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new ...“But there has to be awareness of gender, ethnic and socio-economic bias, and it has to be done ethically, by educating the workers, paying them, and making a specific effort to collect smaller languages,” she said. “Otherwise it doesn’t scale.”... — indiatimes.com, 9h ago
new The consultation deepened the understanding of the intersection between climate and care, with the presentation of ESCAP's recent policy paper on gender equality and climate change. The discussions illuminated the commendable progress made by the Philippines in advancing the care economy, notably through their recent national consultation on care and successful policies, including care ordinances led by local government units. However, significant challenges emerged, such as the provision of climate-resilient care infrastructure and care policy implementation, especially in rural and remote areas. Additionally, concerns were raised about the limited availability of unconditional social protection measures focused on care, highlighting caregivers’ vulnerabilities during disasters. — ESCAP, 18h ago
new In response, UN Women introduces a new paper Feminist Climate Justice: A Framework for Action, recognizing the interconnected struggles to achieve climate justice and gender equality. This innovative approach not only recognizes threats that climate change poses to women’s and girls’ livelihoods but also provides practical guidance on how countries can transition to low emission economies while safeguarding gender equality. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing women’s knowledge in climate policies, redistributing resources to build women's resilience, ensuring inclusive environmental decision-making, and addressing historical injustices. — UN Women – Headquarters, 18h ago
new Invest in programs to address community attitudes and bias that prevent women’s full economic participation across a lifetime. — theadviser.com.au, 1d ago
new Symposium focus areas included policy change, poverty, education, advocacy, and cultural issues. It also touched upon corporate digital responsibility, corporate social responsibility and accountability, environmental sustainability, partnerships, alliances, improving fundraising efforts, and CouldYou?’s ongoing work on providing the CouldYou? Cup solution to women and girls globally. — Grit Daily News, 1d ago
new Gender equality and justice are fundamental human rights critical in supporting cohesive societies. Yet women around the world face deeply entrenched inequality and remain underrepresented in political and economic roles. Worldwide in 2021, women represented just 26.1% of some 35,500 parliament seats, only 22.6% of over 3,400 ministers, and 27% of all managerial positions. Violence against women prevails as a serious global health and protection issue. An estimated one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime. — worldpressphoto.org, 1d ago

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new On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations reiterates its unwavering commitment to promoting the rights, dignity, and well-being of persons with disabilities, particularly amidst the complex political and humanitarian landscape of Myanmar. In alignment with this year's theme, "United in Action to Rescue and Achieve the SDGs for, with, and by Persons with Disabilities", we emphasize the need for concerted efforts to dismantle barriers of persons with disabilities and cultivate an inclusive society. — ReliefWeb, 1d ago
new For example, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report of 2020 noted that worldwide gender parity was a century away, despite meaningful progress in landmark issues such as extreme poverty and maternal mortality. One of the most known nation-state offenders in the gender inequality category is Saudi Arabia, which despite progress in recent years continues to treat women within its society in ways that are deeply unequal. It was ranked 146th out of 153 states measured in the aforementioned report – amongst the worst. In Saudi Arabia women do not have equal voting or civil rights, undergo various forms of social segregation (including dress codes) and were only given the right to drive in 2017 after a lengthy campaign (pictured). Yet, Saudi Arabia does not receive sanctions for this behaviour. Instead, in 2017 and 2018 Saudi Arabia was elected to positions on three principal women’s rights bodies within the United Nations – including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The irony of this is not lost to feminists and points to the deep structural gender inequities visible within international organisations such as the United Nations, and the thinly veiled patriarchal nature of their day-to-day operations. — E-International Relations, 2d ago
new Programmes like this are particularly important in Indonesia due to the high economic inequality in the nation, where perceptions on HIV, AIDS, sexual transmission infection and gender equality are generally driven by religion, traditions and norms: which are rarely evidence and science based. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 2d ago
World Resources Institute, 3d ago
5 Essential Principles of the Just Transition Work Programme for Climate Action
YES! Magazine, 3d ago
Menopause Matters
ReliefWeb, 1d ago
new United for Inclusion: Empowering Persons with Disabilities in Myanmar - Myanmar
E-International Relations, 3d ago
South Africa’s Cycle of Poverty
Law & Liberty, 7d ago
Equality Before Egalitarianism – Law & Liberty - James Hankins

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The Gender Equality and the Economy Program of the Levy Economics Institute hosts a speaker series with practitioners and scholars across disciplines from around the globe to address the ever-relevant topic of “Gender Equality and the Economy.” Speakers will present their research and discuss differing approaches to economic analyses through a gender lens. The series highlights the importance of taking an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the implications of how gender and economic inequalities intersect in history, policy, and the everyday.Join us for our third session with Allison McKim, Associate Professor of Sociology, Bard College, on Wednesday, December 6, from 5pm to 6pm in the Blithewood Conference Room, or on Zoom. Professor McKim's presentation will be followed by an open Q&A session with audience members—both those in person and on Zoom are welcome to ask questions. Light refreshments will be served. Register to attend via Zoom here.Abstract:Addiction treatment is central to criminal justice reform and increasingly important to policies aimed at poverty, child welfare, and social marginalization. Women are a particular focus of such policies. A larger portion of criminalized women face drug charges compared to men, and women are more likely to be investigated by child protection authorities and receive means-tested welfare benefits. This talk draws on ethnographic research in treatment programs specifically designed for women to examine how the rehabs understand and regulate women’s relationship to work, including both paid employment and unpaid care work in the family. I leverage a comparison between one rehab in the criminal justice system and one in the healthcare system to examine how race, class, and institutional context shape the gendered logics underlying their approaches to work. My research revealed that the carceral rehab de-emphasized the importance of paid work, even though both it and criminal justice authorities had work requirements. Moreover, it also discouraged gendered care work like mothering. Instead, the penal rehab demanded that women “work” on their selves. This was not the case at the healthcare rehab, which remained more supportive of and beholden to women’s ties with employers and families. The carceral rehab’s focus on changing selves rested on the idea that women’s disordered selves are the cause of their poverty, crime, drug use, and victimization. This resembles many other facets of social and penal policy that assume poor and racially marginalized groups need behavior modification rather than employment, education, or economic support. — bard.edu, 3d ago
Climate Equality: A planet for the 99%, 20 November 2023, Oxfam – The world faces twin crises of climate breakdown and runaway inequality. The richest people, corporations and countries are destroying the world with their huge carbon emissions. Meanwhile, people living in poverty, those experiencing marginalization, and countries in the Global South are those impacted the hardest. Women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, people living in poverty and other groups experiencing discrimination are particularly at a disadvantage. The consequences of climate breakdown are felt in all parts of the world and by most people, yet only the richest people and countries have the wealth, power and influence to protect themselves. With that power comes huge responsibility. If no action is taken, the richest will continue to burn through the carbon we have left to use while keeping the global temperature below the safe limit of 1.5°C, destroying any chance of ending poverty and ensuring equality. The world needs an equal transformation. Only a radical reduction in inequality, transformative climate action and fundamentally shifting our economic goals as a society can save our planet while ensuring wellbeing for all.”... — bespacific.com, 14d ago
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated gender inequalities in South Asia. An increase in domestic violence, child marriage and loss of paid work and employment impacted girls and women who continue to bear the brunt of longer-term socio-economic shocks experienced in the region. — unicef.org, 19d ago
Einiö describes a phenomenon of "homophily" among innovators - the tendency to create products for people who are similar to themselves in terms of gender, socioeconomic status, and age. This bias in innovation favors the peer group of the innovators, often neglecting the needs of other segments, particularly women. As a result, products targeted at women tend to be underdeveloped, more expensive, or non-existent, exacerbating gender-based economic inequality. — Helsinki Times, 3d ago
This hoped-for shift, however, “cannot just be a technical transformation,” said Jemimah Njuki, the chief of economic empowerment at UN Women. “We also need transformation in the power systems within our food systems.” That means looking carefully at key equity issues such as food distribution and access, income, gender, and climate change impacts, she said. “These inequalities are happening by choice, not by chance. So, as we think of agroecology – not as a new thing, but as a really important way of producing and managing our food, our soils, and the environment – we really must also talk about how we make sure that there is equity and fairness within that process.”... — CIFOR Forests News, 21d ago
The OSUN Global Commons has launched its Fall 2023 issue, amplifying the voices of 46 students working across multiple media formats. With contributions focused on a variety of themes, the fully student-produced digital publication has now released five issues since its inception in 2022, with one arriving each semester, plus a special summer issue in 2023 showcasing student civic engagement projects. The current issue demonstrates impressive growth in the range of media it features, with research, poetry, translation, and artwork in the mix. This time, submissions are in English, Arabic, and Bengali, coming from 12 OSUN institutions. Diyang Zhou, of Bard College, says publication of bilingual writings, such as his Chinese- and English-language poem, “Impression," fosters engagement with an increasingly diverse group of communities.Kaung Myat Phyo, one of the first Parami University students to be published in Global Commons, says publication of student work, such as his research on “The Rise and Demise of Jamaica’s Battle with Neoliberalism," fosters more creative student academic engagement. “The opportunity to have my academic essays published in the Global Commons serves as an invaluable stepping stone in my academic and intellectual development,” she adds.Adiba Amreen, a BRAC University student whose research on “The Aesthetics of Hydraulic Citizenship in Dhaka” is included in the current issue, says opportunities for the publication of undergraduate student work, such as her own, are slim. Thankfully, Global Commons gives her the chance to share her ideas beyond the confines of her physical university so she can reach a global network of students and faculties.The Fall issue features many visual media submissions, including photography, drawing, digital illustration, painting, and video. It’s also the first time the platform presents the documentary format, a gripping short film by Darya Ildarovna Gusmanova, of the American University of Central Asia, about a Kyrgyz artist, called “Women in Art: Akjibek Beishebaeva, an Art Impresario.”As the reach of this dynamic publication expands, students from across the globe are becoming more and more enthusiastic about the value of their work. Samia Rahman, a BRAC University student whose study “Struggle for Sustenance: An Inquiry into the Economic Marginalization of Transgender People,” says “Global Commons has enabled me to amplify my voice beyond borders while portraying the positive impacts of diverse perspectives on issues that need collective action to address inequalities, human rights, and global justice.” Reflecting on her research, she adds “This piece of work is particularly special to me because it merges my academic training with my values and stance on justice and humanity as a global citizen.” Global Commons will continue to focus on providing the largest domain of OSUN student work possible, giving 8,000 readers the means to easily access creative and academic content, as well as to contribute. Look for the Spring 2024 call for submissions soon on the OSUN website!... — opensocietyuniversitynetwork.org, 12d ago

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UN Women – Headquarters, 2d ago
new New report shows how feminism can be a powerful tool to fight climate change | UN Women – Headquarters
Canada's National Observer, 7d ago
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Grant Competition: Enhancing Employment and Self-Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Kyiv oblasts, and the city of Kyiv
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Native American child poverty more than doubled in 2022 after safety net cutbacks: Child poverty rate is higher than before the pandemic
E-International Relations, 2d ago
new Postcolonialism, Feminism and the United Nations
foreignpolicy.com, 12d ago
Toward a Paradigm Shift on Mental Health in Latin America - FP Analytics
WILPF, 13d ago
Feminist Political Economy - WILPF
WILPF, 13d ago
Ecological Justice - WILPF

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new ...“Ensuring access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all is key to opening up a new world of opportunities for millions of people. Achieving SDG7 will benefit other SDGs related to climate change, economic opportunities and jobs, women’s empowerment, social justice, education and health. Unlocking finance for BESS investments is an important milestone that will enable the development of renewable energy at scale. We need new and innovative ways to mobilize all relevant stakeholders, which is why I am delighted that AFD is joining the BESS Consortium initiative. We are committed to sharing our technical expertise and financing solutions with the 10 first movers and bringing new countries on board to reach the +5GW target.”... — The Rockefeller Foundation, 2d ago
new In 2022, Nigeria ranked 123 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index, underscoring significant gender disparities and inequalities in various aspects of the country. Despite a population approaching 225 million, only about 60.5 million people are active participants in Nigeria’s labour force and, according to the World Bank, female labour force participation in the country has fallen markedly since the early 1990s. The World Bank reported that the labour force engagement rate for women in 2022 was 52%, while for men it stood at 65%. — the Guardian, 2d ago
new Narayan’s intensive, immersive research shows that India’s leapfrogging neighbours have worked hard to dilute social inequalities. Land reforms, investments in schools and hospitals, and socio-political reform movements aimed at diluting caste and gender discrimination – all of these have wrought change over the decades. Excellent networks of primary healthcare clinics, village schools and household toilets have transformed the lives of citizens in these countries. — Scroll.in, 2d ago
new The report shows how crises around the world, ranging from economic inequality to geopolitical gridlock, are amplified by climate change and have disproportionate impacts on women and girls. It calls for a clear vision of feminist climate justice that integrates women’s rights into the global fight against environmental catastrophe. — UN Women – Headquarters, 2d ago
new Known as the Oasis programme, these centres have provided crucial cash-for-work, skill development, and early childhood services to more than 30,000 people, including many women with disabilities. The initiative focuses on addressing gender barriers, promoting economic empowerment, and enhancing protection against gender-based violence. — UN Women – Headquarters, 2d ago
new Thus, by adopting the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, UN Member States echoed the Global AIDS Strategy and committed to implement urgent and transformative action to end social, economic, racial and gender inequalities, restrictive and discriminatory laws, policies and practices, stigma, and multiple intersecting forms of discrimination, including those based on a person’s HIV status, and human rights violations that perpetuate the AIDS epidemic. — Eco-Business, 2d ago

