women's desk

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October 03, 2024
Refugee women in Armenia build community through knitting
The Shuhel group, supported by the feminist peacebuilding NGO Women’s Center Shushi in Yerevan, provides a space for refugee women to build community and knit, sew, embroider and sell their handcrafted quilts, jewellery, and other goods
18 year-old Alyona Sargsyan explains how an initiative in Yerevan offers a safe space for women
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August 22, 2024
A must-read: White Torture shares the agony of women prisoners in Iran
I urge you to pick up this book, to stand with Narges Mohammadi, who has risked so much to publish these testimonies, and the courageous women who have shared memories of their darkest days
16 year-old Camilla Savelieva reviews Narges Mohammadi’s book on women prisoners in Iran
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August 22, 2024
How Armenian teens have adjusted to a new life, a year after fleeing home
Almost one year ago, in September 2023, the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, home to a significant Armenian population, fell under Azerbaijani control, prompting a mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to Armenia. Five refugee girls now living in Yerevan share what has the past year been like
15 year-old Charlotte Wejchert interviews five refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, now living in Yerevan
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August 22, 2024
What a female president means for Mexico and the world
Sheinbaum’s presidency marks an important milestone in the history of Mexico. Up until this point, Mexico was a country run by men, known for its persistently high levels of violence, especially against women
17 year-old Maria Mitko explores the potential impact of Claudia Sheinbaum’s groundbreaking election win
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August 08, 2024
How can America learn from Netflix’s Sex Education?
The show's success and relevance is not just due to its own quality, it's also because American sex education is not as effective as it should be. A lack of comprehensive sex education doesn’t mean a more or less conservative new generation — it means a less educated one
16 year-old Sanjana Senthil explores the problems with sex education programs in the US
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August 06, 2024
The rise of female entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan
The rise of female entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan marks an important change in the country’s development. As these women continue to break barriers and redefine societal roles, they create a legacy of empowerment and growth
18 year-old Kasiet Dzholdoshbekova showcases stories of the dynamic women powering a new world in the heart of Bishkek
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August 06, 2024
How five overlooked female inventors changed our lives for the better
Women have made a significant impact on the world for hundreds of years. Their inventions may be widely known or used, from navigating us across the globe to saving time and lives. But do we know the faces of those behind them?
17-year-old Maria Mitko shares the stories of the women behind some of our world’s inventions that have helped change our lives for the better
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August 01, 2024
Forgotten herstory: five female scientists who changed the world
When I’m looking through my textbooks, I often see prominent male scientists described as ‘the father of.’ The same doesn’t go for women involved in discoveries, who are often hidden behind their male counterparts
17 year-old Ananya Prasanna shines a light on women in maths, palaeontology, chemistry and biology
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July 17, 2024
The ‘pink tax’ – another hidden weapon in the oppression of women
The so-called ‘pink tax’ may not be an actual tax, but it is an audacious and harmful way for businesses to make profit at the expense of women through misogynistic marketing schemes
16 year-old Camilla Savalieva explains what the ‘pink tax’ is and its consequences for women
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June 20, 2024
Harrison Butker's speech feels like a scene from The Handmaid’s Tale
In a public speech full of misogynistic, homophobic and hateful comments, an NFL player has sparked widespread criticism. While free speech is a fundamental right in the US, at what point does it cross the blurry line into hate speech
14 year-old Helena Bruzdziak on a commencement by US football star and its misogynistic message
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June 13, 2024
How human rights advocate Sima Samar inspired me to never give up
Sima Samar is a strong supporter and advocate for her people, and girls like me are continually inspired by her work to make our futures better. Girls can take note of these qualities, despite the restrictions they may face, and become great leaders
16 year-old Swita expresses admiration for Afghan human rights activist Sima Samar, and discusses the key attributes of a good leader
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May 02, 2024
Women-only spaces are necessary, not sexist. Here’s why
While opponents can claim that the exclusion of men amounts to sex discrimination, many argue that women-only spaces are a solution to gender inequality. These places prioritise women’s well-being and ultimately, have no negative effect on anyone
17 year-old Maria Mitko explains the importance of women-only spaces and announces the launch of the Women’s Desk at Harbingers’
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April 18, 2024
Womansplaining mansplaining
