http://womanstats.org/blog.htm WomanStats Blog en-us Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:24:29 -0700 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#motes In my family I am the only daughter among six sons. People used to say my family was very blessed because of the many sons they were given. I was never directly told I was the weaker sex, but looking back I can see how it was unintentionally implied. I remember being encouraged that I could do anything my brother’s did if I worked hard. I felt this was great encouragement . . . and it was. However, it indicated that I, as a girl, would need to work harder to do all my brothers did as boys. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:24:29 -0700 RSSPECT-001148532 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#olenewalker On she went through the personnel until at last she came to my grandmother. I ducked my head a little further, undeniably curious at what she might say. Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:17:40 -0700 RSSPECT-001146527 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#mowgli Mowgli was probably pretty disappointed when he found out that his crush was married, and now there is an uneven sex ratio in India that is definitely not in his favor and today he probably would have little chance of being married due to lack of family presence, no funds and no available women. He should have listened to Baloo and gone back to the jungle. It was at this moment I realized that WomanStats had probably ruined my blissful ignorance of the reality being dismissed in Disney movies. Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:03:45 -0700 RSSPECT-001144272 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#ecuador Maybe I can’t change the world. But I have changed, and that is what gives me strength to stand up for women even if no one thinks it is making a difference. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:12:03 -0700 RSSPECT-001142490 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#westphalia Several weeks ago my daughter asked me to tell her stories of women who had done important things in history. Every night my family goes to bed after reading a story about a famous woman in history. It has been an illuminating exercise in my personal, and our collective forgetfulness of women in History. The general assumption is that women were not involved in world until the recent modern era, but as I have discovered with my daughter this is entirely inaccurate. Christina Vasa and the Treaty of Westphalia is one example. Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:20:06 -0700 RSSPECT-001140131 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#psychclass Dowry practices support the abuse of women vicariously and dowry increases the economic burden associated with having daughters. It motivates sex-selective abortion and encourages female infanticide. These reasons, among others, indicate that dowry is a social evil against women. Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:23:18 -0700 RSSPECT-001138954 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#panchayat But in the Mewat district of India the “council of Elders” (Panchayat) has made a historical breakthrough: the traditionally male-dominated local political positions have been filled by all women. Every one of the 10 members is a woman from surrounding villages. What have they done with their new-found power? Mon, 10 May 2010 08:08:39 -0700 RSSPECT-001082052 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#migrantchildren Working at the school was a wakeup call; the stark difference between the nice schools and well-dressed children around our neighborhood and the conditions in which the migrant children learn is astounding. Instead of wearing neat matching uniforms, the students wore matching neck kerchiefs. The building is old and drab and the classrooms have no digital capabilities. Each of our classes packed 70 children into the room, making it almost impossible to keep order and engage everyone. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:10:25 -0700 RSSPECT-001066799 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#disabilities My job is to give women, all women, a voice. When I got the assignment to write a blog, I knew exactly what I wanted to address: women with disabilities. I wanted to address this topic because it affects me directly—I am a woman and I am a woman with a disability. Women with disabilities do not really have a voice, sadly not even in our own database. Only one variable directly addresses women with disabilities, and for this variable there is very little information. I’m writing my blog to ask “why?” Why are these particularly vulnerable women going unnoticed? Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:49:15 -0700 RSSPECT-001056386 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#femaleengage In an attempt to enhance the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, the Marines have decided to try something radical and previously unheard of in Western countries. The idea is have female engagement teams of about 4 to 5 which will accompany men that are patrolling the Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:16:23 -0700 RSSPECT-001050108 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#title9 To be honest, it is more than a little sad that the perception is that by elevating women’s athletics and allowing women to compete and develop like men, we are harming men. There has been a steady increase in male sports participation in sports since Title IX. The NCAA memberships have had a net gain of 70 men’s sports since Title IX. And the claim that Title IX cuts men’s funding in favor for girls, despite all the stories your brother or neighbor or that boy in your class has told you, is also flawed. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:38:09 -0700 RSSPECT-001046762 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#calkins She completed every requirement for a PhD, and although her Harvard professors enthusiastically supported her, she was denied the honor of actually receiving it.  She was then offered the degree by Radcliffe, Harvard’s college for women, but politely turned it down, stating that she had done the work at Harvard.  Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:23:25 -0800 RSSPECT-001037680 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#miraclediet But the saddest thing is that it seems as though no matter WHAT the standard of beauty is, it will always be detrimental to women.  Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:55:29 -0800 RSSPECT-001035592 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#firingpregnant According to the New York Times, during the past year pregnant women who have lost their jobs have risen by over 50%. How could this be? Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:23:31 -0800 RSSPECT-001031867 http://womanstats.org/blog.htm#jesusfeminist "By a feminist is meant a person who is in favor of, and who promotes, the equality of women with men, a person who advocates and practices treating women primarily as human persons (as men are so treated) and willingly contravenes social customs in so acting." Using events recorded in the gospels, and a history of ancient Palestine as a nation (and thus its treatment of women) Swidler eloquently describes the brave feminist acts Christ demonstrated even in the presence of the Pharisees and Sadducees who perpetuated women's suppression. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:20:42 -0800 RSSPECT-001029753