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While El Campo Emprende focuses on improving economic productivity, not specifically access to land, preliminary analysis shows that improving economic well-being among participants and enhancing knowledge can have positive effects on securing land tenure for women in the future. It also shows that addressing gender-related perceptions and social norms is key to ensuring that women have equal opportunities to access and own land. — CIFOR Forests News, 18d ago
Capitalism relies on the exploitation of certain labor, and women have historically been assigned roles that are both necessary for the functioning of society and economically undervalued. The gendered nature of this economic logic is unmistakable – the very nimbleness and agility that make women preferred in this industry allows the owners to extract more labor for fewer wages. The belief that women ‘have always sewed’ and thus, are more dexterous and adaptable to repetitive tasks perpetuates discriminatory practices, reinforcing the cycle of economic inequality. This preference confines women to low-wage occupations and perpetuates systemic exploitation. In turn, these low wages exacerbate the struggles faced by female workers, trapping them in a vicious cycle of poverty. In other words, the industry's reliance on cheap labor from women further perpetuates a system thriving on the exploitation of the most marginalized. — theswaddle.com, 25d ago
In the Global Gender Gap Index report, which compares 156 countries by how effective they have been at reducing gender inequality over time, Pakistan ranks near the bottom in three out of four metrics. The country places 145th for economic participation, 135th for educational attainment, 143rd for health and survival, and 95th for political empowerment. — The Christian Science Monitor, 18d ago
ORF, 20d ago
Harnessing India’s Demographic and Gender Dividend | ORF
theswaddle.com, 25d ago
Why Bangladesh’s Ongoing Garment Workers’ Strike Is a Feminist Issue
CEPR, 25d ago
The US economics profession’s socioeconomic diversity problem
CEOWORLD magazine, 19d ago
U.S. Counties With the Worst Quality of Life In Every State - CEOWORLD magazine
E-International Relations, 14d ago
Development and Authoritarianism: China's Political Culture and Economic Reforms

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new These figures also include the largest-ever expansion of U.S. funding for adaptation, which reached $2.3 billion in 2022, on track to reach President Biden’s pledge of working with Congress to scale up adaptation finance to $3 billion per year by 2024, as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). This funding will enable climate-vulnerable countries to safeguard hard-won development goals, including poverty reduction, job creation, improved health outcomes, and better lives and livelihoods for women and girls. The United States is committed to working with countries and communities to help them adapt to a changing climate, including those which have contributed the least to this crisis yet are often the most impacted. — United States Department of State, 2d ago
new The persecution of Christians in Sudan has been a similarly longstanding issue. Under all recent regimes, Christians have faced systematic discrimination and oppression, enduring restrictions on religious freedoms and facing societal marginalization. Churches have been demolished, believers were arrested, and discrimination in education and employment was rampant. Though there have been some improvements following the political changes in Sudan, challenges persist, and Christians continue to face hurdles in practicing their faith openly and freely. The journey toward religious tolerance and acceptance remains an ongoing struggle for Sudan’s Christian community. — Modern Diplomacy, 2d ago
new Most importantly, the RISE grant helped Northeastern purchase its simulators, which include a birth simulator, a pediatric simulator and two adult simulators. Using the simulators students can do everything from listen to heartbeats and breathing sounds to insert a catheter and their patients are even able to talk to them and answer questions.Instructors shared that the simulators are invaluable because they help students grow their confidence and figure out what they still need to learn while realizing just how much they already know. Plus, it's a great place for students to apply what they've learned in the classroom.Nursing students commented that the simulators help make them more comfortable, teach them time management, provide valuable hands-on experience outside of the classroom and allow them to work on their critical thinking skills."I like simulation because it is a place for me to make errors and not have to worry about killing the patients," Brandon Williams said.Before watching a demonstration of the birth simulator, the group heard from Jennifer Garcia, a student who benefited from the RISE grant and in May will be graduating with an RN (Registered Nursing) degree. From California, she was working a dead-end job when her sister was accepted into NJC's program and encouraged her to enroll. After taking a job at Sterling Regional MedCenter as an inventory associate to make sure that healthcare was right for her, she fell in love almost immediately and went to work earning her CNA degree."Being from out of state it's been very difficult for me," Garcia said, explaining that the cost for her to attend Northeastern is much higher than a student who has lived here all of their life. "I wasn't sure I would be able to afford it and then came the RISE grant. It just lifted this great burden off me and I was able to focus all of my time and attention into preparing my skills.""I am very grateful to the RISE grant for everything it has given me because I feel that I have a purpose," Garcia added, sharing that she plans to work in the community when she graduates.Next, Giacomini shared how for years, she and Brower discussed how they could partner with students coming in, who often come from a country where they were a veterinarian or a doctor but now they need to get the skills and credentials to be able to work in the United States. Through the RISE grant, they were able to remove the financial barrier for some of the students and it also helped them create an integrated education and training program.Northeastern found a cohort of students whose language proficiency was just enough that they could have a basic conversation but they needed language skills specific to a CNA, which they got through a customized English training that was developed. The college also worked with them on workforce preparation skills like communication, time management, learning cultural differences, etc."It was great to finally pilot this program that we'd been trying for so long to get together," Giacomini said, adding that now those students are recruiting others to the CNA program.Next, was the simulation, which involved a pregnant woman who came in stable but started deteriorating with her heart rate and blood pressure showing signs of distress and her oxygen level dropping. She then experienced an eclamptic seizure due to high blood pressure and when the mother awakened it was determined she was in labor. The mother went on to deliver a healthy baby girl, who was examined for any problems and vaccinated.After the simulation, the group heard from Shelly Griffith, CEO of Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center, one of Northeastern's main clinical sites for both nursing and CNA students."We rely heavily on (NJC) to help train CNAs, individuals who are looking to pursue an entry point into the medical field," she said. "The beauty of NJC is they have been able to flex some schedules and be able to accommodate those who may need to be working full-time while they are looking to grow their career options."NJC's program is especially critical given the shortage of healthcare workers. Griffith shared Eben Ezer has a need for 20 CNAs right now,"What's happening is the demand for our service is significant and so people are having to go on a wait list, which means that many people, their needs are not being met because nursing homes throughout the rural communities are not able to meet that need because of limited staffing levels," she explained.Following her remarks, guests had a chance to try out the simulators themselves.The day ended with a panel discussion that included Tamara Durbin, executive director of Northeast Colorado BOCES; Kyle Stumpf, Superintendent of Holyoke School District; Danielle Ongart, Executive Director of Colorado Department of Education's Student Pathways; and Misti Ruthven, Director of Education and Training Innovation for the Office of Governor Polis.They talked about the importance of career connected learning as it benefits both students and the economy by opening students' eyes to career opportunities they might want to consider. Stumpf mentioned the success of his district's internship program.The group also talked about some of the barriers that exist to providing this, the biggest being cost, especially in northeast Colorado where it costs a lot to transport students from their school to another school that offers the program they're interested in. There is also the challenge of trying to ensure all students have equitable access. Durbin pointed out that students who live in northeast Colorado need to have the same opportunities available to them as those on the Front Range.During a question and answer session with the audience, Trae Miller, executive director of the Logan County Economic Development Corporation, pointed out that internships and apprenticeships sound great but the state requirements that go into those and the reporting aspects create a barrier for businesses to participate in those programs. He also shared that students need help with basic skills such as showing up on time and learning how to take instruction.Ongart suggested there needs to be a regional entity in place to help students and businesses navigate this, so it doesn't all fall on the district or the business, and Stumpf mentioned his district teaches a class an hour a day with all of those skills and they also provide businesses with funding to help offset the costs of doing an internship.State Sen. Byron Pelton asked why the state is reinventing the wheels with apprenticeships, instead of learning from what's in place now. He said his frustration with recent legislation regarding apprenticeships is "you're going to have a lot of outside forces that are going to try to do their best to send it one way or the other when we need to just worry about the entire workforce, not just a little part of it; we need to worry about the entire workforce." Pelton pointed out in two years, half of Colorado's electrical trade will be retiring, "so we've got to get more people in there," he commented.He also said would like for time in college courses to count toward credit for both college and high school, which he plans to introduce a bill to require."We realize the importance of apprenticeships and we have challenges in trying to determine those opportunities for youth in high schools and have that be seamless for them," Durbin said, adding that it's something they are working on.©2023 Journal-Advocate, Sterling, Colo. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. — GovTech, 2d ago
new Exhibit A is a recent study from CARE International, a global nongovernmental organization focused on poverty and social justice. By its estimates, 52 percent of climate finance provided by 23 rich countries from 2011 to 2020 was money that previously went to development budgets, including programs focused on health, education, and women’s rights. In other words, on account of climate policies, poor countries have seen deep cuts in critical aid programs with demonstrated short- and long-term benefits. The numbers look even worse when you consider the long-standing development spending pledge of 0.7 percent of gross national income. If you take that number as a minimum for development spending and posit that climate finance should come on top, only 7 percent of wealthy countries’ climate finance qualifies as additional funding, according to CARE. — Foreign Policy, 2d ago
Hollins University’s long tradition of academic excellence provides a solid foundation for the institution’s future. It serves as an invitation to academic renewal and renovation so that we can meet the evolving needs of our students and the society in which they live. We are living in an era of rapid transformation, accelerated by the pandemic and influenced by changing ideas and beliefs about gender, race, and class, as well as anxiety about climate change, technology, and the fate of democracy. Now more than ever, we are called to prepare our students for a multiplicity of unscripted future challenges, while also ensuring that our learning environment allows all students to persist, thrive, and succeed during their college education and beyond, especially those who have been historically marginalized. Hollins can be a leader among other institutions of higher education for social, economic, and civic mobility. — Hollins University, 3d ago
In case you do not know, this is a global pandemic that affects women in their lifetime. The numbers are staggering, while 35 per cent of women are known to have experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or the reverse, the most serious cases involving murders of women are also committed by intimate partners. One characteristics of gender based violence is that it knows no social or economic boundaries and affects women and girls from all socio-economic background. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 3d ago

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In the pursuit of safeguarding India's jute industry, recognising the plight of farmers and workers is paramount. The enforcement of existing regulations, especially the spirit of the JPMA, is crucial. Failing to do so not only endangers the well-being of the farming community but perpetuates economic disparity, particularly impacting women farmers. It is an ethical imperative to stand by the hardworking women engaged in India's jute industry, ensuring their contributions are acknowledged and their livelihoods protected. The tapestry of Indian agriculture must be woven with threads of compassion, enforcement, and sustainability to secure a future where no farmer is left behind. — cnbctv18.com, 7d ago
However, “women also face inequality in the home, carrying a heavier burden of family responsibilities, which contributes to increased economic dependence and decreased interpersonal power and privilege,” the report concludes. “These factors combine to perpetuate harmful stereotypes that hold back even the most privileged women entrepreneurs in terms of legitimacy and access to financial capital and other critical resources necessary for business growth and success.”... — Babson Thought & Action, 20d ago
Early modern mines ranked among the most populated workplaces of preindustrial Europe. Both men and women engaged in mining activities. Yet women’s work, which historians have either scarcely documented or considered irremediably lost, was part of a paradox. On the one hand, early modern mines were segregated workplaces for women. In sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe, women were deemed unfit for mining labour, and perceived to lack the necessary strength and skills to carry out risky, unhealthy, and physically demanding activities. As a result, employers and subcontractors organized work and allocated tasks to women by following traditional gender differences in male and female labour outputs. Women did not enter mine shafts, were confined in domestic labour, and earned far less than men when performing side activities such as hauling and ores washing. On the other hand, while continuities of gender inequality persisted at various stages of their work, female agency challenged this gendered working environment. Women contributed to various economic, scientific, and labour activities of preindustrial mining. For instance, they participated in the industry as heads of money lending institutions in the mines, and worked in high-skilled positions such as surveyors, metalworkers, and labour supervisors. — School of Advanced Study, 5d ago
Food and gender issues remain on the margins of climate discourse, even though gender inequity directly affects over four billion people and everyone needs food to survive. The gender-food-climate nexus is the missing ingredient that politicians at COP have long been searching for. Realizing gender equity in the food system is a gateway to achieving human rights, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. — Canada's National Observer, 7d ago
Those with authoritarian political views are more likely to be concerned about terrorism and border control than a future new health pandemic, new research shows.During the pandemic, rather than a desire for a stronger government with the ability to impose measures to address the pandemic and its consequences, people with authoritarian views rejected this and embraced individual autonomy. Researchers analysed public perceptions of security threats in 2012 and in 2020. They believe COVID-19 belongs to a distinct category of threats of which those with authoritarian views are less concerned and may even minimize.The study says COVID-19 did not seem to disproportionately affect authoritarian concern about social divisions in British society. The study, by Professor Dan Stevens and Professor Susan Banducci from the University of Exeter, and Dr Laszlo Horvath from the Birkbeck, University of London, is published in the journal Politics and the Life Sciences.Professor Stevens said: “This research shows different security threats should not be treated as alike. Security threats connected with health and infectious diseases such as avian flu in 2012 and COVID-19 in 2020 didn’t seem to concern those with authoritarian views in the way you would expect. This seems to be due to the nature of the threat. “When an issue threatens social norms or damages social cohesion—which is how authoritarians tend to view immigration—they respond differently. Covid019 was not seen as this kind of threat. However, with emerging infectious diseases increasing in frequency over the past five decades such perceptions could develop with future pandemics.” The surveys were the June 2012 Perceptions of Security in an Age of Austerity online survey conducted by ICM for Stevens and Vaughan-Williams and an online survey conducted for researchers by Opinion Research Business (ORB) in July 2020.Each survey asked about ten issues and whether respondents viewed them as national and personal threats. The ten issues were: immigration; terrorism; weak border control; health pandemics, such as avian flu (2012) or COVID-19 (2020); environmental issues, such as global warming or greenhouse gas effects; resource scarcity; economic depression, financial crisis, and unemployment; burglary; crimes against women; and racial or religious hate crimes.Perceptions of the five issues of terrorism, the economy, immigration, weak border control, and racial or religious hate crimes as threats were stable across the two surveys, while the new issues of health pandemic, environmental issues, and racial and religious hate crimes loomed larger in the later survey. There were increases in perceptions of almost all issues as personal threats compared to 2012—only burglary showed a small decrease. While the economy and terrorism were among the top-ranked personal threats in both years, some of the increases in perceptions of threats from other issues were large, particularly a health pandemic and environmental issues. Reasons for the increase in the personal threat from terrorism could be related to the number of relatively small-scale attacks that were not a feature of Islamic terrorism in the United Kingdom up to 2012, such as those at Westminster, the Manchester Arena, and London’s Borough Market in 2017.Researchers compared changes in perceptions of the ten threats with the amount of newspaper attention to them in the year prior to the survey, using Nexis, as a measure of increased or decreased threat for each issue. Media coverage of terrorism with a more personal frame increased considerably in 2020 over 2012. Immigration, for which there was increased threat in the context of the 2020 survey, was disproportionately more likely to be seen as a threat by authoritarians than in 2012. Those with authoritarian views were also more likely to identify terrorism and border control as threats in both surveys than respondents without authoritarian views. — News, 18d ago
The CRPP Partnership Forum 2024 will focus on decentralization programs and skills development as key themes for addressing climate risk, reducing poverty, and promoting gender equality. With dedicated discussions, the forum will help inform practical ways to design and deliver such programs so that they respond to current and future climate risk, address the underlying causes of vulnerability, and empower communities, especially women. Discussion on these themes will also be linked to discussions that took place during CRPP Partnership Forum 2023 on adaptive social protection and climate-resilient rural livelihoods. — Asian Development Bank, 14d ago

