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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

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.

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

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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A young Japanese couple at a garden in Tokyo. Photo: Shutterstock

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.

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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.

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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

‘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.

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Japanese Emperor Naruhito (front row, left) and his daughter Princess Aiko attend a performance at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on October 20. Photo: Kyodo

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.

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Female Iranian student strips to protest harassment, is arrested, reports say

The woman sat outside a university in her underwear before defiantly walking in the street to the astonishment of passers-by.

The Nepali women behind village's blooming business

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Nepali women bloom amid garland industry’s flowering prosperity

Nepal is set to export 200,000 garlands, valued at US$1.4 million, providing jobs and income for women who weave flowers into garlands.

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A farmer harvests marigold flowers. Photo: AFP

Sudan sees sexual violence on ‘staggering’ scale amid civil war: UN

Children are not spared the abuse, while women and girls are being abducted for sexual slavery.

Chinese study might explain why men are more vulnerable to respiratory disease

Researchers say different structures in nasal microorganisms might explain why women can fight off certain infections more easily.

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‘Humiliating’ sexual abuse allegations rock Spain’s ruling coalition

Leftist alliance Sumar, which champions feminism, has already faced a sharp decline in support in regional and European elections.

Inigo Errejon takes part in a debate in Madrid. Photo: Reuters

China slaps performance ban on transgender icon Jin Xing who seeks explanation

Officials curtail hit show by LGBTQ icon after rainbow flag onstage incident, move reignites spectre of anti-transgender sentiment.

Japan makes tepid push on gender gap in politics as election nears

Gender inequality may not be a top issue in the snap election, but polls suggest the ruling, scandal-hit LDP may lose its long-held majority.

France mulls law changes to include consent as mass rape case shakes nation

Current French law makes no clear mention of the need for a partner’s consent and prosecutors must prove the intention to rape.

Gisele Pelicot (middle), escorted by her lawyers, leaves the criminal court in Avignon. Photo: EPA-EFE

Boys and girls play differently. Is nature or nurture to blame?

Girls and boys play with toys differently, but how much of that is down to nature and how much nurture? Experts consider the evidence.

Girls and boys play with toys differently. How much of that is down to nature versus nurture? Photo: Getty Images

‘Time has come’ for Indian women directors with 3 set to vie for Oscars

Director of wife-swapping comedy Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies), Indian Oscars entry, hails ‘special moment’ for South Asian women filmmakers.

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India’s marital rape battle sparks fierce debate on consent, women’s rights

Activists have long campaigned for marital rape to be criminalised, but the government says doing so would be ‘excessively harsh’.

Korea misogyny ruling on anti-feminist assault of short-haired woman hailed

A Korean court’s landmark ruling that a man who assaulted a short-haired female store worker was motivated by misogyny has been welcomed.

People stage a rally supporting feminism in Seoul, South Korea. Amid a deeply entrenched culture of misogyny and harassment, Korean women have been attacked for having short hair. Photo: AP

One fifth of Australian women found to have been stalked: survey

A survey on personal safety found that 20 per cent of Australian women and 6.8 per cent of men have been stalked.

People cross a street in Melbourne’s central business district. A survey in Australia found that young women, those who were studying or renting, and those under financial stress were the most likely groups to experience stalking. Photo: AFP

New Zealand exempts abuse victims from 2-year wait before they can seek divorce

The required period before a couple in New Zealand can file for divorce is the longest among divorce laws in comparable countries.

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Record number of women run in ‘male-oriented’ Japan general election

A record number of women are running in the election but they still account for less than a quarter of candidates.

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Gender
The latest gender news and features, with a millennial focus, including gender identity, gender issues, discrimination, equality and inequality, and equal rights.
last updated:
27 August, 2024
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