Silenced By Afghan Culture, Scarred By Their Families

For women in Afghanistan, there aren’t many places to turn for protection from a violent husband or mother-in-law — even the law doesn’t shield them from their tormentors.

Tracy Lee
By Tracy Lee
Afghanistan Women On The Inside

Mina, a 32-year-old Afghan activist, is haunted by her memories of a young woman who was beaten and periodically hung by her head for bearing daughters, not sons. The women had a clandestine meeting in a rural village in the northwest Afghan province of Parwan in 2009, and Mina still remembers the dark spots of all of the scars covering the face

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NFL Teams Boo’ed Over Cheerleader Pay Practices

Professional cheerleading isn’t all pompoms and team spirit — sometimes it’s also $2.85 an hour. With lawsuits being filed, the public is learning about a darker side to the sidelines.

Matthew Heller
By Matthew Heller
Super Bowl Football

LOS ANGELES -- For professional cheerleaders, it can hardly get much better than a job with an NFL team. The glitz, glamour and national television exposure attract thousands of women every year to audition for the prized spots, with only 30 to 40 per team being chosen to hold the pompoms. Some, including actresses Teri Hatcher, Sarah Shahi and

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Group: Thousands Of Women Illegally Held In Iraq

“Iraqi security forces and officials act as if brutally abusing women will make the country safer,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq authorities are illegally detaining thousands of women, many of whom are subjected to torture and ill-treatment including the threat of sexual abuse, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. The 105-page report contained the testimony of dozens of women. They included one who said officers obtained a confession from her by

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Indian Political Brawling Shows Rape A Voter Issue

Recent tragedies in India make rape victims a national concern.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — The 16-year-old reported that she had been gang raped, only to be raped again by the same men the next day and later threatened for going to the police in eastern India. By the time charges were filed more than two months later, she had been set on fire and died from her injuries. The girl's death on New Year's Eve in West

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Pay Gains For Young Women; Inequality Still Seen

Study finds that women under 32 now make 93 percent of what young men earn, aided by women’s higher rates of college completion. But analysis also shows the gender pay gap will widen for women by their mid-30s, if the past three decades is a guide.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 75 percent of young women believe the U.S. needs to do more to bring about equality in the workplace, a new study finds, despite a narrowing pay gap and steady employment gains for women at higher levels of business and government. Those women remain as pessimistic as their mothers and grandmothers regarding gender

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Women Lead The Way In Sustainable And Organic Agriculture

Female farmers now make up the fastest-growing sector of the country’s changing agricultural landscape.

Eleanor J. Bader
By Eleanor J. Bader

According to the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, the number of women-operated farms more than doubled in the 25 years between 1982 and 2007. In fact, female farmers now make up the fastest-growing sector of the country's changing agricultural landscape and nearly 1 million women - approximately one-third of total domestic

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