Social Commentary

Sex differences are a source of ribald glee around our house. It's gender that's perplexing.

Favianna Rodriguez's work bridges the gap between social justice movements and the marginalized individuals with which community organizers work. “I use art to transform global politics,” she says.

Artwork by Favianna Rodriguez

Happy International Women's Day, everyone! This year, the folks at International Women's Day are asking us to reflect on "equal rights, equal opportunity, and progress for all." What does this mean to you? Are you doing anything to celebrate International Women's Day in your community?

ABC News has uncovered an as-yet-unreleased report from the California Department of Health that shows that the number of maternal deaths in the US has tripled in the last decade.

Writer for the Washington City Paper Amanda Hess took to the streets to interview men on their knowledge of birth control methods for her column The Sexist. She turned up much confusion, some blind optimism and a whole lot of ignorance.

Switzerland has been inciting all sorts of ire and indignation these last few months with their xenophobic c ban on minarets. This Sunday, they’re likely going to cross a few more potential allies with their referendum on whether animals should be granted legal representation in the courts.

 

Let me just say right up front that I don’t expect any of the following from Life&Style, Us Weekly, or any of the other mags barfing their neon coverlines all over the Safeway checkout line: Accuracy, subtlety, reason, nuance, intelligence, imagination, responsibility, or feminism. They’re tabloids about Bachelors and Kardashians, and their douchebaggery is as inescapable and unremarkable as traffic in Los Angeles.

But there’s everyday Hollywood stupid and there’s offensively, egregiously stupid—so stupid that I’m actually almost embarrassed for anyone associated with the product in question. And this week’s Life& Style, featuring the wee Shiloh Jolie-Pitt sporting a cute new pixie haircut, is so emphatically the latter that there was no other possible contender for today’s Douchebag Decree.

A bill has been passed by the Utah House and Senate that will criminalize pregnant women who engage in 'reckless' activity that causes a miscarriage or act to induce an abortion without a doctor's supervision.

Slate's DoubleXX recently hosted a discussion entitled 'That Not So Fresh Feeling: Marketing Embarrassing Products To Women' in which they analyzed adverts for tampons and sanitary towels, and the profiteering exploits of the feminine hygiene industry. Target Women writer and performer Sarah Haskins commented, 'Ever since we were borne of Adam's rib we have been flawed, and the only things that will fix us will be sold to us as we watch Project Runway.' I recently argued in a post that hormonal contraceptives are the new tampons - the logical progression from hiding periods away, to getting rid of them altogether. It's no wonder, then, that these contraceptives are marketed to us using the same tried and true lady-vertising tactics as their feminine hygiene predecessors.

Natural disasters are gendered, with women facing aid discrepancies at every step of the recovery process. Particularly in areas that are already impoverished, there are simply fewer opportunities to rebuild after a disaster. If women are already largely shut out of the more lucrative jobs, this continues the cycle of poverty. Women are often the ones overburdened with domestic responsibilities and largely responsible for caring for children and the elderly, which is also exacerbated by catastrophe. Often overlooked are reports of sexual violence following a disaster, but much like rape and sexual torture are weapons of war, they are also employed in the aftermath of disasters, connected with looting and other violent crime that rises during such unrest.