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Women and gender

Women and gender
News and analysis on women's rights, the gender gap, LGBTQ issues, sexual harassment, sexual minorities and masculinity in Asia and beyond.
last updated:
16 October, 2024
India

Man sentenced over murder, rape of doctor in India

A police volunteer was found guilty of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in India.

Trending in China

‘Super fierce bridesmaids’ join muscle-bound China bride, excitement ensues

Thailand

‘I do’ … at last: LGBTQ couples in Thailand marry as same-sex unions legalised

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Trending in China

China influencer calls on men to wear Adam’s apple ‘bras’ to champion rights of women

Online influencer claims male laryngeal prominence is ‘delicate’, ‘sensitive’ and even ‘sexual in some instances’, just like women’s breasts.

An online influencer in China has called on her male friends to wear Adam’s apple ‘bras’ to champion women’s rights, gaining widespread support. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Japan

Teenage girls groped by Japan’s ‘chikan’ train perverts offered exam resits

It follows widespread reports of train gropers targeting students who were heading to university entrance exams over the weekend.

South Korea

For the first time in a decade, Asia’s lowest birth rate is on the rise

South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rates, but an uptick in pandemic-postponed marriages has sparked optimism for family growth.

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Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration

Trump calls Washington bishop ‘nasty’ after criticism from cathedral pulpit

The US president was forced to sit through a sermon by a bishop who begged him to have ‘mercy’ on gays and poor immigrants.

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US President Donald Trump stands near Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde as he attends the National Day of Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
India

Indian man who raped, killed doctor gets sentenced to life in prison

Police volunteer Sanjay Roy, 33, who has consistently maintained his innocence, can appeal the judgment in a higher court.

The Philippines

In Catholic Philippines, President Marcos vows to veto ‘woke’ sex education bill

The bill, which Marcos said teaches 4-year-olds about pleasuring themselves aims to address high teen pregnancy rates, has been met with opposition by conservatives.

Taliban

‘Injustice’: Taliban deputy urges group to scrap female education ban

Sher Abbas Stanikzai urged the group’s leaders ‘to open the doors of education … we are committing an injustice’.

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Afghan women and girls face a lot of discrimination under the Taliban. File photo: AFP
India

India police volunteer convicted of rape, murder of junior doctor in Kolkata

The crime sparked protests seeking justice and better security at public hospitals and national outrage over a lack of safety for women.

Doctors and social activists shout slogans as they protest to condemn the rape and murder of a doctor, in Kolkata, on Friday. Photo: AFP
Lunar

Asean panel shows split views on gender equality

A recent Asean panel on women’s rights shows how views on achieving gender equality remain divided.

India

India’s police arrest 5 more men in ‘nightmare’ sexual abuse of teen

The unnamed woman, now 18, said around 60 men sexually abused her in her southern home state of Kerala beginning from when she was just 13.

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Pakistan

Malala Yousafzai urges Muslim leaders not to ‘legitimise’ Taliban

The Nobel laureate urged Muslim leaders to oppose the Afghan Taliban government’s curbs on women and girls’ education.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai. Photo: AFP
Sexual harassment and assault

Daughter of French rapist Pelicot thinks he drugged and abused her too

In her first TV interview since her father’s trial, Caroline Darian calls him a dangerous man who should die in prison.

Caroline Darian (centre) arrives at the courthouse in Avignon in December. Photo: AFP
Pakistan

Malala goes home while Taliban avoids Muslim girls’ education conference

The Nobel laureate said she was ‘overwhelmed’ to be back in her native Pakistan for a global summit on girls’ education in the Islamic world.

India

Indian nurse’s death sentence in Yemen spotlights migrant workers’ woes

Nimisha Priya’s claims of passport confiscation among ‘problematic practices’ experienced by migrant workers in the Middle East, analysts say.

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Work in progress: gender equality

Women still a rare presence on boards of Hong Kong companies

Hong Kong lags behind many markets despite a new rule requiring listed companies to have at least one woman on their boards of directors.

Diversity and inclusion

Editorial | Women show worth on company boards

On the 50th anniversary of landmark UN conference, Hong Kong is making strides in greater female representation.

American cinema

What comeback? The Substance director hails Demi Moore after Golden Globe

Coralie Fargeat says Moore ‘always delivered pretty great performances’, as talk turns to Oscar prospects of actress after Golden Globe win.

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Italy

Pope Francis names Italian sister as first woman to lead major Vatican office

The appointment signals significant advancement in women’s leadership within the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis, for the first time, nameD a woman as prefect of a Vatican dicastery -- Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla. Photo: Catholic News Service
Banking & finance

As Hong Kong rings in 2025, 85 firms miss cutoff to install women in boards

Number of listed firms with all-male boards fell to 3 per cent from 40 per cent when rule was first announced in 2022, HKEX data shows.

People walk outside Exchange Square in Central, home to bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, on November 21, 2024. Photo: May Tse
Wellness

How gender stereotyping of girls with ADHD delays diagnosis often until adulthood

Despite signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during childhood, it is often not diagnosed until adulthood, especially in women.

France

Ex-husband convicted in French mass rape trial won’t appeal 20-year sentence

His lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, says he wants to spare his wife, Gisele Pelicot, further trauma.

TV shows and streaming video

As women hit milestone in Japan’s legal system, drama tells 1 pioneer’s story

Tora ni Tsubasa is based on the true story of Yoshiko Mibuchi, one of Japan’s first women lawyers, who became a judge after World War II.

Sairi Ito as Inotsume Tomoko - a character based on one of Japan’s first female lawyers, Yoshiko Mibuchi - in a still from Tora ni Tsubasa. Photo: NHK
The Philippines

Cambodia pardons 13 Philippine mothers for surrogacy scheme

Surrogacy is banned in Cambodia, and the women, convicted of attempted human trafficking, were among 24 foreign women detained in September.

Thirteen Filipino women, imprisoned in Cambodia for surrogacy, have been pardoned and returned home after a royal pardon. Photo: Shutterstock
Art

Indonesia’s Frida Kahlo, taboo-breaking artist Arahmaiani in spotlight

With a recent show in Jakarta and now one in the UK, artist who was imprisoned, then exiled reminds Indonesians of past they want to forget.

Malaysia

Letters | Anwar is not to blame for the failed case against Najib’s wife

Readers discuss the charges against the former first lady of Malaysia, and what Gisele Pelicot could do next.

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