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Women and gender

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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.
Protestors hold signs in front of a banner reading “Femicides, let’s protect the living” on the sidelines of the trial of Chahinez Daoud’s husband on Monday. Photo: AFP
France

‘Pathologically jealous’ French man jailed for life for burning wife alive

Fearful for her life, his victim had made a report against him but investigators found the handling of her complaint severely lacking.

Mainland China

Editorial | Kirsty Coventry must rise to Olympic challenge after stunning win

Food and Drinks

Why women-only ‘Mum’s club’ parties are taking off in nightclubs

South Korea

South Korean mayor sparks outrage by blaming female workers for wildfire woes

Kim Doo-gyeom of Ulsan city cites limitations in fighting the devastating blaze, saying it is not easy to send women into ‘rugged mountain areas’.

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Houses burn in a South Korean village after being engulfed by a wildfire fuelled by winds. Photo: Yonhap via AP
Pakistan

Pakistan’s Parsi community shrinks as young migrate

Many young and skilled Pakistanis want to leave a country wracked with political uncertainty, security challenges and a struggling economy.

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Books and literature

Japanese novel about a serial killer hailed as feminist overseas

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, thought of as a crime novel in Japan, is celebrated in UK and elsewhere for exploring misogyny and body shaming.

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Sexual harassment and assault

Depardieu admits grabbing woman by the hips but denies it was sexual assault

Amelie K says the film star groped her and made explicit comments, in the highest-profile #MeToo case to come before France’s courts.

French actor Gerard Depardieu is seen outside the courtroom during his trial on Tueday. Photo: AFP
Crime

Man on trial in France for burning wife to death

Mounir Boutaa allegedly attacked Chahinez Daoud following their separation, shot her in both legs, poured petrol on her and set her on fire.

Human trafficking

Tate brothers check in at police station after returning to Romania

Andrew and Tristan Tate comply with judicial measures after a trip to the US.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Alba Hurup Larsen, the speedy young female Danish racer

Larsen only started competing when she was about 11 years old – now, almost 16, she’s racing against the best young female drivers in F1 Academy with mentoring from F1 driver Kevin Magnussen.

Alba Hurup Larsen prepares to race. Photo: @alba.racing/Instagram
Trending in China

‘Muscle grandma’ with young physique wins bodybuilding title after decades training

Super fit, middle-aged mother-of-one rejects online criticism that she looks old, works to challenge traditional stereotypes about ageing.

A super fit middle-aged mother who has won a bodybuilding title in China after decades of training says she works out to challenge age stereotypes. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Fashion

Young Afghan women ditch burka for ‘more comfortable’ alternatives

Tired of burkas that cover the face, urban women under the Taliban’s ‘gender apartheid’ have adopted the abaya robe favoured in Gulf nations.

Art

Showtime: 4 unmissable art exhibitions to keep you cultured

Not-to-be-missed artists about to open in Hong Kong include Emma McIntyre, Lynne Drexler, Louise Bourgeois and Emma Webster.

Banking & finance

Top Hong Kong women CEOs talk about the school that fuelled their success

HKEX’s Bonnie Chan, SFC’s Julia Leung and Hang Seng Bank’s Diana Cesar talk about the school that shaped their worldwiew and beliefs.

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From left: Diana Cesar, Julia Leung Fung-yee, and Bonnie Chan Yiting share their experience at symposium hosted by Maryknoll Convent School in Central on March 16, 2025. Photo: May Tse
IOC

Profile | New IOC president Kirsty Coventry faces complex geopolitics and gender minefield

China offers its support to first woman to lead the Olympic Movement, but she will arrive to a challenging in-tray.

Kirsty Coventry, pictured with outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach, must tackle a number of sensitive issues. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Pregnant women among hundreds in limbo at Thai-Myanmar border in scams curb

Thailand is fronting a regional effort to dismantle scam centres along its borders, which are part of a fraud network across multiple countries.

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South Korea

Death of a South Korean actress

Kim Sae-ron’s death at 24 highlights the challenges faced by female celebrities in South Korea.

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IOC

Kirsty Coventry elected IOC president: first woman, African to land role

Coventry, the Zimbabwean sports minister, is a close ally of German Thomas Bach, who steps down as IOC chief after 12 years.

Kirsty Coventry reacts after being elected the next president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Costa Navarino, Greece on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Weddings

Self-love, not marriage or motherhood: Korean women spurn family life

A US$200,000 wedding ceremony? In this economy? South Korean women choose to stay single, some even staging self-weddings with their pets.

South Korea

South Korea’s foreign population hits record high, but many struggle with low pay

South Korea’s record surge in foreign residents reveals wage disparities and education challenges for immigrant families.

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Trending in China

Chinese couple have 9 daughters, all named ‘di’, hoping for a son

Many Chinese couples believe son can support them in old age, viewing daughter as akin to water that has been poured out when they marry.

A Chinese couple, longing for a son, welcomed nine daughters over 20 years, all named with the character “di”, meaning “brother”, reflecting traditional beliefs in son preference in China. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Australia

Openly gay Australian football player still faces online death threats

Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United, was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out.

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Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United, was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out. Photo: via AP
Japan

Boyfriend? Underwear colour? Improper questions Japan’s female job-hunters face

One in three female students report being sexually harassed while applying for jobs in Japan’s male-dominated corporate world.

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Hong Kong population

Opinion | Hong Kong is right to get out of way of women who do want children

The proposal to lift the 10-year cap on embryo storage must come with more measures to make it easier to both give birth and raise a family.

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Sex and relationships

Sadness, fear, even disgust? How young Koreans view marriage and childbirth

A study finds young South Koreans overwhelmingly associate marriage, parenting and childbirth with negative emotions.

A bride leans on a pillar before a mass wedding ceremony organised by the Unification Church at Cheongshim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, South Korea, on February 7, 2020. A new study of young Koreans’ internet posts found that 67.1 percent of marriage-related posts reflected negative sentiment. Photo: AFP
European Union

Paris boxing gender row was product of Russian fake news

A gender row involving two female boxers at the 2024 Olympics was the result of a Russian fake news campaign, Olympic officials said.

Gold medallist boxer Algeria’s Imane Khelif. Photo: AFP
Asia

Malaysian mothers win partial victory for children’s citizenship rights

Malaysian mothers have won a fight granting citizenship to their overseas-born children, but many remain in limbo.

India

Video | India’s female brewers

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