Womenstake

Weekly Round-Up

by Andrea Maruniak, Program Assistant, 
National Women's Law Center 

Choices Campus Blog discussed the ways in which the U.S. lags behind other countries in implementing family-friendly work policies, such as paid sick leave, paid paternal leave and breastfeeding breaks.

Hot on the heels of the new mammogram guidelines, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released new recommendations for cervical cancer tests, reported The New York Times.

Jezebel examined college rape prevention programs and the ways in which many of these programs have shifted the focus from women to men.

RH Reality Check explored a case in which a jailed pregnant woman was denied critical care.

A group of women ski jumpers sued the organizers of the Vancouver Olympics after they were denied the right to compete in the games. Their suit failed because, according to the British Columbia Appeal Court, the organizers didn’t have the power to allow the women’s competition. (Via Feministing.)

Weekly Round-Up

by Katherine Beauchemin, Communication Intern, 
National Women's Law Center 

The American Prospect took a look at Title IX through the eyes of a father as he witnessed the positive impact of Little League baseball on his daughter.

According to a Washington Post report, a panel of independent experts concluded, “Sex-education programs that encourage teens to delay sexual activity and teach them about contraception cut risky sexual behavior, increase condom use and lower the chances of getting the AIDS virus and other infections.”

The Centers for Disease Control eliminated the requirement that immigrant women and girls receive the HPV vaccine, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and other organizations announced. 

In an attempt to curb teen pregnancies and encourage girls to attend college, a group in North Carolina is paying girls who enroll in college and don’t become pregnant, Opposing Views reported. 

Economists at MIT conducted a national study which links girls’ school environment with success in mathematics, reported MIT News.

Chally posted links to a collection of excellent feminist carnivals on Feministe. 

Weekly Round-Up

by Robin Reed, Online Outreach Manager, 
National Women's Law Center 

The New York Times’ Economix blog explored several of the reasons health care reform is such an important issue for women. 

Rachel posted at Our Bodies Our Blog about a new study that found an increase in the number of medical abortions and said, “The large geographic overlap between facilities that provide surgical abortion and those that offer mifepristone means that, in many cases, women are able to choose the type of early abortion procedure they prefer,” but that “mifepristone has not brought a major improvement in the geographic availability of abortion.”

The University of Maryland, which currently has 15 women’s sports teams and 12 men’s teams, may need to eliminate some teams to cut expenses due to the economic crisis (via Title IX Blog).

Two American women won the Nobel prize for medicine for their work on chromosomes and cell division. So far, a total of 10 women have won the prize. 

Courtney posted at Feministing about the ongoing allegations by some that the economic crisis has hurt men more than it has women.

Weekly Round-Up

by Mary Robbins, Program Associate, 
and Robin Reed, Online Outreach Manager, 
National Women's Law Center 

Moms Rising is hosting a blog carnival today on health care, including posts on individual families’ struggles with the health care system and calls for action on reform.

Gracie Remington at Equal Writes highlighted the story of tennis star Kim Clijsters who returned to the sport after taking time off to start a family.

Fortune magazine released its list of the 50 most powerful women in business.  The writers at wowOwow asked readers to weigh in on who they think is the most powerful woman in business.

At Feministing Chloe Angyal posted her interview with Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a scholar known for her work on the intersection of feminism and African-American culture and politics.

In honor of Labor Day, Jen Nedeau posted at Change.org’s Women’s Rights blog about important women in the labor movement.

If you haven’t yet, check out NWLC’s new report, Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation. It explores the causes of the dropout crisis for Latinas and identifies the actions needed to improve their graduation rates and get them ready for college.

Weekly Round-Up

by Mary Robbins, Program Associate, 
and Robin Reed, Online Outreach Manager, 
National Women's Law Center  

A New Jersey initiative will help the state's women veterans by providing them with business training and loan assistance to enable them to become entrepreneurs, as reported by NJ.com (via Young Women Misbehavin').

Dallas, Texas, leads the United States in the percentage of repeat births by teen girls, reported the Dallas Morning News (via Reproductive Rights Prof Blog). Earlier this year, a report concluded that the Texas public school system is creating a generation of “sexually illiterate” students through abstinence-only education (taught in 94 percent of public schools in Texas).

Fair Game News interviewed a professional woman squash player about her experience with the game and the difference in prize money awarded in the men's and women's tournaments.

Jump Off the Bridge launched an online book club, Radical Readers & Feminisms for Dummies (via Women's Health News).

Ebuz at Title IX Blog highlighted a new book about the gender dynamics of college athletics departments, specifically the tensions for female coaches.

In an effort to counter the protests happening at abortion clinics, NARAL Pro Choice America held a virtual rally to support Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider who has been outspoken about the need for reproductive health care.