Mansplaining. If you’re a woman, I can almost guarantee that you sighed at that word. Societal history has allowed for sexism to take route but there are steps we can take today to reevaluate and correct these behaviours
17 year-old Alia Saphier explains mansplaining and how to break the cycle
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March 22, 2024
‘Her name was Liza.’ Violence against women is on the rise worldwide
Recent shockwaves over the brutal rape and murder of a women in Warsaw reiterate the dangers women face globally. It seems the United Nations SDG goal to ‘achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’ is far from being achieved by its 2030 date
15 year-old Klara Hammudeh reports on the global implications of a recent crime in Warsaw
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March 22, 2024
What young Afghan women want to achieve in the world of technology
Despite bans on women’s education and rights in Afghanistan, technology is enabling them to look beyond their restrictive environment to gain more knowledge and chase their dreams
13 year-old Naziya surveys Afghan women on the potential of technology as a tool of income and education
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March 01, 2024
Why growing up as a young woman is scary: A teen’s perspective from Poland
Despite the global progress made in women’s rights in the past few decades, Poland still has a long way to go. The country’s strict abortion laws, gender pay gap and prescribed lifestyle for a woman’s future fills me with fear
17 year-old Maria Mitko on the daunting reality of womanhood
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February 09, 2024
Media depicting women holds one main aim: Giving a space for women to be judged
Defining a woman starts with using words like ‘trailblazer’ and ‘independent’ and ‘controversial’. A set of words is quite a small frame to describe everything that a person could be
16 year-old Sanjana Senthil’s award-winning essay on Women’s Rights
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January 26, 2024
Unattainable ‘angel status’. Patriarchy still skews the narratives of women in power
From fashion breakdowns to dating habits, selective media reporting has long attempted to reduce women in the spotlight to harmful gender stereotypes’
17 year-old Alia Saphier critiques the media’s continual repression of women
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December 22, 2023
Helping hands - How Afghan girls are instrumental in providing education
Organisations such as LEARN have been helping girls get an underground education by providing online classes such as science and web design lessons. Through their help and kindness, the power to offer opportunities to others is then passed on into our hands
17 year-old Zohra on the inspiring goal of helping young people follow their dreams
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November 24, 2023
Compared to dogs or children, women struggle in the Ukrainian army
Women are a vital part of Ukraine’s future victory but female soldiers continually face restrictions on their basic needs. Instead, women are treated as an object of entertainment rather than living, breathing, and equally capable human beings
17 year-old Sofiya Tkachenko speaks against the discrimination of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
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November 24, 2023
How Claudia Goldin inspires me by shattering barriers in the male-dominated realm of economics
Goldin presented a previously unheard-of hypothesis arguing that access to the contraceptive pill played a vital role in accelerating the revolutionary increase in female workforce participation, doubling in size between 1960 and 1980
18-year-old Nadia Diakowska on the inspiration from this year’s Nobel Prize winner in Economics
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November 24, 2023
Since 1960, the contraceptive pill has revolutionized women's lives. One woman financed the research
The invention of the pill not only gave women the opportunity to plan parenthood, it revolutionized Western societies in gender equality. The pill allowed women to stay in education longer, and pursue professional careers
17 year-old Flora Lodd on the history and future of hormonal contraception
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October 27, 2023
Denying treatment because women could get pregnant? That’s a new level of toxic absurdity
Women cannot be stripped of basic services, like healthcare, because of their so-called ‘function’, and the word ‘woman’ should not be synonymous with ‘mother’
17 year-old Sofiya Tkachenko speaks against curbing women’s rights in the US
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October 20, 2023
At 12, I promised myself a hysterectomy. That’s how ignorance of menstrual health tortures girls
Young girls like me will continue to suffer because periods are taboo and we are told period cramps are supposed to hurt. The pain of endometriosis is instead chalked up to female sensitivities, low pain tolerance, and the joys of womanhood
17 year-old Erin Walshaw was the runner-up in the Harbinger Prize in Reporting
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October 20, 2023
‘Deranged cultural standards’ - How Sri Lanka’s misogyny is impeding its economic recovery
McKinsey Global Institute estimates that advancing gender equality in Sri Lanka could add $64 billion to its GDP by 2025
17 year-old Nadia Diakowska analyses a negative feedback loop between inequality and poverty
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October 20, 2023
Are they ‘women politicians’ or politicians? - the challenges women still face in global governance
As a young woman with an aspiration to join the political world in the future, I couldn't believe the public impudence, the unacceptable behaviour one is signed up to tolerate