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London had the highest levels of productivity in the UK by some margin. However, while certain areas in London, such as Southwark with its high levels of educational qualifications and concentration of knowledge-intense businesses, were forging ahead, some London boroughs in the outer ring, such as Bromley, were experiencing a decline in productivity. Moreover, income and social inequalities within the city are mirrored by particular challenges for SMEs, which must compete for high skilled workers with exceptionally productive employers nearby and which are finding access to finance to be a growing problem. There is also evidence that UK’s firms’ reduction in their R&D investment has disproportionately affected London, while an overinflated housing market and a ‘hostile’ Immigration environment make it difficult to compete for global talent in critical digital, environmental and software skills. — King's College London, 3d ago
In today's fast-paced world, millions of hardworking Americans find themselves trapped in a cycle of living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet. This webinar, “Unlocking Financial Stability: EWA and the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Dilemma," delves into the critical issue of financial instability among the workforce, particularly for those on low to moderate incomes. Recent research highlights the reasons behind the paycheck-to-paycheck predicament, shedding light on the challenges faced by employees across the nation. One of the primary culprits, according to a comprehensive report, is nonessential spending, with a staggering 66% of consumers admitting to indulging in splurges and unnecessary purchases. These habits strain their finances, leaving them vulnerable to significant fluctuations in their financial situation throughout the year. Another significant contributor to this financial dilemma is family financial support, with an equal 66% of consumers identifying it as a top reason. The desire to provide for loved ones can sometimes come at the expense of one's own financial stability. This webcast will explore strategies for setting boundaries and achieving a balance between supporting family and securing personal financial well-being. Furthermore, the burden of debt looms large, impacting 64% of consumers, while insufficient income remains a challenge for 60% of them. Our discussion will emphasize that those who pinpoint insufficient income as the primary cause of their financial struggles are less likely to experience financial volatility. However, finding ways to increase income or tapping into alternative sources of financial support will be highlighted as crucial steps toward achieving lasting financial stability. In addition to these critical topics, this webcast will also address the regulatory landscape surrounding Earned Wage Access (EWA). EWA has gained traction as a valuable tool for financial empowerment, and understanding its regulatory framework is essential for both employers and employees. In conclusion, despite lower inflation rates, living paycheck to paycheck continues to be a pervasive issue for many Americans. This webcast underscores the pivotal role of nonessential spending, family financial support, high debt, and insufficient income as key factors contributing to this predicament. Join us to explore proactive strategies and tools like Earned Wage Access (EWA) that can help employees take control of their financial destiny, ensuring stability and security throughout the year. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and practical solutions for supporting your workforce in their journey toward financial well-being. Register now for “Unlocking Financial Stability: EWA and the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Dilemma," where we'll also dive into the important topic of EWA regulation. Objectives: - Educate Participants: To provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the primary factors contributing to the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle among low to moderate-income employees, including nonessential spending, family financial support, high debt, and insufficient income. - Highlight EWA as a Solution: To showcase Earned Wage Access (EWA) as an effective financial tool for addressing the challenges of living paycheck to paycheck, emphasizing its benefits, practicality, and regulatory aspects. - Empower Financial Decision-Making: To empower attendees with actionable strategies and insights for improving their financial stability, including tips for managing debt, increasing income, and setting boundaries on family financial support. These objectives will help ensure that your webinar provides valuable information and equips participants with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed financial decisions. — hr.com, 3d ago
For South Africa, poverty indicators are categorised into four dimensions; health, education, standards of living and economic activity. Addressing redistribution under these four dimensions has been restricted by systemic and historical inequities, particularly in the area of education and health. Under apartheid, poor access to education opportunities, skewed government spending in favour of White learners and policies such as job reservations for specific racial groups meant that the majority of the population suffered from unequal distribution of skills and training. This in turn negatively impacted their vertical mobility within the labour market and massively skewed income distribution in South Africa (Woolard 2002). Such a deeply structural issue as this takes time and effort to overcome otherwise it exacerbates over generations. Even if the playing field is levelled for a child today technically through a redistribution programme, these structural issues within their family situation leave them in a vastly different starting position than the child of a more historically wealthy, presumably white, South African. — E-International Relations, 3d ago
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The upshot is that many parents – and speaking from experience, mostly mothers – are working less or dropping out of the workforce entirely, as well as having fewer children. That is terrible for gender equality and inimical to the growth this country so desperately needs. But perhaps more invidious is the problems this is storing up for the next generation. Britain’s declining birth rates mean that our children will be paying for the pensions and healthcare of an increasingly aged and infirm population. While other factors are undoubtedly contributing to lower birth rates, most notably the housing crisis, the demographic time bomb facing us can in part be attributed to the simple fact that people just cannot afford to have the number of children they might like. A recent essay in Works in Progress magazine showed that one of the main reasons for the postwar Baby Boom was that it became much cheaper to raise your family, and to afford a house large enough in which to do so. In Britain today, the opposite is the case. — CapX, 3d ago
Black students are subject to disciplinary action more frequently than white, Asian, or Hispanic students. This might be the result of discrimination, but it might also be a consequence of difference in socio-economic status, family structure, neighborhood influences, youth subcultures, and policies adopted by schools in high-crime areas. Although the 2014 Dear Colleague Letter acknowledged that racial disparities “may be caused by a range of factors,” its “disparate impact” analysis said little about them. Its primary goal was to curtail the use of out-of-school punishments. The Trump administration withdrew that Dear Colleague Letter in 2018. The Biden administration subsequently announced that the withdrawal was “under review.”... — Education Next, 3d ago
Climate change has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, and gender inequality is at the heart of the matter. During extreme weather events, women face spikes in violence, maternal deaths, displacement and poverty, and they are often the last to get adequate food. Their humanitarian needs, including access to contraception and safe births, are often overlooked in response plans. Their vulnerabilities to gender-based violence are heightened. — unfpa.org, 3d ago
They are to add the content of social sciences and humanities into the policy-making process on social transformation and inclusive development to enhance the role of social sciences in solving challenges; to teach philosophy to children to make educational methods suitable to the complex world context; to promote gender equality, rights for people with disabilities and cultural diversity; and to promote policy dialogue on ethics related to artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change. — Vietnam Investment Review - VIR, 3d ago
Early-career research is an exciting and difficult time. I think it's key to remember that we are holistically human, and changes need to address the whole person. Equity and work–life balance are key in academia to retain and advance early-career researchers, but while interventions like implicit bias training and wellness workshops are laudable, they are not enough. I have witnessed too many peers leave or fall out of my field due to deep, pervasive and worsening structural and societal problems that we know are particularly intense for researchers from historically excluded genders and races. Academia is still a system that expects grad workers to survive on poverty wages and to work ourselves to exhaustion. The exploited, starving model of training has got to go. ECRs are highly educated, skilled workers whose labour is the foundation of academic research and a vital part of undergraduate teaching. Like all working adults, we have basic material needs: a liveable wage, affordable housing and benefits including health care and retirement plans. We also have reasonable workplace needs: to be treated with dignity, respect and collegiality. These are the needs that must be filled to improve our lives and keep us in the pipeline. And I hope the system can change because I love my work. It is a joy and a privilege to spend my days tackling some of the most important issues of our time and engaging in ideas that fascinate me. I plan to stay in my field for as long as it is financially and emotionally sustainable to do so. — The Company of Biologists, 3d ago
PwDs are particularly vulnerable in this dire situation of war and, experience poorer health. People with disabilities also experience inequalities on a number of other socio-economic measures, as they are more likely than those who do not have a disability to experience poverty, violence, social exclusion, housing insecurity, and have less opportunity to engage in meaningful work. Persons with disabilities in Ukraine were already vulnerable before the war broke out, however since the start of the invasion, they are experiencing multiple barriers and immense difficulties to flee the conflict-affected areas, resulting in risks to their lives, and many struggle to meet daily needs and challenges in accessing humanitarian assistance. — UNDP, 3d ago

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Issue 11 2023

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Yet HIV infection continues to spread. Every week in 2022, 4,000 adolescent girls and young women worldwide acquired HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls accounted for 63 per cent of all new HIV infections among people of all ages, and 77 per cent of new infections among young people aged 15-24. Women and girls are highly affected by HIV and AIDS not only because of their greater biological susceptibility to HIV transmission, but also because of their unequal cultural, social, and economic status. They play a pivotal role in caring for people living with HIV and facilitating treatment access and adherence. However, HIV care work is often unpaid, in turn exacerbating and perpetuating gender inequalities in employment, education and social activities. — UN Women – Headquarters, 3d ago
The group also took a moment to celebrate a new grant that will be led by Sarah Jolley, MD, associate professor, pulmonary medicine in the CU School of Medicine, and Donald Nease, MD, professor of family medicine in the CU School of Medicine and Director of Community Engagement and Health Equity at the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.“As a result of our partnership through the Colorado Long COVID Community of Practice, and support by the State Government, Colorado was chosen as one of the nine grantees nationally that were each awarded a $5 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to implement and evaluate models for delivering comprehensive, coordinated, person-centered care to people with Long COVID, particularly those who are disproportionately impacted by the effects of Long COVID,” said the Lt. Governor.The Lt. Governor has been an active supporter of Long COVID care and patients in the state. Dr. Mirwais Baheej on the Lt. Governor’s team is the Senior Policy Advisor on Long COVID, and his office has examined and assessed Long COVID and its impacts on health and the socio-economic wellbeing of Coloradans in order to develop a framework to address them. “The AHRQ grant will increase multidisciplinary care resources in our health systems and create a bridge to primary care, providing a full spectrum of care for those with Long COVID,” said Dr. Jolley.“ It will allow us to reach underrepresented populations, including racial minority and rural frontier communities, making sure they have equal access to high quality long COVID care.”The roundtable discussion also featured an update from Kristine Erlandson, MD, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases. She shared news on the RECOVER Long COVID research initiative at both CU Anschutz and Denver Health. Dr. Erlandson is the site PI for the RECOVER observational study in Colorado, which recently completed enrollment of just under 13,000 patients nationwide to evaluate risk factors and mechanisms for Long COVID. Dr. Jolley is the site PI for the newly launched RECOVER NEURO and RECOVER VITAL clinical trials that are taking place at the CCTSI’s Clinical Translational Research Center (CTRC). If you’d like more information on these trials, you may learn more here. — cuanschutz.edu, 3d ago
Given these disparities, countries should view the JTWP as an avenue to discuss and provide climate solutions which enhance social, economic and environmental equality. A transition that oppresses those living in poverty, climate-vulnerable communities and other marginalized communities cannot be just; nor can a transition which further undermines the development of vulnerable countries (for example, by exacerbating their debt burdens through loan-based climate finance). This work programme must identify and reject climate actions which could extend or potentially result in a repetition of such systems, from historical and structural inequalities to trade protectionism, distortions and unilateral taxation systems for developing countries. — World Resources Institute, 3d ago
...“Health is not just about prevention or cures,” says Yeakey, whose inter‑ disciplinary research focuses on the St. Louis ZIP codes with the highest rates of cancer. In Poverty and Place: Cancer Prevention Among Low-Income Women of Color and Cancer: Charting the Path Forward for Low-Income Women of Color, Yeakey and fellow co-authors, including Thompson, determine that “health is also about cultural factors, economic opportunities, education, environmental factors, psychological and social factors, and more: poverty, race, housing.” Yeakey stresses, “Attempting to address health through a narrow lens will lead to futility.”... — The Source, 3d ago
Key issues regarding the rights of persons with disabilities, measures being taken or needed to improve their social status, and the importance of engaging culture and art in this direction were discussed by: Bane Žugić, journalist at Public Service, Milica Nikolić, gender equality expert at UNDP, Jovana Radifković from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Milica Nikolić from the Human Resources Administration, photographer Duško Miljanić, ethnomusicologist Nikola Zekić, student Sofija Ivanović, disability rights expert Aleksandra Popović, and many other esteemed participants who contributed to the discussion through an open conversation on this topic. — UNDP, 3d ago
While this labor — often performed by women — is not recognized in our formal economy as such, it is clear these workers could benefit from more support by policymakers. These realities are a call for equity-driven policies. When it comes to supporting uncompensated workers, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can better utilize a proven poverty-alleviating tool to change the narrative on what it means to be a worker in our modern economy: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). My legislation, the Worker Relief and Credit Reform Act (WRCR Act), would enhance the EITC, expanding the definition of work to include unpaid caregiving. My legislation is an acknowledgement that being a caregiver shouldn’t push you into poverty. It is an acknowledgement that caregiving is work. — The Hill, 3d ago

