told the Guardian in an interview. “When he said shut up, it was no longer
Africa | Eritrea | Culture

Christine Umutoni, Eritrea’s UN Rep, Sites Lack of Corruption for Big Healthcare Turnaround

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Eritrea's healthcare system has recorded remarkable improvements in recent years, according to a BBC report. The lack of corruption in the health sector has helped, according to Eritrea’s United Nations country representative Christine Umutoni. Maternal and child mortality rates have dropped dramatically while deaths from common diseases like malaria and chickenpox have also reduced. HIV/AIDS prevalence is also down. The government now covers medical bills for poor people and works to raise awareness about identifying and applying vaccination treatments for various diseases on time