NWLC in the News

by Mary Robbins, Program Associate, 
National Women's Law Center 

NEA Today, September 1, 2009
Falling Through the Cracks: Latina Dropouts

National Public Radio, August 31, 2009
Latina High School Dropout Rate Rises

Education Week, August 27, 2009
Report probes educational challenges facing Latinas

Newsday, August 27, 2009
Report: Latina dropout rate ‘alarming’

New York Times, August 27, 2009
The Abortion Question

ESPN, August 26, 2009
The late Ted Kennedy’s sports legacy: Title IX

Women’s eNews, August 25, 2009
Gender Profiling hurts our national health care

National Public Radio, August 24, 2009
The Nation: Scary Prognosis For Women's Health

Christian Science Monitor, August 21, 2009
Abortion wars intensify over healthcare reform

Cincinnati Inquirer, August 13, 2009
Playing field still not level

Katie Reyes: Breaking Down Barriers One Game at a Time

by Neena Chaudhry, Senior Counsel,
National Women’s Law Center 

Yesterday, a quiet thirteen-year-old girl made history just doing something she loves – playing baseball. Katie Reyes may or may not have known that her actions made history, although she certainly does by now. According to news reports, she became the first girl to have a game-winning hit in the Little League World Series. Major kudos to Katie!  

Given that she is only thirteen and grew up in the post-Title IX era, Katie might not realize what a major milestone her accomplishments represent in the history of women’s sports. Before Title IX, and even after, girls and women were not allowed to participate in many sports or were forced to play by different rules because of various stereotypes, including the notion that sports were too tough for females’ delicate bodies. Title IX has certainly changed the legal landscape when it comes to women and girls in sports, but many barriers still remain. Girls and women still receive only a little over 40% of the participation opportunities at the high school and college levels, and cases of unequal treatment of their teams abound.  Minority girls and those living in urban areas face the additional challenges of schools with few resources and cultural barriers such as parents not wanting their daughters to play sports because of safety concerns or because they are needed for household duties like child care and cleaning.

Katie is a shining example of what can happen when young women are given opportunities to play. But we must keep striving to ensure that equal athletic opportunities are a reality for all of our daughters.

Weekly Round-Up

by Catherine Kruse, Outreach Intern, 
National Women’s Law Center 

Michelle Snyder at Moms Rising discussed why health care reform is especially crucial for children, and reflected on her own personal experiences.

Elise Anderson wrote for The Washington Times about summer camps that engage girls in technology fields. 

Cara at The Curvature discussed how although states are mandated to pay for rape kits under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), many make detrimental exceptions.

At Title IX Blog, Ebuz posted about USA Today sports writer Christine Brennan’s recent interview with Real Clear Sports and commented on Brennan’s support and advocacy for Title IX.

Deborah at Girl w/ Pen compared the Beauty Myth by Naomi Woolf, published in 1991, to today’s standards, and found that they haven’t changed much.

Weekly Round-Up

by Robin Reed, Online Outreach Manager, 
and Mary Robbins, Program Associate, 
National Women's Law Center

The most recent newsletter from the National Women’s Health Network highlighted the stories of women struggling with the current health care system and the urgent need for comprehensive reform that meets their needs (via Women’s Health News).

At Young Women Misbehavin’, joyinhome posted about issues impacting the 1.8 million women veterans in the United States and ways to support them.

Cordy Galligan wrote at AAUW Dialog about Gerald Gardner, a man who contributed to the 1973 Supreme Court case that ended the practice of the practice of specifying sex in employment ads in a time when many newspapers’ ads were still separated into sections for “Job Openings for Men” and “Job Openings for Women.”

Staff writers at wowOwow asked why, when women make up almost half the workforce, do they hold only 15.7 percent of Fortune 500 corporate office positions and receive just 78 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts?

U.S. News & World Report reported on the need to expand health care services for female veterans who experience serious shortfalls in gender-specific services.

Fair Game News posted an interview with three talented teenage girl basketball players attending a summer sports academy in Washington, D.C., that aims to use sports to teach leadership skills.

Billie Jean King to Receive Medal of Honor

by Melanie Ross Levin, Outreach Manager, 
National Women's Law Center 

On Thursday, the White House announced that Billie Jean King and 15 others will receive the Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States. If you are not aware of Billie Jean King’s accomplishments, here is the laundry list: 20 Wimbledon titles, 13 U.S. Open titles, first female athlete to win more than $100,000 in a year in any sport, co-founder of World Team Tennis and founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation. And let us not forget her victory against Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match. 

I had the privilege of first meeting Billie Jean King at the National Women’s Law Center’s 2004 dinner. Her energy and passion for Title IX is contagious. When she receives the Medal of Freedom from the President on August 12, she will not only receive it for herself but for all women who fight to play, practice and compete. Three cheers for Billie Jean King and three cheers for the Obama Administration for acknowledging the importance of female athletes and advocates.