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Girls continue to bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic due, in-part, to gender inequalities which often result in girls being disempowered to negotiate safe sex; poverty that manifests in communities being located far from healthcare centres; and a lack of access to HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health programmes. — unicef.org, 3d ago
Girls continue to bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic due, in part, to gender inequalities which often result in girls being disempowered to negotiate safe sex; poverty that manifests in communities being located far from healthcare centres; and a lack of access to HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health programmes. — ReliefWeb, 3d ago
In October, Sean O’Neill, policy scientist at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), collaborated with the Sussex Housing Group to organize and lead a bus tour of three communities in Sussex County. The tour focused on communities working to improve affordable housing and community development issues. Attendees included elected officials, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials, representatives from central banks, and policy leaders from state government. The tour began in Georgetown, Delaware, at the First State Community Action Agency (FSCAA), where attendees learned of the purpose and mission of Sussex Housing Group, a housing advocacy group. Tour attendees later met with Laurel Town Manager Jamie Smith and the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation members to discuss the primary housing challenges that the town is currently facing. The overall purpose of the Laurel stop was to highlight the need for investment in western Sussex communities that have often been neglected. Attendees visited West Rehoboth to meet with West Side New Beginnings, where they learned about the neighborhood’s profound historical challenges in terms of socioeconomic barriers and newer challenges with gentrification. West Rehoboth is a primarily Black neighborhood with residents who have been a part of the community for decades and are now being forced out due to rising housing costs and the high demand for new home development in the area. The tour stop in West Rehoboth was led by Diaz Bonville, who led the group on a walking tour, showcasing the changes taking place and sharing an impressive mural that highlights the history and culture of the historic Black community in Rehoboth. Upon returning to Georgetown, attendees joined Bernice Edwards, executive director at FSCAA. Edwards discussed the work of FSCAA as the first and only community action agency in the state of Delaware since 1965. Some of FSCAA's programs focus on addressing the root causes of poverty in the state, providing emergency services for clients in need, offering housing assistance, supporting community development assistance, and serving the Spanish-speaking population in areas such as Georgetown. The day ended with an optional walking tour of the Springboard Collaborative Pallet Village (TSC), led by its executive director and co-founder Judson Malone. TSC is a statewide Delaware nonprofit building dignified dwellings and communities that foster well-being for Delawareans in greatest need, while also connecting compromised populations with community resources to build a better life. The Institute for Public Administration is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. — udel.edu, 3d ago
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...“The TWC project recognises that women encounter inter-sectional discrimination and violence based on their gender and was exacerbated by their socio-economic status. This has led to barriers in accessing justice, support services, and healthcare among other critical services. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 13d ago
She underscored the importance of continuing similar programmes once the Spotlight Initiative ends in December 2023. “The need for continued support for women and girls facing multiple forms of violence remains most relevant. We therefore call on our partners within the public and private sectors to invest in multifaceted social and economic empowerment programmes which target the most vulnerable. This can only strengthen local economies, reduce inequalities, and end the cycle of violence, ensuring no one is left behind,” Whyte emphasised. — jamaica-gleaner.com, 6d ago
The gendered impacts of forced displacement are another area of concern. There is a gendered displacement gap, referring to the gendered impacts of displacement due to structural gender discrimination, often exacerbated by poverty and instability. Indigneous women and ethnic minorities are often more impacted by displacement because their communities do not hold formal land or property titles. Displaced women suffer from lack of safety, gender-based violence, and disproportionately low access to economic opportunities. — WILPF, 13d ago
Tilsen: This country talks about democracy, it talks about justice, and yet this entire country was built on the stolen lands of Native people, and the impact of that is extreme humanitarian and human rights issues. Look at the life expectancy of people in my own community of Pine Ridge; it’s 48 for men and 52 for women. That’s the lowest in the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Haiti. These poverty conditions were directly created by political and economic systems created by the U.S. government and imposed on Indigenous people. If we’re going to reverse those things—create economic inclusion, close the racial wealth gap, and start improving the determinants of health of the most-impacted people, then we need to be looking at structural change. So we can’t just take the easy route. You can’t just take what is most politically possible in the present time. We have to, as a nation, exceed our own expectations in order to rebuild this country in a just and equitable way. We have to push ourselves. — Truthout, 28d ago
Cultural and social norms prevent women from realising their full economic potential, and safety concerns restrict their physical and economic mobility. Additionally, gender inequities and the lack of enabling conditions in the workplace make it more difficult for women to actively participate in the labour market. — International Growth Centre, 12d ago
WILPF’s analysis emphasizes a two-track approach to post-conflict reconstruction: providing gender-sensitive reparations for civilians and ensuring strong social institutions and an economy for peace that guarantees women’s rights. Inadequate response in Bosnia has led to substantial challenges in addressing gender inequality and conflict. We must act to bring lasting change and justice for women affected by conflict. — WILPF, 13d ago

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Decades of evidence point squarely to the fact that laws, policies and practices that criminalize people living with HIV and other key populations increase stigma, block access to services, impede effective HIV responses and cost lives. Brand-new analysis by the O’Neill Institute, UNDP and the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) illustrates the major progress made on decriminalization, which has advanced the global HIV response, often driven by the courageous advocacy of communities. Countries such as the Cook Islands and Mauritius have joined a growing number of jurisdictions to decriminalize same-sex relations. Yet there is a worrying trend of the introduction of anti-LGBTQI+ laws, prosecution, and persecution in some countries. As part of efforts to break down barriers, UNDP is leading the SCALE initiative to support countries and communities to drive progress on the historic 10-10-10 targets, in particular the commitment to support the leadership of people living with HIV and other key populations to remove punitive and discriminatory laws, policies and practices that are undermining HIV responses. And a new UNDP guide offers a range of practical tools to help ensure the greater participation of LGBTI+ persons in political and electoral processes. In 2022, there was an estimated 90% funding gap for HIV prevention programmes among people from key populations... — UNDP, 3d ago
The persistent impact of structural racism, which involves unequal access to resources, services, and opportunities based on race, significantly contributes to the health disparities observed between Black and white women during midlife. Black women often experience systemic barriers to accessing quality health care, educational opportunities, economic stability, and suitable housing. These disparities can lead to higher levels of stress, limited health care choices, and reduced preventive care. Chronic stress and limited access to adequate health care can exacerbate health conditions and contribute to a range of issues during midlife, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, mental health challenges, and other chronic conditions. Additionally, the impact of structural racism extends to health care practices, where biases and stereotypes held by health care professionals can affect the quality of care provided to Black women. A 2023 survey from The Menopause Society found that “only 31.3% of responding obstetrics and gynecology program directors reported menopause education was included in their residents’ training,” while a 2019 study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that less than 10% of OB-GYNs felt adequately trained to support menopausal people in their practices. In 2021, Dr. Cindy Duke, a reproductive endocrinologist, virologist, and fertility specialist, told me, “Menopause, in general, isn’t taught a lot, not even in our training programs, unless you’re fortunate enough to be in a program where there is someone who’s decided, ‘This is my life’s work, this is my life’s mission: to learn about menopause and teach the next generation of women’s health specialists about menopause.’”... — YES! Magazine, 3d ago
A negative opinion on the institutions regarding the interest in youth employment and a positive opinion on the issue of gender equality. Then there is the issue of work-life balance, a critical point in judging the organizations in which one works. In detail, on a personal level, among the social aspects, there is a very high level of involvement with respect to the equal division of tasks in the family, in relation to the care of children, even if, especially women, they highlight an imbalance against them, linked to the inequality remunerative. — Born2Invest, 4d ago
Sumit Kumar, Chief Business Officer at TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, remarked, “It’s encouraging to note that the percentage of businesses eager to boost their apprentice involvement in the quarter has improved as India Inc. continues to recognize the value of apprenticeships in building a robust talent pool. Over the last three years, the net apprenticeship outlook has gone up from 41% in 2021 (Jan – June 2021) to 75% (Oct 23 – March 24) which is an all-time high. The primary reasons driving the growth are real-time skill availability, cost effectiveness, and driving community engagement under CSR. Also, initiatives from Govt. like PLI and Make in India are driving the employment opportunities for which employers are relying on apprenticeships to build a talent pipeline. 63% of employers have reported satisfactory performances of the apprentices, which is encouraging for employers to scale up the intake. Employers are beginning to realize that apprenticeships linked to a degree are much more effective and impactful in attracting the youth for apprenticeships and also longer engagements. Anticipating a promising trajectory for apprenticeship engagement in India throughout fiscal 2023, degree apprenticeship is emerging as the modern Nayi Talim, which can yield socio-economic growth for the country. Apprenticeships or work-based programs can help balance the GER with the employability factor to lead India on the path to becoming the skill capital of the world. Evidently, the impetus from the PLI and NEP and the rise of academia-industry collaboration to expand degree apprenticeships are major contributors to the ecosystem. Additionally, gender neutrality in apprentice engagement is evident amongst employers across industries. Manufacturing exhibits a greater level of gender neutrality, especially in Engineering & Industrial (20%), Automobile & Automobiles (17%), and Electrical & Electronics (13%).”... — CXOToday.com, 3d ago
...10th, 26, 50, 77, a, About, access, across, actions, Advertisement, advocacy, advocate, AFFORDABLE, All, also, amounts, an, and, announced, appreciated, ARE, around, Art, AS, At, attend, barriers, based, BE, been, began, being, board, brand, branded, brings, business, But, by, CAN, Can Get, cannabis, Cannabis Industry, card, Cards, celebrated, centers, chemicals, chief, Chief Operating, Chief Operating Officer, Cities, clinic, clinics, COM, commitment, committed, Communities, community, company, compliance, connect, consistent, coordinator, Cost, covered, cultivating, cultivation, culturally, deliver, Deserve, diverse, Diversity, dj, Doctor, dollars, Drugs, During, Economic, economic empowerment, employer, empower, empowerment, enhance, Environment, equity, especially, Ethos, experience, Facebook, Facility, fear, fee, financial, First, florida, focused, For, Free, French, from, Get, great, Growing, grown, harmful, harmful chemicals, Have, Health, health equity, Held, Help, highest, hosted, Howard, Hundreds, improve, in, inaccessible, Including, inclusive, Inclusivity, Income, individuals, industry, ingredients, Initiative, Innovation, insurance, integrated, intent, interested, Is, IT, ITS, just, lack, Last, Last Year, LEARN, learning, Legal, Legal Marijuana, local, low, low-income, Makes, many, marijuana, marijuana card, Marijuana Products, meaningful, medical, medical card, Medical Marijuana, medical marijuana card, Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, miami, Minorities, more, Need, never, no, obtaining, of, offering, Officer, on, on site, only, operates, operating, opportunities, or, Orlando, our, outreach, Over, Parallel, parent, parent company, partner, Partnership, patient, patients, Pay, paying, Petersburg, physician, plants, plato, Plato Data Intelligence, PlatoData, policy, pop, pop up, portfolio, Process, Produced, Products, Program, proud, providing, public, public policy, quality, reasons, receive, received, recognized, reduce, reform, relates, required, requires, research, resource, Resources, respected, retail, s, safe, Said, Savings, seamless, see, seen, served, since, site, So, Social, Solutions, some, ST, St. Petersburg, State, step, stigma, Tampa, targeted, Than, that, The, The Parent Company, The State, their, they, thought, Through, to, Today, Traditionally, Training, treatment, trusted, typically, up, Used, valued, ve, Vertically, vertically integrated, veteran, Veterans, Visit, war, War On Drugs, way, we, week, welcome, welcoming, WELL, well-being, Wellness, where, Which?, while, Why, with, year, zephyrnet... — Zephyrnet, 4d ago
Without concerted and urgent action, climate change will exacerbate inequalities and widen gaps in human development according to new data from Human Climate Horizons, a data platform by the United Nations Development Programme and the Climate Impact Lab. Designed to empower people and decision makers everywhere, it shows what climate change could mean for people’s lives through changes in mortality, the ability to earn a living and energy use. — EPIC, 4d ago

