From Iran to Estonia, activist Mana Taheri speaks out on oppression, resistance, and the Woman-Life-Freedom movement. “I will always be their voice until we are all free.” Watch the full interview.
For generations, we have taught children to fear monsters under the bed, imagining creatures that hide in darkness, wait in closets, ready to emerge at night. But the statistics tell a different story. The danger is not imaginary nor confined to shadows, and it is rarely a stranger.
Estonia’s pay gap has been hanging around for years. Depending on the method of measuring it, women earn somewhere between 13 to 18 percent less than men. That’s not a tiny difference you can brush off as coincidence. It adds up over time, affecting savings, pensions, and overall financial independence.
The Haitian-Mexican Union of Small Farmers, Ranchers and Sustainable Development (UNHAMEXPAGRI) works to support women, girls, and vulnerable communities in Haiti and Mexico. Through its Rural Women’s Unit, the organisation promotes gender equality, integration, and access to essential services, particularly for those affected by violence, displacement, and poverty. Supporting Women and Girls in Difficulty Haitian women and girls are currently facing extremely difficult conditions. Many have been forced from their homes due to armed groups and are living in temporary shelters, effectively becoming refugees within their own county. In addition, women and girls with disabilities are often excluded from society, with limited access to opportunities and support. UNHAMEXPAGRI also supports children and girls who have not been able to attend school, helping provide access to education and essential resources. Gender Equality and Inclusion For UNHAMEXPAGRI, gender equality is essential to eradicating hunger and poverty. Through its Global Gender Equality Policy 2025–2040 and its Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, the organisation promotes: Equal access to resources and opportunities Representation in decision-making processes Fair and equitable distribution of work This work focuses particularly on rural, Indigenous, youth, and Afro-descendant women in both Mexico and Haiti with activities carried
Several years ago, I sought refuge on countryside roads as my dog was terrified of traffic, and there are still more cars in this town than, it sometimes seems, functional brains (apologies). We set off on pre-dawn walks to return home before ‘the cars woke up’. That was when our encounters with the wild boar began. I had never met wild boar before. I had, however, heard tales of horrors. According to these urban myths, wild boars came across as vicious but reliable instruments for producing evenly-flattened and uniformly unlumpy human pancakes. All one had to do was position the minceable individual between a sow and her piglets. In many stories, wild boar were portrayed as rampaging, indiscriminate (I choose the word deliberately) devastators. I mistrusted these fables because wild boar used to be worshipped by the Prussians, a group of ancient Baltic tribes, who were described by nobody other than the highly judgmental Christians, as homines humanissimi. I doubted that the Prussians, exceedingly charitable towards everyone (except towards Christians) and as agriculturally-crazed as the rest of the Balts, would have pinned to their chests, as representation of their gods, imagery of beasts of destruction. Further, I equipped myself with a couple of curious scientific facts, such as
Recent reporting in my home country of South Africa has drawn attention to a peer-reviewed study from the University of the Free State (UFS), published in Science of the Total Environment, which found endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in commonly sold sanitary pads and panty liners (Blignaut et al., 2026). Although the research was conducted in South Africa, its relevance extends well beyond one country. Many menstrual product brands are manufactured and distributed internationally, including across the European Union. For all women, the findings are worth understanding. What are endocrine disruptors? Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are substances that interfere with the body’s hormonal system. Hormones regulate reproduction, metabolism, thyroid function, mood and development. Some EDCs can mimic oestrogen or block natural hormonal signals. The study examined three main groups of chemicals: Phthalates (plasticisers used in adhesives and flexible plastics) Bisphenols, including bisphenol A (BPA) Parabens (preservatives with weak oestrogen-like activity) These chemicals are common in consumer products and can migrate out of materials over time. What did the study find? Researchers analysed 16 sanitary pads and 8 panty liners and detected endocrine disruptors in every product tested. Key findings included: Phthalates in 100% of panty liners and 50% of pads Bisphenols in 100% of
From Iran to Estonia, activist Mana Taheri speaks out on oppression, resistance, and the Woman-Life-Freedom movement. “I will always be their voice until we are all free.” Watch the full interview.
The Haitian-Mexican Union of Small Farmers, Ranchers and Sustainable Development (UNHAMEXPAGRI) works to support women, girls, and vulnerable communities in Haiti and Mexico. Through its Rural Women’s Unit, the organisation promotes gender equality, integration, and access to essential services, particularly for those affected by violence, displacement, and poverty. Supporting Women and Girls in Difficulty Haitian women and girls are currently facing extremely difficult conditions. Many have been forced from their homes due to armed groups and are living in temporary shelters, effectively becoming refugees within their own county. In addition, women and girls with disabilities are often excluded from society, with limited access to opportunities and support. UNHAMEXPAGRI also supports children and girls who have not been able to attend school, helping provide access to education and essential resources. Gender Equality and Inclusion For UNHAMEXPAGRI, gender equality is essential to eradicating hunger and poverty. Through its Global Gender Equality Policy 2025–2040 and its Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, the organisation promotes: Equal access to resources and opportunities Representation in decision-making processes Fair and equitable distribution of work This work focuses particularly on rural, Indigenous, youth, and Afro-descendant women in both Mexico and Haiti with activities carried
Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend
From Iran to Estonia, activist Mana Taheri speaks out on oppression, resistance, and the Woman-Life-Freedom movement. “I will always be their voice until we are all free.” Watch the full interview.
For generations, we have taught children to fear monsters under the bed, imagining creatures that hide in darkness, wait in closets, ready to emerge at night. But the statistics tell a different story. The danger is not imaginary nor confined to shadows, and it is rarely a stranger.
Estonia’s pay gap has been hanging around for years. Depending on the method of measuring it, women earn somewhere between 13 to 18 percent less than men. That’s not a tiny difference you can brush off as coincidence. It adds up over time, affecting savings, pensions, and overall financial independence.
From Iran to Estonia, activist Mana Taheri speaks out on oppression, resistance, and the Woman-Life-Freedom movement. “I will always be their voice until we are all free.” Watch the full interview.
For generations, we have taught children to fear monsters under the bed, imagining creatures that hide in darkness, wait in closets, ready to emerge at night. But the statistics tell a different story. The danger is not imaginary nor confined to shadows, and it is rarely a stranger.
The Haitian-Mexican Union of Small Farmers, Ranchers and Sustainable Development (UNHAMEXPAGRI) works to support women, girls, and vulnerable communities in Haiti and Mexico. Through its Rural Women’s Unit, the organisation promotes gender equality, integration, and access to essential services, particularly for those affected by violence, displacement, and poverty. Supporting Women and Girls in Difficulty Haitian women and girls are currently facing extremely difficult conditions. Many have been forced from their homes due to armed groups and are living in temporary shelters, effectively becoming refugees within their own county. In addition, women and girls with disabilities are often excluded from society, with limited access to opportunities and support. UNHAMEXPAGRI also supports children and girls who have not been able to attend school, helping provide access to education and essential resources. Gender Equality and Inclusion For UNHAMEXPAGRI, gender equality is essential to eradicating hunger and poverty. Through its Global Gender Equality Policy 2025–2040 and its Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, the organisation promotes: Equal access to resources and opportunities Representation in decision-making processes Fair and equitable distribution of work This work focuses particularly on rural, Indigenous, youth, and Afro-descendant women in both Mexico and Haiti with activities carried
Empower Change, support Our Community's Vision!
Empower Change, support Our Community's Vision!