17 year-old Aleksandra Lasek on the gender bias in politics
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September 30, 2023
Flowers for the Future enables Afghan students to “bloom”
Amidst challenges posed by the Taliban’s restrictions, the support from individuals around the world and organisations like FFF are “a source of inspiration”
16 year-old Sofiya Suleimanova interviews the student-run organisation that supports the ‘rights of students across the world to education’
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September 15, 2023
Ukraine’s leniency towards sexual assault is irreconcilable with our nation’s European aspirations
A recent crime in the Zakarpattya region of Ukraine has proven once again how prevalent the problem with punishment for sexual violence is in the Ukrainian legal system
17 year-old Sofiya Tkachenko on misogyny embedded in Ukraine’s legal system
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August 10, 2023
Sexual assault should not have a timer
The whole case is another terrifying example of how the justice system worldwide fails victims of sexual assault once again and promotes inconsequential violence, as well as gaslighting the victims into silencing their stories and experiences
17 year-old Sofiya Tkachenko looks at a recent sexual assault case in Italy
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August 09, 2023
Women’s World Cup inspiring a new generation of girls into the sport
The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is on track to receive the highest attendance numbers for the tournament to date, with interest in the women’s game on the rise
15 year-old Isaaq Hussain covers the recent historic achievements of the sport
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July 07, 2023
Meet five Afghan girls who dream big for their future
After the Taliban seized power in August 2021, they banned girls from receiving a high school education. Despite these hardships, they are still determined to achieve their goals
13-17 year-old students of the OXSFJ & LEARN Afghan Project share their aspirations
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March 03, 2023
‘Girls go missing, schools are closed down, teachers persecuted’. Fight for education in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
Pashtana Dorani is the founder of an organisation running 'illegal' underground schools for girls in Afghanistan. She knows first-hand the struggles girls and those teaching them face since the US and their allies withdrew and the Taliban regained control of the country
16 year-old Sofiya Suleimenova interviews Afghan human rights activist
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October 07, 2022
The Witcher - a feminist manifesto or a misogynistic tale?
Sapkowski’s saga is not only a fantasy tale - it is also a social commentary. That’s why the TV adaptation has brought into the limelight various types of discrimination, prejudice, and hate-rooted violence
Aleksandra Lasek inquires into the success of Yennefer of Vengerberg as a feminist role model
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August 08, 2022
Women’s Euro 2022, a success and an inspiration to the female youth
It is very refreshing to see how female sport is gaining more recognition and the respect it deserves. Women's football is the fastest growing sport in the UK, and it will be interesting to see how female athletes and sport will develop over the next decade
Timur and Sofiya report on public opinions towards Lionesses’ win in the final
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August 08, 2022
I doubt that Liz Truss will make girls’ lives better. Here’s why
If elected she has the capabilities to make significant headway in the progression of women’s rights, however based on her history of ineffectual action, it is unlikely for her to make tangible change within the UK
17 year-old Grace Whitehouse considers how Women’s rights in Britain will be harmed under Liz Truss leadership
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August 05, 2022
Feminism after the girlboss: anxiety of the bimbo
Bimboism claims to be a leftist-adjacent, anti-capitalist, pro-sex work, pro-LGBTQ feminist movement which attracts significant controversy on TikTok
Sophie Elliott explains ‘bimbo Tok’ in the context of modern feminism
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July 05, 2022
It is teenage girls who will be affected the most by abortion bans in the US
The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which removed the right for abortion in the US was done by a group which is 80 percent male, 80 percent white and 100 percent in their 50s or older. The societal group which is going to be affected by the change, is the complete opposite.
16 year-old Sofiya Suleimenova on the implications of overturning Roe vs Wade
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January 20, 2022
With the notion of progress gone, gender equality is slowly dying in Poland
Since 2015, the ruling Law and Justice party has rejected the notion of progress which had characterised the Second Republic of Poland - despite the fact that it is the same Second Republic that the same Law and Justice politicians consider to be the embodiment of ideal Polish society.
Aleksandra Lasek on Poland's nationalists' lack of political consistency
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November 26, 2021
The @feminist Instagram account took femvertising to the next level
When I look for activism content, I don’t wish to be discreetly tricked into buying a t-shirt, no matter how sustainable it is or what share of the profit goes to good causes.
Eva Smolokovskaya questions the ethics of the @feminist, a social media account with 6.4 million followers

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