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The current rate of decline in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions isn't enough to meet national and climate commitments or goals, the report notes.National net greenhouse gas emissions must fall by more than 6 percent annually on average, reaching net-zero emissions around midcentury, to hit current national mitigation targets and international temperature goals, the report notes. The nation's greenhouse gas emissions fell by less than 1 percent on average between 2005 and 2019, according to the report.The assessment notes accelerating deployment of renewable energy and other zero- and low-carbon energy options can fast-track the transition to a decarbonized economy and elevate the likelihood of meeting a 2050 national net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for the U.S.Climate change costs to society have grown significantly costlier in recent decades amid increasingly extreme weather events. The report notes the U.S. experienced one inflation-adjusted billion-dollar disaster every four months in the 1980s. Now there's one every three weeks on average.The U.S. experienced 89 billion-dollar events between 2018 and 2022, with extreme events costing close to $150 billion each year in what the report called a conservative estimate not accounting for loss of life or health care-related costs.West Virginia leaders have rejected opportunities to accelerate decarbonization, throwing their weight behind a coal industry whose decline has prompted plant and mine closures that have slashed local tax revenues and left communities reeling.West Virginia is one of just three states whose carbon intensity of their economies increased from 2010 to 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.In 2015, West Virginia lawmakers repealed the state's renewable portfolio standard, becoming the first state to do so. West Virginia had established the standard in 2009. The move erased a requirement for energy producers to increase their amounts of alternative fuel use.In 2021, the West Virginia Public Service Commission set aside concerns from renewable energy and ratepayer advocates to approve federally required environmental upgrades estimated to cost $448.3 million to keep three American Electric Power-controlled power plants open past 2028.Retiring one of those plants, the Mitchell Power Station in Marshall County, in 2028 could have saved West Virginia customers $27 million annually from 2029 to the end of its company-projected lifespan in 2040, according to Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power filings with the commission.But the PSC contended its decision was the most affordable option for state ratepayers, citing AEP testimony indicating Appalachian Power would have to pay $3.1 billion to $3.5 billion for replacement capacity at the Amos and Mountaineer plants, of which $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion would be allocated to West Virginia customers.The National Climate Assessment notes some communities carry a greater risk of negative impacts from climate change due to social and economic inequities prompted by discrimination and underinvestment. Low-income communities and communities of color frequently lack access to sufficient flood infrastructure, green spaces, safe housing and other assets guarding against climate effects.A 2021 study by First Street Foundation, a Brooklyn, New York-based nonprofit that quantifies climate risks, found more than half of West Virginia's critical infrastructure — including fire, police and power stations — was at risk of becoming inoperable due to flooding. West Virginia's share of critical infrastructure at risk of being inoperable due to flooding was higher than any other state's.Much of West Virginia contends with socioeconomic vulnerabilities like low income and high unemployment rates, according to EJScreen, a federal mapping and screening tool that combines environmental and demographic indicators.West Virginia counties face increases in projected average annual losses due to flooding of up to 20 percent by 2050 — a daunting possibility since annual average losses already exceeded $20 million in many counties in 2020, per the assessment.Yet none of the 1,073 sub-applications the Federal Emergency Management Agency received in fiscal year 2022 for grant money through two programs to support mitigation measures that reduce disaster losses were from West Virginia, according to FEMA data.The agency says the data were derived from a grants management system that began accepting Flood Mitigation Assistance and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities sub-applications in fiscal year 2020.The former program is a competitive program that provides funding to states and local governments for projects that reduce or erase the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings that have federal flood insurance. The latter program supports states and localities with projects aimed at reducing disaster and natural hazard risks.The West Virginia Emergency Management Division has been an applicant for past projects. Division spokesperson Lora Lipscomb said communities face challenges in meeting Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant requirements due to program priorities emphasizing nature-based solutions, climate resilience and adoption and enforcement of the latest published editions of building codes.Lipscomb said in an email Wednesday the Emergency Management Division "remains committed to promoting and educating communities" about FEMA hazard mitigation aid opportunities. Lipscomb said the agency is working with interested applicants to facilitate project application development, expecting viable Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities applications to be submitted in the current grant cycle.The National Climate Assessment isn't fatalistic in its look ahead to the future, emphasizing that actions taken now to speed up net emissions reductions can lower risks to current and future generations.The report calls for expanding renewable energy, reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants such as methane and ozone, and prioritizing job creation and training for displaced fossil fuel workers while addressing racial and gender disparities in energy workforces."An equitable and sustainable US response to climate change has the potential to reduce climate impacts while improving well-being, strengthening resilience, benefiting the economy, and, in part, redressing legacies of racism and injustice," the assessment said.(c)2023 The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, W.Va.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. — Governing, 17d ago
According to Bonnie An Henderson, HelpMeSee’s President and CEO, to understand the origins of the Mazava Project, we should first understand the formation of HelpMeSee itself. Founded in 2010 by father and son, Al and Jim Ueltschi – Al also being a co-founder of the world’s first Flying Eye Hospital, Orbis International – HelpMeSee aimed to eradicate global blindness by improving surgical training through simulation. “Building on Al Ueltschi’s work in creating FlightSafety International, the first and most established flight simulation company, we worked to develop the best-in-class, high-fidelity manual small incision cataract surgery and phacoemulsification simulators, which we use to deliver training throughout the world,” says Bonnie An Henderson. “Since completion of the simulators, we have been able to train over 3,000 professionals across the globe.”The motivation behind the Mazava Project then – and, in fact, all HelpMeSee projects in less economically developed countries – is simple: to increase worldwide access to eye care and thus reduce the prevalence and impact of preventable blindness. “Access to care for cataract – the leading cause of blindness – in many parts of the developing world is limited by several factors, including access to a competent cataract surgeon. Madagascar is one of those locations where there is a dire need for ophthalmologists,” says Bonnie An Henderson. “When a person is blind or severely visually impaired, this affects not only their life, but also that of their entire family. Often, a relative is required to stay home from school or work to care for the blind person. This has an economic effect on the family, community, and ultimately the country. Additionally, the person who remains home to be the caretaker is often the female child, which prevents girls from becoming educated, adding to the gender inequality in many countries.”... — The Ophthalmologist, 6d ago
The TRC report highlights experiences of both direct and indirect GBV perpetrated against women and girls, as well as men and boys (though the experiences of men and boys are only marginally captured). The Commission produced a dedicated appendix on‘Women and the Conflict’ where it addressed rooted gender inequalities, direct experiences of GBV, and issues relating to the economic, social, and cultural impact of conflict on women in Liberia. These contributions are important because they broaden the criteria for what qualifies as GBV in armed conflict. — Liberian Observer, 16d ago
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AIAN workers stand to gain from legislative proposals that would raise the federal minimum wage and strengthen workers’ right to organize. But much more will be required to achieve economic equity for Native American families and children. The economic relief measures enacted in response to the pandemic proved that both child poverty and inequity are policy choices. Expanding the U.S. social safety net can once again help AIAN children and their families avoid economic insecurity. Recognizing the power of tribal self-determination, the federal government must also honor tribal nations’ sovereign right to inform the implementation of federal investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy. All these measures could help pave the way for Native American families and children to escape the cycle of economic vulnerability left behind centuries of violence, theft, and unmet obligations. — Economic Policy Institute, 4d ago
In sectors like autonomous vehicles or robotics, biased algorithms can lead to unequal outcomes, potentially endangering lives or perpetuating stereotypes. For example, to function effectively, an autonomous car requires substantial training to interpret collected data and make appropriate decisions in diverse traffic scenarios. In reality, individuals make moral choices, such as a driver stopping abruptly to avoid hitting a jaywalker, prioritizing the pedestrian’s safety over their own. Likewise, consider a scenario with an autonomous car lacking functioning brakes, hurtling toward a grandmother and a child. A slight deviation could save one of them. In this instance, it is not a human driver making the decision but rather the car’s algorithm. At this critical juncture, the question arises: who should it prioritize, the grandmother or the child? Is there only one correct answer? This ethical dilemma underscores the crucial role of ethics in technological development. — Emeritus Online Courses, 4d ago
Newswise — People in Sweden of non-European descent have almost three times as many eating disorder symptoms as people born in Sweden. But despite this, they have significantly less access to specialist treatment. This is according to new research from Karolinska Institutet published in BJPsych Open.Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia were previously seen as conditions that mainly affect white women from socioeconomically privileged families. In the 1980s, eating disorders were even described as a uniquely Western 'culture-bound syndrome'.Today, it is well established that this stereotype is incorrect and outdated; eating disorders can affect people from all walks of life, regardless of gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background. From a global perspective, eating disorders are becoming increasingly common, especially in East and Southeast Asia.Researchers at Karolinska Institutet can now show that the problems with disordered eating are significantly greater for people born in non-European countries than for people born in Sweden."There is a perception that eating disorders mainly affect white people, but these results show a higher prevalence of symptoms among individuals born abroad, especially among migrants from non-European countries who also tend to be persons of color," says first author Mattias Strand, postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Psychiatry Research at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.The study is based on the 2014 Health Stockholm public health survey, which contained four questions on eating disorders and was answered by more than 47 000 people. The analysis shows that people born in another European country had slightly more symptoms than those born in Sweden, while people born outside Europe had almost three times as many eating disorder symptoms. The researchers can also show that people born in Sweden but with two foreign-born parents have twice as much eating disorder symptoms as people with both parents born in Sweden.The researchers also analyzed who receives specialist treatment at the Stockholm Center for Eating Disorders based on where they live."It turns out that the four residential areas with the highest likelihood of receiving specialist treatment have a fairly low prevalence of eating disorder symptoms and also a low proportion of people with a foreign background," says Mattias Strand.Conversely, residents in the five areas with the highest incidence of eating disorder symptoms (Botkyrka, Skärholmen, Rinkeby-Kista, Spånga-Tensta and Hässelby-Vällingby) have the lowest probability of receiving specialist treatment. Notably, all of these areas also have a high proportion of migrant residents.“There is a strong imbalance between the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms and access to specialized care. In other words, there is a significant gap between those who have problems with disordered eating and those who receive specialist treatment, and this is something that needs to change," says Mattias Strand.“For too long, there has been a misconception that eating disorders mainly affect a certain demographic group. Our findings show that this is not the case in Stockholm. We need to broaden our understanding and ensure that healthcare resources are available to all individuals, regardless of their background.”The research is now continuing with interviews with eating disorder patients from foreign backgrounds to identify possible obstacles and barriers to care.The Center for Psychiatry Research, the Mental Health Fund, and the Fredrik and Ingrid Thuring Foundation funded the research. The researchers declare that there are no conflicts of interest.Facts:The Health Stockholm public health survey is sent out every four years to a large number of Stockholmers. The 2014 survey included four questions on symptoms of eating disorders.1. Do you vomit because you feel uncomfortably full?2. Do you worry that you have lost control over how much you eat?3. Would you say that food dominates your life?4. Where would you place yourself on a scale from 1 to 8 where 1 means no food restrictions (I eat what I want when I want) and 8 means complete food restrictions (I always limit my food intake and I make no exceptions)?... — newswise.com, 4d ago
The road to gender equality remains long and full of roadblocks, such as violence and lower access to health, education, and paid work. Women and girls continue to be subject to harmful gender norms, that are social constructs and integral to the reproduction of unequal power relations in all spheres of life, resulting in tangible consequences. For example, nine out of ten people hold biases against women and half of them believe that men are better political leaders than women. — idea.int, 4d ago
Inclusivity has been at the heart of our presidency. The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20 integrated 55 African nations into the forum, expanding it to encompass 80% of the global population. This proactive stance has fostered a more comprehensive dialogue on global challenges and opportunities.The first-of-its-kind 'Voice of the Global South Summit,' convened by India in two editions, heralded a new dawn of multilateralism. India mainstreamed the Global South's concerns in international discourse and has ushered in an era where developing countries take their rightful place in shaping the global narrative.Inclusivity also infused India’s domestic approach to G20, making it a People’s Presidency that befits that world’s largest democracy. Through "Jan Bhagidari" (people's participation) events, G20 reached 1.4 billion citizens, involving all states and Union Territories (UTs) as partners. And on substantive elements, India ensured that international attention was directed to broader developmental aims, aligning with G20's mandate.At the critical midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, India delivered the G20 2023 Action Plan to Accelerate Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking a cross-cutting, action-oriented approach to interconnected issues, including health, education, gender equality and environmental sustainability.A key area driving this progress is robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Here, India was decisive in its recommendations, having witnessed the revolutionary impact of digital innovations like Aadhaar, UPI, and Digilocker first-hand. Through G20, we successfully completed the Digital Public Infrastructure Repository, a significant stride in global technological collaboration. This repository, featuring over 50 DPIs from 16 countries, will help the Global South build, adopt, and scale DPI to unlock the power of inclusive growth. — Business Insider, 4d ago
Also speaking, Executive Director, Policy Innovation Centre, Dr Osasuyi Dirisu, stated that the Summit sought to advance gender and inclusion by harnessing the potential of trade to promote economic participation, reduce inequalities, improve access to opportunities as well as innovative approaches to bridging healthcare financing gaps and access to quality healthcare services. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 4d ago

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In Gaza, Oxfam works with partner organizations to help Palestinian women, men, and youth to improve their livelihoods and increase economic opportunities, combat gender-based violence and inequality and ensure access to basic needs and fundamental rights through our humanitarian work. — ReliefWeb, 29d ago
It is unfortunately clear that South Africa’s trajectory is not one of growth or inclusion, but rather stagnation and exclusion. South Africa’s economy is stagnating and, in fact, losing capabilities, export diversity, and competitiveness. While the racial composition of wealth at the top has changed, wealth concentration in South Africa has not and remains very high. Moreover, the broader structures of the economy have not allowed for the inclusion of the labor and talents of South Africans — black, white, and otherwise. There appear to be major spatial impediments to labor market inclusion in cities and large spatial patterns of exclusion in former homelands. As the performance of network industries and public capabilities have deteriorated and growth has slowed, exclusion has only worsened. Empowerment of a few has de facto come at the expense of the many. — bbntimes.com, 19d ago
But should Labor pull back from socially progressive issues such as climate change, gender equality and diversity and multiculturalism to heal social divisions and solidify its vote among traditional lower socio-economic groups? Or would that simply increase the rate at which it loses influence to the Greens and the Teal Independents? Should the elites more broadly pull back from trying to impose their morality on the broader community? Should they be prepared to move only at the pace which is comfortable for those with lower levels of education and income?... — Pearls and Irritations, 12d ago
PwC Middle East has launched its first Net Zero Future50 report, revealing 50 pioneering start-ups in the Middle East driving innovation focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the impacts of global warming across key economic sectors in the region.The report highlights their groundbreaking technologies and achievements in climate management and carbon emissions reporting, in addition to opportunities and challenges in growing and scaling their businesses. Using PwC networks and tech partner expertise, we identified 500 climate and sustainability-focused start-ups operating in the region - with over 200 coming forward in response to their public call for nominations at COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, last year. A rigorous selection process, including in-depth interviews and evaluations, led to the Net Zero Future50, chosen by PwC and Strategy& judges specialising in ESG, digital innovation, and energy transition.Breaking away from global trends in tech and innovation, over half of the featured Future50 companies boast female founders or mixed-gender leadership teams. A remarkable 25% have a female founder, while an additional 32% have a diverse team of both female and male founders, highlighting that the majority of startups feature women as leaders.Moreover, a large proportion of these founders are young, with nearly half aged between 30 and 39, highlighting a fresh perspective and dynamic approach in the sector.The 2023 Middle East Climate Tech report was also launched and found that despite the region's commendable increase in investment into global climate tech funding - which nearly tripled to US$5 billion in 2023 from US$1.8 billion in 2022 - a concerning funding gap persists for local and regional climate tech entrepreneurs. Funding for these entrepreneurs saw a stark decline to US$152 million in 2023, down from nearly US$1 billion in 2022. Nevertheless, entrepreneurial spirit remains resilient in addressing regional climate issues through innovation.Dr Yahya Anouti, Partner at Strategy& and Sustainability Leader at PwC Middle East, said: "Climate tech innovation in the Middle East is being driven by some of the most dynamic entrepreneurs in our region, championing new technologies to accelerate the path to net zero."He added: "While Middle East players are ramping up climate tech spending globally, they can do much more to fund and empower local entrepreneurs, who may represent the ‘missing link’ in their strategy. We call for governments and corporations to play a vital role by establishing specialised funds and off-take agreements, fostering demand and reducing investment risks in the climate tech sector. With COP28 just around the corner, we are delighted to spotlight the contributions of these innovators which are instrumental in driving down emissions and propelling the momentum of decarbonisation in the region”.Positively, the majority of the Future50 innovators are operating within sectors responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the region, signalling investment is going where it’s needed the most. Specifically, Industry, Manufacturing and Resource Management make up 22% of the total list, while Energy makes up 20%; when combined both these sectors account for 75% of regional GHG direct and indirect emissions. The Food, Agriculture, and Land Use (FALU) sector is the third most represented comprising 18% of the list - despite only contributing 2% of GHG emissions in the region. This reflects the focus on climate and sustainability challenges related directly to food security, in a region that imports more than 80% of its food and is vulnerable to supply chain disruption.Despite this, significant barriers continue to shape the journey for climate tech innovators.Commenting on the report, Jon Blackburn, Partner, part of the Energy, Resources and Sustainability practice at PwC Middle East, said "The Future50 entrepreneurs identify legal and regulatory complexities as a major obstacle. This hampers talent acquisition, product development and brand establishment. The scarcity of investors and the limited market size in the Middle East creates hurdles, leading to direct competition with larger global companies operating in the same space.’“On a broader level, it’s also widely acknowledged that the region - much like the rest of the world - is facing a shortage of ‘green skilled’ professionals with the training and knowledge to help develop some of the most-needed technologies - from environmental engineers to experts in advanced technologies like carbon capture. According to our Middle East CEO Survey published earlier this year, 35% of regional leaders have cited a lack of talent in specialised professions. This gap is further compounded by the intense competition for experienced hires. Addressing this issue requires both short-term solutions, such as intensive training programs, and long-term strategies, including the development of new educational curricula to enhance capabilities in key climate disciplines."Launched last year at COP27 with a public call for submissions, the PwC Middle East’s NetZero Future50 initiative aims to support innovators addressing the biggest climate challenges facing the region. Following a rigorous selection process which reviewed over 500 profiles, PwC Middle East has identified 50 who have developed pioneering technologies set to make the greatest impact. The firm is committed to providing these companies with a platform for growth and scalability, including benefitting from PwC’s ESG transformation offerings, receiving expert advisory on corporate investments and supporting the innovators in their fundraisers as they look to grow and scale their operations. — Energy Connects, 13d ago
Ensure inclusive economic growth and support the poorest and most vulnerable: In 2021, the World Economic Forum ranked Türkiye #133 out of 156 countries in closing the gender gap. Priorities should include the removal of barriers to women’s labor force participation – such as gender-based work restrictions and pay gaps – as well as improvements in educational opportunities for women and girls. Meanwhile, Türkiye can enhance its socioeconomic resilience by expanding access to healthcare, social protection, and financial services —including bank accounts, credit, and insurance – so the poorest can benefit. Leveraging digital technologies for early warning and disaster risk information would help reach vulnerable populations and areas in emergencies. — preventionweb.net, 25d ago
An increasing body of evidence highlights the significance of urban green spaces, emphasizing their potential to boost psychological and physiological well-being, coupled with broader ecosystem service benefits. Consequently, ensuring universal access to public and green spaces is vital for achieving sustainable and healthy development goals. The evolution of cities has left a profound impact on green space exposure. In initial urban development stages, extensive built-up areas supplanted green spaces. The subsequent rapid urban expansion led to the construction of significant artificial green landscapes, reshaping the nature of greenspace exposure in cities. However, the extent to which urbanization has affected human exposure to green space and related inequalities over time remains unclear. Recent research conducted by researchers from The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in collaboration with colleagues from Tsinghua University has unveiled an improved human greenspace exposure equality among global large cities. This discovery underscores the positive impact of urbanization on the accessibility and benefits of greenspaces. This research represents the first global exploration of human exposure to greenspace exposure and its associated equality shifts, focusing on the first two decades of the 21st century urbanization. The findings have been published in Nature Communications (link), providing valuable insights that can help inform future city greening efforts. The research team developed a methodology incorporating 30-meter-resolution Landsat satellite time-series greenspace mapping and a population-weighted exposure framework to quantify the changes in human exposure to greenspace and associated equality from 2000 to 2018. The team examined 1028 cities in the world and divided their sample into two main segments: Global South (developing countries) and Global North (developed countries) cities. Global findings indicated a substantial increase in physical greenspace coverage and an improvement in human exposure to urban greenspace. This progress led to a marked reduction in greenspace exposure inequality over the past two decades. Nevertheless, there is a contrast in the rate of reduction in greenspace exposure inequality between cities in the Global South and North, with a much faster rate of reduction in the Global South, nearly four times that of the Global North. Delving deeper into the underlying drivers, the researchers found that greenspace coverage, as a measurement of greenspace supply, has dominantly promoted the improvement in the temporal change of greenspace exposure inequality. Dr. Bin Chen, the project's principal investigator and Assistant Professor of Division of Landscape Architecture at HKU said： "This study is a timely thrust on our earlier work published in Nature Communications, which highlighted contrasting green space exposure inequalities between cities of the Global North and Global South (link). The current research offers a comprehensive, longitudinal view of how this exposure and its associated inequalities have evolved over time". Dr. Chen emphasized two important contributions from this study. The research findings reveal a trend toward equality in human exposure to greenspace, as reflected by a decline in inequality indices such as Gini, Atkinson, and Theil coefficients. Another key insight is that this study observes prominent spatial differences in urban greenspace trends in the contrast between Global North and Global South cities. Dr. Chen remarked: "These findings provide encouraging evidence, showcasing that cities globally are making positive progress in realizing the 11th sustainable development goal". "The study tells a broadly positive story of the opening decades of the urban century, and our analysis of trends, and subsequent studies of positive outliers in those trends, will help cities achieve better net outcomes when planning for balanced changes in urban greenspace loss and construction by incorporating multidimensional contexts of greening history, greenspace supply status quo, prioritized vulnerable hotspots and the underlying socio-economic factors", said Professor Chris Webster, Chair Professor of Urban Planning and Development Economics, Dean of Faculty of Architecture, HKU. Adding to the discourse, Professor Peng Gong, Chair Professor of Global Sustainability at Department of Geography and Department of Earth Sciences, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development) of HKU, commented: "This research is timely and offers invaluable insights, serving as a beacon for government bodies, urban planners, and private sector developers. It emphasizes the adoption of comprehensive urban strategies to not only increase but also enhance the quality of green spaces, all in pursuit of the sustainable development goals." Professor Gong further stressed HKU's unwavering commitment to forwarding scientific research that aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. As a testament to this commitment, he highlighted HKU's recent launch of two pioneering research hubs: the Urban Systems Institute (USI) and the Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality (ICCN). The full paper can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41620-z Hashtag: #HKU... — SME Business Daily Media, 18d ago

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Women are key actors in the food system. Yet, they face barriers in accessing, adopting, and benefiting from agricultural technologies, finance, and other productive resources. This has resulted in a “gender yield gap”. Empowering women and closing gender gaps in agrifood systems does not just help towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals, but also leads to better food and nutrition security at the household level and results in resilient and sustainable food systems overall. Sustainable agricultural mechanization has immense potential to benefit women smallholder farmers by relieving labor shortages, saving time, reducing drudgery, ensuring efficient use of resources, enhancing agricultural productivity, and making farming more profitable. — ESCAP, 4d ago
Board of directors’ roles spill over the purely commercial corporation. Hence, one may find boards in non-profit organizations, public services, or even academy. What is common, however, to all of them is that effective boards need to ensure they focus on substantive issues have the right group dynamics, and have an adequate information architecture. None of these enabling conditions is sufficient on its own. All are needed for effective corporate governance. Information architecture is a necessary condition for good board performance, and information scope matters in making boards aware of internal as well as external conditions potentially impacting the organizations they serve. Information channelled into the board by the CEO is always subject to some filtering, and enabling potential blind spots. Hence boards shall establish both formal and informal information channels in order to ensure they have the adequate information to feed their decision-making process. While the formal communication channels may be designed jointly with management, the informal communication channels are usually put in place by the board directors themselves, sometimes in an ad-hoc fashion which may demand informality in approaching specific company managers and the workforce. To recover from the state induced by the global pandemic, board directors will need to be proactive in ensuring that they have their information needs covered, for maximum performance and acting under the finest ethical standards. — The European Business Review, 4d ago
Today’s book is: Education Behind the Wall: Why and How We Teach College in Prison (Brandeis UP, 2022) edited by Mneesha Gellman, which is an edited volume reflecting on different aspects of teaching in prison and different points of view. This book seeks to address some of the major issues faced by faculty who are teaching college classes for incarcerated students. Composed of a series of case studies meant to showcase the strengths and challenges of teaching a range of different disciplines in prison, this volume brings together scholars who articulate some of the best practices for teaching their expertise inside alongside honest reflections on the reality of educational implementation in a constrained environment. The book not only provides essential guidance for faculty interested in developing their own courses to teach in prisons, but also places the work of higher education in prisons in philosophical context with regards to racial, economic, social, and gender-based issues. Rather than solely a how-to handbook, this volume also helps readers think through the trade-offs that happen when teaching inside, and about how to ensure the full integrity of college access for incarcerated students. — New Books Network, 4d ago
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Sonya Palafox was a freshman at North High School in Denver 25 years ago when she got a message kids don’t want to hear: come to the principal’s office. She had no way of knowing it at the time, but the call would represent a turning point in her life.In the office with a group of other students, Palafox met Dr. Norman Watt, a professor of psychology at the University of Denver (DU). Watt had conducted a “resiliency study” that identified children from low socioeconomic backgrounds who had scored in the top quartile of the reading portion of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.Watt wanted to know why had some students achieved academically despite poverty and other barriers. He focused his investigations on students who got early education in the Head Start program, then moved on to the Denver Public Schools (DPS) system. He identified 31 of these students with traits and influences that made them resilient and decided that these “ambassadors,” as he called them, might be called upon to go back into Head Start sites and, in turn, help a new generation of young kids learn the reading and social skills that would be keys to building their resiliency in the face of adversity.The aim: break the stubborn cycle of poverty with a new cycle of support, strength and success.In the vanguard of the Ambassadors programPalafox was one of the program’s 31 original “Ambassadors for Literacy.” They went on to mentor more than 500 preschool-age children. In return for devoting time to their Head Start work, she and the other ambassadors received a powerful incentive. Dollars from the program would go into a college savings account to assist them if they decided to continue their education after high school.“We rewarded the students for being ambassadors and positive role models so that they could go on to higher education,” said Jini Puma, PhD, associate director of the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center (RMPRC) at the Colorado School of Public Health. Puma, a mentee of Watts as a student at DU, joined the Ambassadors for Literacy program in 2002.Watt’s original initiative was successful in spurring the young ambassadors to attend college, Puma said. Eighty-seven percent of those enrolled in the program went on to enroll in a four-year school. That compared with 22% of seniors graduating from DPS, she added.Taking a successful idea forwardPuma will now direct a new phase of Watt’s original idea, dubbed “Ambassadors for Literacy and Resilience.” A nearly $1 million donation gives a considerable boost to the effort. It includes training ColoradoSPH students to mentor the new generation of ambassadors, just as the ambassadors guide early childhood students at Head Start centers.“It’s a three-prong approach” to positive mentoring that proved successful in Watt’s original conception, Puma said. The new phase of the program includes hiring a program director, Joanna Coleman, who is bilingual in English and Spanish and has previous teaching experience. Among other responsibilities, Coleman will help to make connections with the school counselors and teachers who spot students with promise to be ambassadors, Puma said.“Joanna is doing all of our community engagement and outreach, recruiting families and leading training efforts” for ambassadors in literacy and social-emotional skill development, Puma said. Coleman will also work with graduate student mentors, track ambassadors’ hours and other tasks needed to keep the program on track, she added.Coleman will also have help from Palafox, who has come full circle from that first meeting with Watt. She worked as an ambassador through high school and continued her involvement while earning her undergraduate degree from DU in international business. She didn’t find that field fulfilling and decided her career path was in education. She went on to receive a master’s degree in counseling from Regis University and now is counselor to some 200 students at the Denver Center for 21st Century Learning, not far from her high school alma mater.Palafox now serves as an advisor to the new Ambassadors for Literacy and Resiliency program. In that role, she is working to identify students from her school who are promising candidates to help Head Start students, as she once did.The initial goal is to recruit five students from the Denver area to serve as ambassadors, Puma said. Further on the horizon, Puma hopes to expand the program to Weld County and the San Luis Valley.“Ultimately we aim to recruit the majority of students from rural areas because there are so fewer resources there,” she said.Long-term benefits of the Ambassadors programPalafox admits that as a ninth grader, she “wasn’t quite sure what the [Ambassadors] program was.” But years after the initially puzzling call to the principal’s office, she is clear about the benefits of the initiative.“It establishes a connection between early positive experiences with education for both Head Start students and the ambassadors,” Palafox said. “For the kids, it connects them to someone positive in a way that carries through their later years in schools. For the ambassadors, it builds self-efficacy and self-confidence that they are contributing to others in a meaningful way.”Puma said the results of Watt’s foundational work in resiliency bear out Palafox’s insights.“The number one factor was [resilient students] had a mentor or a trusted, caring adult in their lives,” Puma said. “It could be a coach, a teacher, a neighbor, but someone who took a real interest in a child’s success and was stable and loving and secure. That finding has been foundational in [the Ambassadors] program.”The strengthening of those type of bonds also has broad benefits for society, Puma believes.“The Ambassadors program addresses one of the social determinants of health, namely education access and quality,” she said. “It takes a multi-generational approach in doing so and [it also] addresses health equity…We know that for every year a person goes further with their education, their health outcomes are better.”On a personal level, Palafox recalls the first days of her ambassador training as an early glimpse at the possibility of a new life. Carrying a book bag of materials she would use with the Head Start kids, she strolled around the leafy DU campus. She was the first in her family to have the experience and opportunity.“It was the first time someone had talked to me in a way that [going to college] was a possibility,” Palafox recalled. “It was the first time it became tangible – because I saw it.”... — cuanschutz.edu, 4d ago
Castañeda cited differences in social and economic equality, the unpredictability of events, concepts of time epitomized in the mañana syndrome, the ability to achieve results quickly, and attitudes toward history, expressed in the “cliché that Mexicans are obsessed with history, Americans with the future.” Sosa identifies several Hispanic traits (very different from Anglo-Protestant ones) that “hold us Latinos back”: mistrust of people outside the family; lack of initiative, self-reliance, and ambition; little use for education; and acceptance of poverty as a virtue necessary for entrance into heaven. Author Robert Kaplan quotes Alex Villa, a third-generation Mexican American in Tucson, Arizona, as saying that he knows almost no one in the Mexican community of South Tucson who believes in “education and hard work” as the way to material prosperity and is thus willing to “buy into America.” Profound cultural differences clearly separate Mexicans and Americans, and the high level of immigration from Mexico sustains and reinforces the prevalence of Mexican values among Mexican Americans. — Foreign Policy, 4d ago
For the human race, having children has historically been a duty and a biological imperative, with family at the heart of every culture. But now, demographic changes are having significant effects on how we live, in the three quarters of the globe where fertility rates have fallen to below replacement level. In Europe, almost half of all children are growing up without siblings. In China, primary schools and kindergartens are closing. In America, more households now contain pets than kids. Over the past century, the majority of households in Britain and America have been headed by a married couple, and the majority of children under 5 have been looked after by a mother staying at home. But now we are seeing the end of the “nuclear family” and the rise of new kinds of support structures: including ‘chosen’ families pioneered by LGBTQ communities, platonic parents, and non-biological friendship groups. How might the psychology of nations be affected by aging, shrinking, and increasing racial diversity from immigration? What can historical downturns in population, caused by plagues and wars, teach us about how our societies may react to the baby bust? And how should governments balance the rights of a dwindling number of parents, against those of the childfree? Join us to look at recent analysis of these powerful forces affecting the social fabric, and to debate possible policy solutions.This study group / discussion is open to all. Registration is not necessary.M-RCBG welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs. To request accommodations or ask questions about access provided, please email: mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu... — harvard.edu, 4d ago
The Nordic Region’s ageing population is also placing new demands on the availability of labour, while the geopolitical situation is giving rise to new threats. The ministers also state that, in this social climate, the Nordic countries should ensure that as many employees as possible have a good working climate and ensure that gender equality is also taken into account. — Nordic cooperation, 4d ago
Today, it is well established that this stereotype is incorrect and outdated; eating disorders can affect people from all walks of life, regardless of gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background. From a global perspective, eating disorders are becoming increasingly common, especially in East and Southeast Asia. — medicalxpress.com, 4d ago
The Executive Order on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) issued by President Biden on October 30 is a directive that contains no fewer than 13 sections. But two words in the opening line strike at the challenge presented by AI: “promise” and “peril.”As the document’s statement of purpose puts it, AI can help to make the world “more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure” at the same that it increases the risk of “fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation,” and other threats.Among the challenges cited in the Executive Order is the need to ensure that the benefits of AI, such as spurring biomedical research and clinical innovations, are dispersed equitably to traditionally underserved communities. For that reason, a section on “Promoting Innovation” calls for accelerating grants and highlighting existing programs of the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). And the Colorado School of Public Health is deeply involved in the initiative.ColoradoSPH helps ensure that artificial intelligence serves and empowers all peopleAIM-AHEAD is a national consortium of industry, academic and community organizations with a “core mission” to ensure that the power of AI is harnessed in the service of minorities and other groups historically neglected or poorly served by the healthcare system. A key focus – though not the only one – is using AI to probe electronic health records (EHRs), which can be rich sources of clinical and other data.“The goal of [AIM-AHEAD] is to use this technology to try to eliminate or better understand and address health disparities,” said Evelinn Borrayo, PhD, associate director of research at the Latino Research and Policy Center (LRPC) of ColoradoSPH and Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at the CU Cancer Center. “This consortium is about the inclusion of communities that historically tend to be left behind.” Borrayo and Spero Manson, PhD, director of the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH) at ColoradoSPH, co-direct the North and Midwest Hub of the AIM-AHEAD initiative, a sprawling 15-state area. Both are also members of the AIM-AHEAD Leadership Core.The hub, which is housed within CAIANH and ColoradoSPH, serves a variety of “stakeholders” who can help to develop AI, including Hispanic/Latino community health organizations, tribal epidemiology centers, urban Indian health centers, and more.Addressing the shortfalls of AI and machine learning developmentManson acknowledged that the last decade has brought “an explosion of interest as well as investment” in exploring the promise of AI and machine learning (ML) – which uses algorithms to train computers to perform tasks otherwise assigned to humans – and applying that knowledge to improving healthcare.“There have been substantial areas of achievement in that regard,” Manson said. But he said the work has also revealed “substantial bias” in the algorithms and predictive models as they are applied to “underrepresented and marginalized populations.”He noted, for example, that the data in EHRs may be incomplete because of barriers to care that people face, including socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and geography. In that situation, AI and ML don’t correct for these factors because the technology uses the EHR itself to analyze the data and make predictions, Manson said.That’s why deepening the reservoir of data in EHRs and other repositories is imperative for the development of AI and ML, he said.“The idea is to improve healthcare for all citizens, not just those that have benefited narrowly in the past,” he noted.Improving the diversity of AI workforceIn addition, the workforce of scientists working on AI and ML lacks diversity, while the benefits of research in the field have not yet adequately spread to underserved communities, Manson said.The North and Midwest Hub has undertaken several “outreach and engagement” projects to meet the goals of AIM-AHEAD, with ColoradoSPH playing a significant role.For example, two pilot projects aim to build capacity for applying AI and ML to aid communities. In one, Clinic Chat, LLC, a company led by Sheana Bull, PhD, MPH, director of the mHealth Impact Lab at ColoradoSPH, is collaborating with Tepeyac Community Health Center, which provides affordable integrated clinical services in northeast Denver. The initiative, now underway, uses Chatbots to assist American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino people in diagnosing and managing diabetes and cancer.A second project is working toward incorporating AI and ML coursework into the curriculum for students earning ColoradoSPH’s Certificate in Latino Health.“It’s an opportunity to introduce students to how using AI and ML can help us understand and benefit the [Latino] population,” Borrayo said. The idea is to build a workforce with the skills to understand the unique healthcare needs of Latinos and apply AI and ML skills to meet them, she added.“One of the approaches we are also taking is reaching students in the data sciences,” Borrayo said. “We can give those students the background and knowledge about Latino health disparities so they can use those [AI and ML] skills as well.”Building a generation that uses AI to improve healthcareManson also noted that the North and Midwest Hub supports Leadership and Research fellowship programs, which are another component of what he calls “an incremental capacity-building approach” to addressing the goals of AIM-AHEAD.“We’re seeking to build successive generations, from the undergraduate through the doctoral/graduate to the early investigator pipeline, so these individuals move forward to assume positions of leadership in the promotion of AI and ML,” Manson said.Borrayo said that she is most interested in continuing to work toward applying solutions for these and other issues in communities around the region. She pointed to the Clinic Chat project as an example of how AI and ML technology can be used to address practical clinical problems.“I think understanding the data, algorithms and programming is really good for our underrepresented investigators to learn,” she said. “But for our communities, I think the importance lies in the application.How can we benefit communities that are typically left behind or don’t have access to healthcare in the ways most of us do?”For Manson, a key question is how members of American Indian/Alaska Native, Latino, and other communities can “shift” from being “simply consumers and recipients” of work in AI and ML and “become true partners” with clinicians and data specialists in finding ideas that improve healthcare.“The field will be limited in terms of achieving the promise [of AI and ML] until we have that kind of engagement with one another,” Manson said. — cuanschutz.edu, 4d ago

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Social protection plays an important role in supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, particularly in the Asia Pacific region where many remain without adequate coverage. Sustainably expanding social protection is essential, with a focus on vulnerable groups, including informal workers, migrants, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities. To be effective, social protection systems must be rights-based, comprehensive, provide adequate benefits and uphold principles like universality and solidarity. Benefits will also have to take into account the heightened risks from climate change. Governments should explore synergies with disaster risk finance and Paris aligned investments like green bonds and climate funds. Climate-sensitive design, fiscal repurposing, and inclusion in national climate strategies are vital steps in crafting comprehensive, equitable social protection systems that address climate vulnerabilities and promote sustainable development. Gender-specific challenges must also be addressed to ensure effective climate adaptation and mitigation. — ESCAP, 4d ago
However, the expert observed that gender inequality and high risks of trafficking for purposes of child and forced marriage, sexual slavery and domestic servitude were particularly affecting women and girls. “Prevention of trafficking must be central to the Women Peace and Security agenda, and to Youth Peace and Security measures,” she said. — ReliefWeb, 4d ago
PennWharton: “Earlier this year, the employment rate of prime working age women reached an all-time high, passing 75 percent for the first time in U.S. history. Defying widespread expectations that the COVID-19 pandemic would disproportionately harm the economic prospects of women, they have recovered faster than men and played a dominant role in the overall labor market recovery. In a forthcoming working paper, we review the evolution of prime age women’s employment over the last few decades and explain its recent rise. This brief summarizes and previews some of the findings from that ongoing work. We show that the current employment highs are a product of two long-term trends that predate the pandemic: 1) the rising share of women who are college graduates, and 2) a shrinking child penalty for college-educated mothers, who are increasingly likely to remain in the workforce after having a child. Despite the severe disruptions to labor markets, schooling, and childcare caused by the pandemic, these trends continued and even accelerated after 2020. In the full working paper, we link their resilience to the grand gender convergence in labor market outcomes, drawing on the work of Claudia Goldin, who was recently awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in economics. We present additional evidence from changes in the occupational mix of women’s employment, discuss the impact of parental leave, and study the dynamics of child penalties in detail.”... — bespacific.com, 4d ago
When it comes to, say, the small and marginal farmers, their needs are very different than those of the large farmers. That inequality I think it definitely has a big role. The failure to organize amongst the smaller farmers has really, I guess, negated the ability for them to champion for more things on a political level. What they tend to do instead is turn to more autonomous means of organizations. In that sense, things like social media, that’s really come up in the agricultural scene in rural Tamil nadu. They turn to places like Facebook Marketplace to sell their produce because they just can’t rely on the state apparatus anymore. — Mercatus Center, 4d ago
Also see: UN Explainer: How gender inequality and climate change are interconnected – The climate crisis is not “gender neutral”. Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety. — Climate Depot, 4d ago
True, if a poor person has to sell her kidney just to feed her children, this may not be a desirable outcome, especially in a relatively rich society. A case may be argued that society should help her to avoid this dire circumstance, especially if her poverty is not due to her own fault. Few, if any pro-market economists are completely against governmental help to reduce poverty, if done with some degree of efficiency. However, as argued in Ng (2023), to promote equality efficiently, instead of suppressing market exchange, we should follow efficiency supremacy in specific measures, and equality should be promoted through general policies including tax/subsidy; ‘general’ here means aiming at the total purchasing power, rather than on specific items (unless justified on some efficiency grounds). — Open Access Government, 5d ago

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The name Les Adore, which is French for “love them,” was chosen by founder and creative director Amina T. Salahou ’25 because the production network seeks to foster “reverence” for its diverse creative partners’ “creativity, resilience, and unique perspectives.” Salahou takes a broad approach to defining the “them” Les Adore asks its audience to love, making space for “anyone that feels misrepresented,” but also emphasizes the collective’s dedication to uplifting voices that are often silenced because of gender and socio-economic inequalities. — thecrimson.com, 5d ago
There is also an increased emphasis on environmental justice in the energy sector. Communities are demanding more responsible actions from companies and the government so that the communities that have been most negatively affected by energy development are prioritized for the benefits of the new clean energy industry and do not bear the brunt of the industrial development yet again. Women are often leaders in their communities, making them well-positioned to lead efforts to protect their communities. Community leadership and engagement require different skills and experience than other energy sector positions and will continue to be a crucial area of opportunity for women interested in helping bring about a just energy transition. — USEA | United States Energy Association, 5d ago
Just like Her Highness said, the only solution to tackle the obstacles – manmade or otherwise – is to embrace the latest technological innovations and make them work for the betterment of society. This will require a combined effort from governments, institutions, and individuals to find the right solutions using effective tools, be traditional or non-conventional. This year’s Summit explores the theme of “Creative Fluency: Human Flourishing in the Age of AI.” It becomes imperative that in the present world, where more and more children are left behind and access to education becomes a privilege due to the various wars and political escalations, to innovate and use technologies like Artificial Intelligence to find solutions. — The Peninsula Newspaper, 5d ago
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WILPF is deeply saddened at the ongoing and escalating loss of life in Palestine and Israel, which take place in the context of ongoing Israeli occupation, war crimes and impunity. We denounce all attacks against civilians by all parties. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a crime under international law and cannot be justified.States are a collective of peoples in all our diversity with a right to self-determination and to a free, dignified and safe life. Permanent peace is built on the foundations of freedom, justice, nonviolence, human rights and equality. Colonialism, occupation, apartheid policies, and militarised security have denied the possibilities for peace. Despite multiple UN resolutions and repeated calls, Israel has not ended its illegal occupation.Current attacks must be seen in the context of an escalation of militarised activities in recent years by Israel's hardline new government and in conjunction with decades of continued and repeated violations of international law. A failure to uphold international law and the absence of any effective action by the international community has emboldened impunity and the continuation of an apartheid regime. It has to end.The Israeli government has enforced a complete siege on Gaza. No water, food, electricity or fuel is allowed into the territory. Collective punishment further exacerbates ethnic cleansing and must stop. The siege and ongoing attacks will increase social and economic inequalities that perpetuate vulnerabilities and disadvantage women. This will compound the gendered impacts of the existing 16-year illegal blockade on Gaza. The constant aggression has left youth in unimaginable despair.Israel’s right to security is prioritised over Palestinians’ legal rights and safety. The Palestinian people have been left alone and are denied the right to defend themselves and their land. Their right to peaceful protest has been penalised. Their efforts to isolate Israel culturally and economically have been criminalised. Even human rights defenders have been labelled as terrorists.The absolute necessity is to prevent further atrocities and loss of life. For this, we need an immediate ceasefire and a release of hostages by Hamas and of those illegally detained by Israel. A durable and fair peace will only be achieved by eliminating the root causes of violence and oppression. The international community should not wait for yet another escalation of hostilities to create a realistic path for justice and peace. We must act now. Members states and the responsible bodies of the UN must uphold the UN Charter and:... — reachingcriticalwill.org, 29d ago
At the heart of this transformative journey lies the imperative to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). By acknowledging the pain and injury inflicted during our formative years, we take the pivotal first step towards breaking the chains of negative social consequences. Treating and preventing ACEs paves the way for a society that recognizes and alleviates the silent burdens borne by many.However, true healing extends beyond individual relationships; it's a societal commitment. Ending the cycles of poverty and violence demands the creation of environments fostering economic mobility and self-healing communities. This collective endeavor is not only a moral imperative but a strategic investment in the well-being and future of us all.Simultaneously, our national narrative is incomplete without the recognition and preservation of Black history. National Monuments, designated through the Antiquities Act, present a powerful avenue to permanently protect public lands that tell crucial stories. Yet, of the 133 current National Monuments, only 8% showcase Black history.To rectify this disparity, we must prioritize new National Monument designations that chronicle Black history. This proactive step ensures that American history is told in its entirety, and our National Parks become reflective of the rich tapestry of our diverse nation.The recent establishment of monuments like the Emmet Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument exemplify the potential for positive change. However, more action is needed. Currently, numerous sites associated with Black history, such as Rosenwald schools, the Springfield Race Riot, Black Wall Street, Freedom Summer, and Charles Young, are poised for National Monument designation.Preserving these stories counters organized efforts to erase Black history, contributes to land and water stewardship, enhances accessibility and inclusion to public lands for communities of color, and serves as a vital salve to healing, as documented in the Stories on the Land report.As we advocate for these designations, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of funding, maintenance, and interpretation for these sites. Ensuring accuracy, justice, and inspiration in the preservation of Black history will contribute to filling critical gaps in the National Park Service system and further amplify the voices of courage, sacrifice, and agency during Black History Month in 2024.In conclusion, the intersection of truth, healing, and Black history in National Monuments is a powerful catalyst for reshaping our national narrative. By embracing this multifaceted approach, we not only acknowledge our collective past but actively contribute to a future where all voices are heard, all histories are valued, and every individual can thrive together in the tapestry of our shared existence.ITEJ... — openPR.com, 20d ago
To present solutions, the manifesto for policy reform on transforming EU Continence Health is launched in parallel. The manifesto, endorsed by 23 organisations, calls for concrete policy changes to face the challenges posed by the report and makes 10 high-level recommendations to European and national policymakers to recognise the importance of patient-centred continence care and to promote a holistic understanding of the intricate links between continence health and healthy ageing, women’s health, as well as disease areas like cancer, mental health, neurological problems and several other comorbidities such as obesity. This will require increased funding for continence health research.Professor Philip Van Kerrebroeck, co-chairman of the Policy Office of the European Association of Urology and leading expert in the field of incontinence, says: “Continence problems are felt across gender, age, and socio-economic backgrounds, and can result in a serious negative impact on individuals’ quality of life. Physical, psychosocial and economic consequences for patients and their carers are a barrier to full participation in society. Optimal continence health should be a reality for everyone.”Since the risk of continence problems often correlates with conditions that develop or intensify as people age, it is predicted that these problems will increase, as the European population is ageing at a rapid pace. Health professionals and informal caregivers are making every effort within the existing constraints of different health systems. However, current systems are not yet fully adapted to support continence care. Policies and laws in both EU Member States and non-member European countries tend to neglect continence care despite its prevalence, serious nature, and availability of solutions.Van Kerrebroeck: “It is time to take action and transform this neglected issue to address the continence health challenge Europe is facing. In our Urge to Act campaign we would like to make policymakers aware that there are many ways to improve continence health, through increased prevention, better care, access to supportive interventions including treatment, and more inclusive environments. Much more should be done to reduce the direct expenses, the burden on patients, their carers, and on society.”... — Uroweb - European Association of Urology, 26d ago
Addressing the gender imbalances in labour-force participation is not just a socio-cultural challenge but a policy imperative. The discussions revolved around actionable policy directions. Investment in the care sector emerged as a potent solution. By ensuring accessible and quality childcare, a significant burden can be lifted from women, enabling them to pursue careers without the constant juggle of professional and domestic responsibilities. Promoting entrepreneurship among women was another focal point. Initiatives aimed at bolstering women’s entrepreneurship can be aimed at a vast reservoir of untapped potential, driving both economic growth and social justice. The roundtable also emphasised the need for workplace reforms. Policies that ensure safety, flexibility, and inclusivity can transform workplaces, making them more welcoming and conducive for women. — ORF, 20d ago
In most of the global communities of the world, these cultural beliefs have vested so much reference and preference to the male child in the global society. In Arabian culture, for example, the birth of a female child is viewed as a source of shame and humiliation just because of their cultural ideology. On the contrary, the birth of a male child is highly esteemed and celebrated with happiness. Similarly, due to the predilection for male offspring, the birth of a male child in Nigeria, particularly in the south geopolitical zone, thrills family members more than the birth of a girl child. This behavior frustrates the female child as she grows, and women in Nigeria, like women all around the world, are subjected to gender-based abuses regardless of their age, ethnicity, educational qualification, socio-economic class, or religious practice. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 7d ago
..."Our research suggests that women need to adopt a strategic, long-term perspective in their networking endeavors, prioritize follow-ups to build strong relationships, delineate tangible goals for professional advancement, and engage in ongoing evaluation and improvement of these initiatives," writes Hein. The result: Women gain a sense of empowerment and find their voices to collectively combat gender inequality head-on. — phys.org, 11d ago

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Per capita emissions represent the amount of emissions generated on account of an individual's activities and consumption patterns. Inequity in per capita emissions refers to the uneven distribution of greenhouse gas emissions among individuals in different regions or countries. The variation in per capita emissions between countries stems from factors such as varying levels of industrialization, economic development, energy consumption patterns, and resource accessibility. Developed countries often experience higher per capita emissions due to industrial activities and higher standards of living, while developing nations may have lower per capita emissions. — CEEW, 5d ago
Global air quality guidelines from World Health Organization (WHO) call attention to the huge toll of air pollution on human health, leading to millions of deaths yearly, comparable to tobacco smoking.1 The 2019 global burden of disease (GBD) study estimated that all forms of air pollution account for about 11.3% of total deaths worldwide for women and 12.2% for men.2 Improvements to air quality contribute to many of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for 2030, and air pollution is directly mentioned in two targets to achieve these goals.34 Previous studies have suggested that transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources in the coming decades will help save many lives from air pollution and limit the global mean temperature rise caused by greenhouse gases to below 2°C, thereby meeting the Paris Climate Agreement.567 However, mortality estimates attributable to air pollution and the causes of death vary widely, with few studies estimating the mortality burden from all causes.8 We assess the consequences of a fossil fuel phase-out for disease specific and all cause mortality through the concomitant effects of air pollution. The pace and scale of achievement of such a phase-out will depend on the speed of the global transition towards renewable energy sources. Although technically and economically a fossil fuel phase-out, or at least carbon neutrality, is considered feasible by 2050, the process is hampered by a scarcity of global cooperation on policies involving carbon pricing, government regulations, and investments.9 We did not consider international policies and socioeconomic pathways in this study, however, we aimed to incentivise large, rapid reductions of greenhouse gas emissions by increasing awareness of the public health benefits of concurrent air pollution reductions. — The BMJ, 5d ago
Alternative School, Harding Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary "need improvement"Mason City Virtual Academy dropped in performance compared to last year in all categories, this year scoring a 39.7 out of 100, targeting the Virtual Academy as a priority. The state's average score is 54.81.Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Bridgette Exman said that the district saw, " ... incredible gains in student-student relationships, adult-student relationships, and clear boundaries/expectations. In some places, we saw double digit gains with results that are higher than state averages. That's certainly not to say there isn't still plenty of room to improve, but rather evidence that when we target an area for improvement, we can and do make positive change."Proficiency scores in mathematics and English language arts are all areas well below state average at the Mason City Virtual Academy, which, as the lowest-performing school in the district, was targeted as a "priority" by the state.Mason City Virtual Academy was established in August 2021 during the COVID-19 emergency through ESSER funds, and allows students to continue learning virtually instead of going to a physical classroom.Students use Chromebooks and Google-based technology for their assignments. Teachers use Google Classroom as the web-based platform, which enables them to create an online classroom area in which they can manage all the documents that their students need. Documents are stored on Google Drive and edited in its apps, such as Google Docs and Sheets.As the pandemic-related funding slowly expired, the board in April 2023 approved to restructure Mason City Virtual Academy to now fit under the Alternative Education program, and to eliminate virtual learning for K-6, making in-person learning the only option for elementary students."Engagement of some students has been difficult; virtual academy has not been a good fit for a few students at this age level," Superintendent Pat Hamilton said. He cited data that shows with only 11 students enrolled, one teacher retirement and the programs' cost exceeding revenue, returning to in-person learning was "best for all students K-6."Moving the virtual academy to alternative learning, Hamilton added, made sense because many of the students enrolled virtually are utilizing individualized instruction plans and credit recovery, " ... things that the alternative coordinators are already equipped to handle."According to research compiled by The Hechinger Report, which covers inequality and innovation in education, studies show that lost in-person classroom time reduces social and emotional skills, hinders academic progress and can decrease a student's likelihood of graduating; and, consequently, lower levels of education can lead to lower employment and financial prospects in adulthood.Chronic absenteeism in the district was 9.8 points above state average, with 35.4% of students missing 10% or more school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.Absenteeism among students was found to be disproportionately higher among students who identify as Black/African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Hawaiian/Pacific islander.Exman said, "This issue is right at the top of our priority list, since kids can't learn what we're teaching if they aren't here. We have contracted with Attendance Works this year to lead district and community conversations (starting in November) to understand the root causes of the attendance issues we see here in Mason City and to develop a plan that is proactive and community-wide to get more kids in school every day."Finally, postsecondary readiness index, measuring students' readiness in preparing for life beyond high school was the lowest-scoring category for the district, showing a 37.67% success rate in all categories:1. Participation in a college entrance exam and ACT or SAT score2. College level, postsecondary or advanced coursework3. Career and technical education (CTE) concentrators"This is an interesting data point that seems to confirm what we have anecdotally tracked," said Exman, "Fewer students intend to attend a four-year college or university upon graduation. This data point only looks at ACT/SAT, which typically doesn't include students who intend to enroll in a community college or go directly to work or some other path, such as an apprenticeship program or the military. I read this is support for the work-based learning and school-to-work connections we have been working to build for our community. It also supports the idea that we need to expand our career and technical education programming with more efforts like our recent addition of a welding program."© 2023 Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. — GovTech, 5d ago
Gayle's research spans various social issues, such as gender gaps in the labor force, fertility trends, and intergenerational mobility. He uses demographic analysis to understand the implications of standard economic policies intended to address these issues. — phys.org, 5d ago
Each country has written a comprehensive report into the evolution of labour market and income inequalities, and their interactions with education and gender in particular. We examine how social changes – such as the labour market position of women, higher levels of formal education, rising levels of immigration – have affected different countries and different forms of inequalities. And how the changes to the tax and benefit system have acted to dampen, or increase, household income inequalities. — ifs.org.uk, 5d ago
Allyship requires a shift in mindset. Everyone has the potential to become an ally, but often men don’t understand what is expected of them. They may also be put off if “calling out bad behaviour”, is the only measure of good allyship. Research has found that for men to embrace and thrive in organisations working towards gender equity, they need to acquire the necessary mindset and skills, to firstly ‘notice’ inequity, unfairness and bad behaviour and then to take make choices about acting. For senior leaders, this includes; addressing organisational culture, talent management processes, reward systems and sponsoring their female colleagues, using their own influence and power to facilitate development and progression. All allies must be prepared to challenge – if the circumstances are conducive – and proactively exert influence to change behaviours in their own social circles and sphere of responsibility. This is what it means to take positive action for gender equity. A shift in mindset requires becoming gender conscious, through understanding deeply the history and causes of gender equity and listening to their female colleagues to gain awareness of how women experience the workplace, their perspectives and the barriers they face in achieving their potential. Men also need to explore and understand their own power and privilege as a man. All this forms part of a dedicated journey of personal growth to build a strong foundation of self-awareness and insight, as well as the courage and conviction to live with the discomfort allyship inevitably brings. Men who achieve this shift in mindset then choose to use their power, privilege and influence to advocate for the fair and equal treatment and advancement of women. — theHRDIRECTOR, 5d ago

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He added that WaterAid Nigeria in partnership with Women Development Association for Self- Sustenance and the Bauchi State Governments overall goal was to scale up WASH solutions that are sustainable climate-resilient, gender- responsive and address key cross-cutting elements of other development goals including health, education, poverty, economic growth and nutrition. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 9d ago
In this system, women are either forced out of jobs they don’t want, or feel trapped in an abusive workplace due to their own financial precarity. "Women's economic inequality is both cause and consequence of gender-based violence," Viktoria Szczypior, communications officer at feminist economics think tank Women’s Budget Group, tells Mashable, detailing what is necessary for this cycle to be broken. — Mashable, 20d ago
...“Through various engagements at all levels, we observed the socio-economic gaps coupled with inadequate demand for accountability on budgetary allocation to livelihood projects that largely impact women empowerment, financial capacity and self-reliance, which have the potential to decrease their susceptibility to violence at all levels,” she added. — The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 6d ago
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