Gender and Sexuality

Earlier this week, on November 25, the world observed the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  Originally declared in 1999 by the UN General Assembly, the day serves as an annual reminder of the need to confront the endemic problem of gender violence across the world.  A fact sheet provided by UNIFEM makes the extent of the problem abundantly clear, from the local ("In Sao Paolo, Brazil, a woman is assaulted every 15 seconds") to the global (as many as 70 percent of women "experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime - the majority from husbands, intimate partners or someone they know")  Despite the growing global awareness represented by the UN's efforts, there are vast differences, from one society to another, in terms of the extent to which gender violence is actually treated as a public issue.  There is no question that Spain is one place where critical public scrutiny of the issue has been desperately needed for a long time.  Happily, however, there is also evidence that sustained efforts by the government and civil society to educate the population are beginning to make a difference, thanks in part to the involvement of the news media in refusing to let the issue remain in the dark.

Breastfeeding has been known to provide both the infant and the mother with amazing benefits.  A child retains immunities to certain illnesses for longer after birth, gains weight at an appropriate speed, and some studies have even shown that the IQ of breastfed individuals is higher than that of formula-reared babies.  For the mother, among many other benefits, breastfeeding burns calories (helping to shed post-partum pounds), saves money, and further develops the bond between mothers and their infants.  Also, according to an article outlining the benefits of breastfeeding on womenshealth.gov, breastfeeding can have societal benefits as well, as it cuts down on health care costs and the lack of product waste is good for the environment.

On July 1, 2008, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) made it mandatory for women immigrating into the U.S. between the ages of 11 to 26 to be vaccinated for Rotavirus, Hepatitis A,  Meningococcal,  Human papillomavirus, and  Zoster. Health procedures such as these are certainly crucial to keeping the citizens of the United States safe from exposure to such viruses, but what is the purpose of such a procedure if we are not going to check both men and women? Both males and females could potentially have these viruses, and virtually have the same reasons for receiving the vaccination.

Over the past several years there has been a whole slew of children’s toys recalled due to health hazards, one of the most common being lead-based paint.  What parents would have hoped to be safe, enjoyable toys in many cases have turned out to be life-threatening.  In the winter 2008 article of Ms. Magazine , E. Marla Felcher brought to light issues occurring in the blame-game that has become toy-recall.