TOPIC

Women and gender

A Chinese province is attempting to ease concerns over the physical stress of childbirth with a plan to include labour pain treatment in public health insurance policies. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese province makes labour pain relief pledge to ease childbirth jitters

Hainan says labour pain relief will be covered by public health insurance, part of broader plan to boost birth rates.

India’s female gig workers facing unsafe conditions, seek change and justice

videocam

Telegram to delete deepfakes targeting South Koreans

videocam

Australia’s gender pay gap narrows as ‘change is happening’

But women employees on average still earn A$28,425 (US$18,590) less each year than their male colleagues.

videocam
Pedestrians at Sydney’s Westfield shopping centre. A report in February showed the gender pay gap at some of Australia’s biggest firms was bigger than the national average. Photo: Reuters

Ex-Microsoft director’s mission to get disadvantaged girls to university

John Wood’s charity U-Go gives scholarships to help young women in low-income countries in Asia and Africa get a university education.

videocam

Iran says no charges against student who stripped to her underwear

Activists say the woman was arrested after protesting over hijab rules; officials say she is ‘ill’ and has been handed over to family.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement

Jennifer Lawrence-produced film shows women’s torment in Afghanistan

Apple TV+ documentary Bread & Roses, co-produced by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, was shot entirely on smartphones.

videocam
(From left) Bread & Roses producers Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi, and director Sahra Mani, attend the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles on November 14, 2024. Photo: AFP

Taliban seeks international aid for Afghanistan’s reconstruction

Emphasising destruction caused by decades of conflict, Taliban called for technical help and economic development initiatives.

videocam

Female Chinese military pilot wows air show fans

Hong Kong funeral drama strikes box office gold

The Hong Kong movie The Last Dance has become a hit with its tale of family ties and female empowerment.

Opinion | Faster, bolder action needed to empower women across the Asia-Pacific

Great strides made since 1995 Beijing Declaration of women’s rights but progress still uneven and often fragile. True equality remains elusive.

videocam
A woman operates a drone under the government-backed “Drone Sister” programme, at a training centre in Manesar in the northern Indian state of Haryana. Women’s empowerment is key to unlocking the full potential of Asia-Pacific economies. Photo: AFP

Singapore’s workplace fairness law hailed but rights group points to gaps

Employers who discriminate against workers based on characteristics such as race, age, sex and nationality could be prosecuted under the proposed law.

videocam

Letters | China should use US treasury holdings as leverage to lower US tariffs

Readers discuss how Beijing might work with the incoming Trump administration, shoebox housing and the retirement age in Hong Kong and the treatment of an Iranian protester.

Women candidates signal potential shift in Sri Lanka’s male-dominated politics

While analysts welcome the increase, they caution that more women in politics alone won’t challenge patriarchal norms and achieve true gender equality.

People wait in a queue to cast their ballots at a polling station during Sri Lanka’s presidential election in Galle on September 21. Photo: TNS

India’s political parties woo women voters with cash handouts

A greater turnout of women voters in the past decade is pushing political parties to compete to attract them.

Voters queue up to cast their ballots at a polling station during the fifth phase of voting in India’s general election, in Thiksey of Ladakh. Photo: AFP

‘Boycotting men’: South Korean feminist movement gains traction after Trump win

Driven by gender inequality, sexism, and a backlash against male privilege, the movement reflects a growing global trend of resisting patriarchal norms.

videocam

At Hong Kong’s Tam Jai noodle joint, waitresses are the stars

These ‘Tam Jai jeh jehs’ are not only the backbone of the beloved chain, they’ve even modelled for a fashion show with the Hong Kong Design Institute.

Advertisement
Advertisement

China haircare brand faces backlash as flirty ‘fake besties’ post ‘betrays’ women

Promotional post implies that ‘fake best friends’ may attempt to seduce their friend’s boyfriend, latch onto any man they meet.

A haircare brand in China faced backlash for an online post portraying “fake besties” as flirtatious, envious women who would seduce their friends’ boyfriends. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Xiaohongshu

In India, trial starts over rape and murder of Kolkata doctor

Charges were drawn up last week, while the man arrested said he was ‘completely innocent’ and was being framed.

In Japan, call to ban women marrying after 25 stirs backlash

Naoki Hyakuta, founder of the Conservative Party of Japan, also angered many when he proposed uterus removal for women at the age of 30.

12

Berlin Wall divide that once shaped German women’s lives still echoes today

Women’s lives that have diverged so starkly under communism and capitalism have become much more similar again.

videocam
Claudia Huth poses next to a painting showing herself. Photo: AP

Anxiety grows over disappearing girls in Malaysia

The recent disappearances of several girls have raised alarm among Malaysians.

UK counsellor dismissed for gender-critical views awarded US$90,000

Judge ruled the counselling support worker suffered harassment, discrimination in her claim of dismissal against a rape crisis centre.

videocam

Profile | 3 China women whose journeys showcase strength, resilience in overcoming challenges

Chinese public being treated to front-row seat to rising awareness surrounding women’s rights in recent years.

Iranian student in underwear protest put in ‘specialised care centre’

Authorities say she suffers from ‘psychological fragility’; activists say other women opposing the system have been sent to such facilities.

A woman in Paris, France on Tuesday holds a placard in support of an Iranian female student seen in her underwear at a Tehran university. The slogan reads “Woman, Life, Freedom”. Photo: Reuters

How Indonesian fashion brand SukkhaCitta blends tradition with sustainability

Using regenerative farming based on traditional methods, SukkhaCitta champions environmental and financial sustainability for its employees, and high-quality, long-lasting clothes for consumers.

Rolex Awards for Enterprise laureate of 2023 and founder of SukkhaCitta, Denica Riadini-Flesch, holding cotton harvested on a farm near Central Java, Indonesia, by Ibu Tun and Ibu Dair, also pictured. The cotton will be used to make high-quality, traditionally crafted clothes, making SukkhaCitta a true farm-to-closet company. Photos: Handout

‘No right to interfere’: UN criticism of Japan’s succession law sparks outcry

Critics argue that the UN panel’s call undermines Japan’s national identity, sparking a fierce debate on gender equality and tradition.

videocam

Concern grows for Iran woman detained over underwear protest

Activists fear the student – seen as a feminist icon after stripping outside her university – could be confined in a psychiatric institution.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Women and gender
News and analysis on women's rights, the gender gap, LGBTQ issues, sexual harassment, sexual minorities and masculinity in Asia and beyond.
last updated:
16 October, 2024
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement