This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

“The women are angry about pronouns and toilets and Twitter and all the wrong things.” Lines like this make the case that we’re all on the same side against the patriarchy, and there will be many members of the audience, cheering and chanting along to Joan’s mantras, for whom they offer moments of profoundly moving inclusion.

Except if you’re not.”

Charlie Josephine’s script for I, Joan is full of these moments, clapbacks to the “gender-critical” feminists who have accused this new play of reappropriating one of Europe’s boldest female role models for the gender-neutral team.

Supreme Court can’t ignore equality rights claims of refugees

Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

Museums struggle to embrace diversity in new documentary

In December 2019, Rein Wolfs took over as director of the renowned Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and quickly set about making its collection and staff more diverse and inclusive.

Her camera observed as Wolfs, formerly the director of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in Germany, worked with museum staff to evaluate the range of the collection and the exhibition concepts.

This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

Title:

Content: I, Joan’s non-binary heroine deserved better than such a poorly executed play

The new play at Shakespeare’s Globe promises people new, theatrically nuanced ways of exploring sex and gender – but fails to deliver

“Let me be clear”, says Joan of Arc at Shakespeare’s Globe, played by the non-binary actor Isobel Thom. “I love girls… There’s nothin’ wrong with being a girl. Except if you’re not.”

Charlie Josephine’s script for I, Joan is full of these moments, clapbacks to the “gender-critical” feminists who have accused this new play of reappropriating one of Europe’s boldest female role models for the gender-neutral team.

Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who led men into battle; in medieval France, this made her an aberration not just in terms of gender, but of class. When the trailer for I, Joan launched earlier this summer, it told us this Joan would be presented as a figure who understood themselves as non-binary. To non-binary people, this felt like a welcome way of looking afresh at their occluded presence in history; to some women, this felt like a statement that a historical figure who achieved success and wore trousers couldn’t be appreciated as a woman.

Rage swirled on social media. No wonder Josephine’s text tries to shout back. “Man tricked woman into hating trans,” says Joan. “The women are angry about pronouns and toilets and Twitter and all the wrong things.” Lines like this make the case that we’re all on the same side against the patriarchy, and there will be many members of the audience, cheering and chanting along to Joan’s mantras, for whom they offer moments of profoundly moving inclusion.

The problem with the summer maelstrom was that none of the participants had actually seen the play, which only opened this week. Fewer seemed prepared to go with an open mind. As someone who’s written about Shakespeare’s Globe for years, and worked with the in-house team of superb scholars, I went in with every confidence that they could offer us something thoughtful. It’s not just the gender politics that are topical. There could be no better moment than the era of Greta Thunberg to ask ourselves why we turn to child prophets in times of crisis.

Theatre, as several statements from The Globe have pointed out, is a place for experimenting with new ideas. Stories exist to be retold by new generations with new concerns, and Joan’s story has been told from a female perspective hundreds of times over. Jean Anouilh’s play about Joan, L’Allouette, drew parallels with French resistance to Nazi occupation. Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan was a tragedy of blinkered human beings wedded to competing ideologies – Gemma Arterton, a cis woman, played the title role at the Donmar Warehouse as recently as 2016.

So even if you’re not entirely sure what it means to be “non-binary”, and even if you’re troubled by the idea that France’s most successful female warrior must somehow have rejected her sex, there’s something insecure about suggesting that a writer and a lead actor who both understand themselves as non-binary don’t deserve their own turn at imagining Joan of Arc as someone to whom they relate.

Yet the weakness of I, Joan isn’t that it presents a non-binary warrior; it’s that it’s poorly executed. If you promise people new, theatrically nuanced ways of exploring sex and gender, you need to deliver on that nuance. I, Joan is raucous, energetic and crude. A bit of bombast has always worked well at the outdoor arena for which Shakespeare’s Globe is best known: this is the space where, since 1599, people have swigged their drinks, cheered their fan-favourites and sung along to popular chants. But this feels more like a call-and-response rally than a play about life and death. After you’ve watched the French defeat the English through the medium of street dance, Joan’s eventual discovery that war involves blood and brutality adds too little realism, too late.

Throughout I, Joan, Joan begins to explore masculine performance as a necessary element of military leadership – before later moving towards an understanding of themself as non-binary in modern terms. There’s powerful stuff about the limitations of language to capture gender – “Your words don’t fit… Twenty six letters lassooed again and again and still nowhere near capturing me” – even as they offer the language of the body as an alternative alphabet for self-expression.

But the only two named female characters are handmaidens of the patriarchy, scheming wickedly against Joan as they conspire to force them into pink frilly dresses and motherhood. Meanwhile, Joan’s rising understanding of themself as a non-binary martyr is tied intrinsically to their persecution for wearing male attire. There’s no model here for a woman who might wear trousers, disrupt the patriarchy, and still understand herself as female – and thus no effort to show why Joan, as a non-binary person, is importantly different.

There is a place for art as manifesto; it’s not the job of every writer to win round those who reject their starting principles. I, Joan shines when it shows us glimpses of Joan’s relationship with God – taking its place in a great artistic tradition which has long framed queer people as having unique perspectives on divine mystery. But too often, it simply doesn’t deliver as theatre. We should give the next non-binary Joan a chance to do it better.

I, Joan is at Shakespeare’s Globe until 22 October.

Title:

Content: Supreme Court can’t ignore equality rights claims of refugees

Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States challenge will be heard by the Supreme Court on Thursday. Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

Canadian Council for Refugees et al. will challenge the STCA, which stipulates that refugee claimants arriving in Canada by way of the U.S. are ineligible for refugee protection in Canada. Right now, Canada must return the refugees to the U.S. to have their claims decided under American law. For large numbers of women refugees, this is a problem.

Unlike in Canada, it’s nearly impossible to claim gender-based violence as a basis for refugee status in America.

In this challenge, the claimants include ABC and her two young daughters, who fled from gender-based gang violence in El Salvador. ABC and her children were unlikely to receive protection in the U.S. — that is why they came to Canada. The STCA means that women like ABC risk being returned to the U.S. where they face being sent back to violence in their countries of origin.

Importantly, ABC claims that the STCA has a disproportionately negative impact on women, violating their constitutional right of equality.

However, after two judicial hearings and decisions, ABC’s gender equality arguments have been left unconsidered. Instead, the judgments engaged solely with other aspects of the challenge, the rights to liberty and security of the person under section 7 of the Charter. This continues a disturbing pattern.

Equality arguments in complex, multi-issue challenges are often sidelined. Section 15 has become the wallflower of constitutional argument. When another right can ground the argument, section 15, and the aspects of dignity and fairness that equality rights alone speak to, are overlooked.

The impact of sidelining the equality argument in this case is potentially life-threatening for refugee women, gender diverse people and their children. Our equality guarantee protects against disadvantage and marginalization in a way no other right in the Charter does.

The rule of law demands that courts engage with all threats to constitutional rights. It is the judges’ job to rise to the challenge of constitutional complexity.

As a group of constitutional scholars, we believe the Supreme Court has a chance to right this pattern of avoidance in the STCA challenge. A coalition of expert groups is asking the court to do precisely this.

The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, West Coast LEAF and Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund together will argue that failure to take up the equality concerns in this case communicates the problematic message that all refugee claimants are the same.

We know this is not true. The consequences of a return to the U.S. are deeply more dangerous for women and LGBTQ survivors fleeing gender-based violence.

Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to equality. Equality sometimes may demand identical treatment but, typically, it requires recognition of the complex guises of inequality and the need for differential treatment.

This notion of equality is known as substantive equality. It is the standard that was adopted by the Supreme Court in its very first equality decision, Andrews, and our courts have committed to uphold it when deciding whether government action violates our equality rights.

Those most in need of equality are those who bring the toughest cases — cases that challenge judges to properly apply an equality analysis. The opportunity such cases present to refine the law and to advance justice is essential.

We have such a case at hand.

To fail to consider the distinctive effect of the STCA on marginalized groups is to adopt an approach rejected decades ago. The court knows better — and this is the case to demonstrate it.

The outcome of cases counts, of course. But how an outcome is reached is also critical. The Supreme Court affirms the values and commitments of our society. Our Constitution says equality — gender equality — matters. The court must show this too.

Margot Young is professor and director of the Centre For Feminist Legal Studies at Allard School of Law, University of British ColumbiaJennifer Koshan is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.Mary Eberts is a barrister with a national practice including equality rights.

More from The Star & Partners

More Opinion

Top Stories

Title:

Content: Museums struggle to embrace diversity in new documentary

In December 2019, Rein Wolfs took over as director of the renowned Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and quickly set about making its collection and staff more diverse and inclusive.

Along for the ride was filmmaker Sarah Vos, who for three years captured this pioneering effort by a major cultural institution to effect greater diversity in its halls.

Her camera observed as Wolfs, formerly the director of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in Germany, worked with museum staff to evaluate the range of the collection and the exhibition concepts.

The sobering conclusion was that less than 10% of works in the collection are by women. Works by artists who were Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC) were rarely seen.

The resulting documentary, "White Balls on Walls," not only questions the level of diversity in the museum, but goes deeper to understand the function of art in society.

Museums not thinking 'outside the box'

In the past, cultural institutions had "not thought enough outside the box," Wolfs told DW.

By contrast, Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum now wants to think more globally, and, for instance, align its diversity concept with the population structure of Amsterdam.

"After all, we want everyone to have the opportunity to also find their own history and their own moments of identification," he said.

The discussion about a new concept raises questions: Can and should diversity be quantified through words or quotas? Should the origin and gender of artists play a role in the evaluation of art?

The Stedelijk team agreed on a quota: From 2021 to 2024, at least 50% of the acquisition budget should be spent on works by BIPOC artists. There are no fixed quotas for works by women, but gender is a factor in the selection process.

Moreover, there is at least one large annual exhibition of BIPOC artists or a group exhibition that addresses diversity, Wolf said.

A multitude of voices reflecting reality

Diversity plays an inherent role in ethnological museums featuring artifacts and art from all over the world, including at Frankfurt's Museum of World Cultures.

The museum focuses on the art of Indigenous people who are themselves minorities in their home countries, museum director Eva Raabe said. Works by women, children and queer people are a further focus of the collection and exhibits.

Raabe said it wasn't not about specific quotas, but rather about the statement artists want to make with their works.

"Through their art, which is an expression of their opinions, their needs, their lives, they tell us about the reality of their lives," she said.

By including a wide variety of perspectives, the selection is inherently diverse, she adds.

Meanwhile, Berliin's KINDL — Centre for Contemporary Art strives for a "highly diversified exhibition program," director Kathrin Becker told DW.

"I also have a personal mission here, which I share with many colleagues in Berlin and elsewhere, and that is to achieve a multitude of voices in the presentation of contemporary art," Becker said.

Gender identity, as well as ethnic and socioeconomic background, are important in this regard, she added.

Some artists remain skeptical

So how are artists responding to the debate about diversity in art and museums? Whom do quotas actually help?

"I would find it almost insulting if the Stedelijk were to do an exhibition of my work just because they are looking for BIPOC artists,"Surinamese-Dutch artist Remy Jungerman says in "White Balls on Walls."

Wolfs, however, said he was not aware of artists not wanting to exhibit their work at the Stedelijk because of the quotas.

But the museum director is not surprised by criticism of Stedelijk's strategy for more inclusivity, and has heard accusations that the museum is putting its political agenda before art.

"We're seen as ‘woke,' and that's a dirty word these days. We get a lot of praise, but we also get a lot of criticism," he said. "But that's kind of a part of this institution; we're a museum that's always very much on the front lines."

'You can always do more'

The museum director sees a shift toward more diversity almost everywhere, not only in museums but in cultural policy and in social movements.

Kathrin Becker of Berliin's KINDL — Centre for Contemporary Art said museum directors were increasingly trying to counter "very Western and Eurocentric" collections with "new ideas," including by "inviting artists who don't represent Western art."

So how can museums become more diverse?

Whether diversity in the museum is ensured with quotas, is achieved through dialogue with artists or is created in multiperspective exhibitions, awareness of the issue appears to be driving change.

As Eva Raabe of Frankfurt's Museum of World Cultures surmises: "You can actually always do more to give smaller groups a voice."


This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

“The women are angry about pronouns and toilets and Twitter and all the wrong things.” Lines like this make the case that we’re all on the same side against the patriarchy, and there will be many members of the audience, cheering and chanting along to Joan’s mantras, for whom they offer moments of profoundly moving inclusion.

Except if you’re not.”

Charlie Josephine’s script for I, Joan is full of these moments, clapbacks to the “gender-critical” feminists who have accused this new play of reappropriating one of Europe’s boldest female role models for the gender-neutral team.

Supreme Court can’t ignore equality rights claims of refugees

Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

Museums struggle to embrace diversity in new documentary

In December 2019, Rein Wolfs took over as director of the renowned Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and quickly set about making its collection and staff more diverse and inclusive.

Her camera observed as Wolfs, formerly the director of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in Germany, worked with museum staff to evaluate the range of the collection and the exhibition concepts.

This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

Title:

Content: I, Joan’s non-binary heroine deserved better than such a poorly executed play

The new play at Shakespeare’s Globe promises people new, theatrically nuanced ways of exploring sex and gender – but fails to deliver

“Let me be clear”, says Joan of Arc at Shakespeare’s Globe, played by the non-binary actor Isobel Thom. “I love girls… There’s nothin’ wrong with being a girl. Except if you’re not.”

Charlie Josephine’s script for I, Joan is full of these moments, clapbacks to the “gender-critical” feminists who have accused this new play of reappropriating one of Europe’s boldest female role models for the gender-neutral team.

Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who led men into battle; in medieval France, this made her an aberration not just in terms of gender, but of class. When the trailer for I, Joan launched earlier this summer, it told us this Joan would be presented as a figure who understood themselves as non-binary. To non-binary people, this felt like a welcome way of looking afresh at their occluded presence in history; to some women, this felt like a statement that a historical figure who achieved success and wore trousers couldn’t be appreciated as a woman.

Rage swirled on social media. No wonder Josephine’s text tries to shout back. “Man tricked woman into hating trans,” says Joan. “The women are angry about pronouns and toilets and Twitter and all the wrong things.” Lines like this make the case that we’re all on the same side against the patriarchy, and there will be many members of the audience, cheering and chanting along to Joan’s mantras, for whom they offer moments of profoundly moving inclusion.

The problem with the summer maelstrom was that none of the participants had actually seen the play, which only opened this week. Fewer seemed prepared to go with an open mind. As someone who’s written about Shakespeare’s Globe for years, and worked with the in-house team of superb scholars, I went in with every confidence that they could offer us something thoughtful. It’s not just the gender politics that are topical. There could be no better moment than the era of Greta Thunberg to ask ourselves why we turn to child prophets in times of crisis.

Theatre, as several statements from The Globe have pointed out, is a place for experimenting with new ideas. Stories exist to be retold by new generations with new concerns, and Joan’s story has been told from a female perspective hundreds of times over. Jean Anouilh’s play about Joan, L’Allouette, drew parallels with French resistance to Nazi occupation. Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan was a tragedy of blinkered human beings wedded to competing ideologies – Gemma Arterton, a cis woman, played the title role at the Donmar Warehouse as recently as 2016.

So even if you’re not entirely sure what it means to be “non-binary”, and even if you’re troubled by the idea that France’s most successful female warrior must somehow have rejected her sex, there’s something insecure about suggesting that a writer and a lead actor who both understand themselves as non-binary don’t deserve their own turn at imagining Joan of Arc as someone to whom they relate.

Yet the weakness of I, Joan isn’t that it presents a non-binary warrior; it’s that it’s poorly executed. If you promise people new, theatrically nuanced ways of exploring sex and gender, you need to deliver on that nuance. I, Joan is raucous, energetic and crude. A bit of bombast has always worked well at the outdoor arena for which Shakespeare’s Globe is best known: this is the space where, since 1599, people have swigged their drinks, cheered their fan-favourites and sung along to popular chants. But this feels more like a call-and-response rally than a play about life and death. After you’ve watched the French defeat the English through the medium of street dance, Joan’s eventual discovery that war involves blood and brutality adds too little realism, too late.

Throughout I, Joan, Joan begins to explore masculine performance as a necessary element of military leadership – before later moving towards an understanding of themself as non-binary in modern terms. There’s powerful stuff about the limitations of language to capture gender – “Your words don’t fit… Twenty six letters lassooed again and again and still nowhere near capturing me” – even as they offer the language of the body as an alternative alphabet for self-expression.

But the only two named female characters are handmaidens of the patriarchy, scheming wickedly against Joan as they conspire to force them into pink frilly dresses and motherhood. Meanwhile, Joan’s rising understanding of themself as a non-binary martyr is tied intrinsically to their persecution for wearing male attire. There’s no model here for a woman who might wear trousers, disrupt the patriarchy, and still understand herself as female – and thus no effort to show why Joan, as a non-binary person, is importantly different.

There is a place for art as manifesto; it’s not the job of every writer to win round those who reject their starting principles. I, Joan shines when it shows us glimpses of Joan’s relationship with God – taking its place in a great artistic tradition which has long framed queer people as having unique perspectives on divine mystery. But too often, it simply doesn’t deliver as theatre. We should give the next non-binary Joan a chance to do it better.

I, Joan is at Shakespeare’s Globe until 22 October.

Title:

Content: Supreme Court can’t ignore equality rights claims of refugees

Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States challenge will be heard by the Supreme Court on Thursday. Will the equality rights of women and gender diverse refugees be considered this time around or will they be sidelined once again?

Canadian Council for Refugees et al. will challenge the STCA, which stipulates that refugee claimants arriving in Canada by way of the U.S. are ineligible for refugee protection in Canada. Right now, Canada must return the refugees to the U.S. to have their claims decided under American law. For large numbers of women refugees, this is a problem.

Unlike in Canada, it’s nearly impossible to claim gender-based violence as a basis for refugee status in America.

In this challenge, the claimants include ABC and her two young daughters, who fled from gender-based gang violence in El Salvador. ABC and her children were unlikely to receive protection in the U.S. — that is why they came to Canada. The STCA means that women like ABC risk being returned to the U.S. where they face being sent back to violence in their countries of origin.

Importantly, ABC claims that the STCA has a disproportionately negative impact on women, violating their constitutional right of equality.

However, after two judicial hearings and decisions, ABC’s gender equality arguments have been left unconsidered. Instead, the judgments engaged solely with other aspects of the challenge, the rights to liberty and security of the person under section 7 of the Charter. This continues a disturbing pattern.

Equality arguments in complex, multi-issue challenges are often sidelined. Section 15 has become the wallflower of constitutional argument. When another right can ground the argument, section 15, and the aspects of dignity and fairness that equality rights alone speak to, are overlooked.

The impact of sidelining the equality argument in this case is potentially life-threatening for refugee women, gender diverse people and their children. Our equality guarantee protects against disadvantage and marginalization in a way no other right in the Charter does.

The rule of law demands that courts engage with all threats to constitutional rights. It is the judges’ job to rise to the challenge of constitutional complexity.

As a group of constitutional scholars, we believe the Supreme Court has a chance to right this pattern of avoidance in the STCA challenge. A coalition of expert groups is asking the court to do precisely this.

The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, West Coast LEAF and Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund together will argue that failure to take up the equality concerns in this case communicates the problematic message that all refugee claimants are the same.

We know this is not true. The consequences of a return to the U.S. are deeply more dangerous for women and LGBTQ survivors fleeing gender-based violence.

Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to equality. Equality sometimes may demand identical treatment but, typically, it requires recognition of the complex guises of inequality and the need for differential treatment.

This notion of equality is known as substantive equality. It is the standard that was adopted by the Supreme Court in its very first equality decision, Andrews, and our courts have committed to uphold it when deciding whether government action violates our equality rights.

Those most in need of equality are those who bring the toughest cases — cases that challenge judges to properly apply an equality analysis. The opportunity such cases present to refine the law and to advance justice is essential.

We have such a case at hand.

To fail to consider the distinctive effect of the STCA on marginalized groups is to adopt an approach rejected decades ago. The court knows better — and this is the case to demonstrate it.

The outcome of cases counts, of course. But how an outcome is reached is also critical. The Supreme Court affirms the values and commitments of our society. Our Constitution says equality — gender equality — matters. The court must show this too.

Margot Young is professor and director of the Centre For Feminist Legal Studies at Allard School of Law, University of British ColumbiaJennifer Koshan is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.Mary Eberts is a barrister with a national practice including equality rights.

More from The Star & Partners

More Opinion

Top Stories

Title:

Content: Museums struggle to embrace diversity in new documentary

In December 2019, Rein Wolfs took over as director of the renowned Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and quickly set about making its collection and staff more diverse and inclusive.

Along for the ride was filmmaker Sarah Vos, who for three years captured this pioneering effort by a major cultural institution to effect greater diversity in its halls.

Her camera observed as Wolfs, formerly the director of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in Germany, worked with museum staff to evaluate the range of the collection and the exhibition concepts.

The sobering conclusion was that less than 10% of works in the collection are by women. Works by artists who were Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC) were rarely seen.

The resulting documentary, "White Balls on Walls," not only questions the level of diversity in the museum, but goes deeper to understand the function of art in society.

Museums not thinking 'outside the box'

In the past, cultural institutions had "not thought enough outside the box," Wolfs told DW.

By contrast, Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum now wants to think more globally, and, for instance, align its diversity concept with the population structure of Amsterdam.

"After all, we want everyone to have the opportunity to also find their own history and their own moments of identification," he said.

The discussion about a new concept raises questions: Can and should diversity be quantified through words or quotas? Should the origin and gender of artists play a role in the evaluation of art?

The Stedelijk team agreed on a quota: From 2021 to 2024, at least 50% of the acquisition budget should be spent on works by BIPOC artists. There are no fixed quotas for works by women, but gender is a factor in the selection process.

Moreover, there is at least one large annual exhibition of BIPOC artists or a group exhibition that addresses diversity, Wolf said.

A multitude of voices reflecting reality

Diversity plays an inherent role in ethnological museums featuring artifacts and art from all over the world, including at Frankfurt's Museum of World Cultures.

The museum focuses on the art of Indigenous people who are themselves minorities in their home countries, museum director Eva Raabe said. Works by women, children and queer people are a further focus of the collection and exhibits.

Raabe said it wasn't not about specific quotas, but rather about the statement artists want to make with their works.

"Through their art, which is an expression of their opinions, their needs, their lives, they tell us about the reality of their lives," she said.

By including a wide variety of perspectives, the selection is inherently diverse, she adds.

Meanwhile, Berliin's KINDL — Centre for Contemporary Art strives for a "highly diversified exhibition program," director Kathrin Becker told DW.

"I also have a personal mission here, which I share with many colleagues in Berlin and elsewhere, and that is to achieve a multitude of voices in the presentation of contemporary art," Becker said.

Gender identity, as well as ethnic and socioeconomic background, are important in this regard, she added.

Some artists remain skeptical

So how are artists responding to the debate about diversity in art and museums? Whom do quotas actually help?

"I would find it almost insulting if the Stedelijk were to do an exhibition of my work just because they are looking for BIPOC artists,"Surinamese-Dutch artist Remy Jungerman says in "White Balls on Walls."

Wolfs, however, said he was not aware of artists not wanting to exhibit their work at the Stedelijk because of the quotas.

But the museum director is not surprised by criticism of Stedelijk's strategy for more inclusivity, and has heard accusations that the museum is putting its political agenda before art.

"We're seen as ‘woke,' and that's a dirty word these days. We get a lot of praise, but we also get a lot of criticism," he said. "But that's kind of a part of this institution; we're a museum that's always very much on the front lines."

'You can always do more'

The museum director sees a shift toward more diversity almost everywhere, not only in museums but in cultural policy and in social movements.

Kathrin Becker of Berliin's KINDL — Centre for Contemporary Art said museum directors were increasingly trying to counter "very Western and Eurocentric" collections with "new ideas," including by "inviting artists who don't represent Western art."

So how can museums become more diverse?

Whether diversity in the museum is ensured with quotas, is achieved through dialogue with artists or is created in multiperspective exhibitions, awareness of the issue appears to be driving change.

As Eva Raabe of Frankfurt's Museum of World Cultures surmises: "You can actually always do more to give smaller groups a voice."


This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

With a New Gel, the Future of Male Birth Control Looks Bright

The invention of birth control provided women with a degree of reproductive freedom that past generations never had, and today there is a great variety of options: pills, rings, gels, vaginal sponges, long-acting implants, surgery, and specialised condoms.

But a team of researchers now believes they’re on the brink of bringing the first novel kind of male contraceptive to the public: a topical gel applied once a day to the shoulders.

A profile analysis of divorcing couples conducted by the Family and Juvenile Justice Centre of the Subordinate Courts in 2002 found that the 50 couples in the sample were married for an average length of 14.3 years.

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Commentary: Allowing two adults to divorce in mutual agreement is hardly radical or revolutionary

No-fault divorce is a welcome change amid changing ideas of marriage and gender roles, says SUSS sociologist Hu Shu.

The digital economy policy, launched in 2020 in collaboration with the World Bank, is hinged on five pillars: universal access and connectivity, digital skills, digital entrepreneurship and innovation, digital government, and data and emerging technologies.

Women are left behind

At an estimated 16.8 million, women make up an equal percentage (50%) of Ghana’s population,  but that is where the gender equality ends.

This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

Title:

Content:

With a New Gel, the Future of Male Birth Control Looks Bright

The invention of birth control provided women with a degree of reproductive freedom that past generations never had, and today there is a great variety of options: pills, rings, gels, vaginal sponges, long-acting implants, surgery, and specialised condoms. Men, on the other hand, only have condoms and the surgical, usually permanent option of a vasectomy. But a team of researchers now believes they’re on the brink of bringing the first novel kind of male contraceptive to the public: a topical gel applied once a day to the shoulders. It’s possible that this will only be the start of a new era of male birth control.

The gel, a winner of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair, is called NES/T, which is short for the two main ingredients it carries, nestorone and testosterone. Nestorone, also known as segesterone acetate, is a synthetic version of progesterone, a hormone that plays a major role in regulating pregnancy and other reproductive functions. Nestorone and similar drugs are already used as hormonal birth control for women. When it’s given to men, the drug lowers the levels of hormones in the testes responsible for male fertility, including testosterone, which then leads to low sperm counts. The trouble is that it also lowers testosterone circulating in the blood, which can have counterproductive effects like reduced sex drive. So by adding synthetic testosterone to the gel, the theory goes, you can keep levels of the hormone stable in men’s blood, while still ensuring their temporary sterility and minimising side-effects.

Nestorone was developed by the Population Council, a nonprofit organisation that has focused on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS research, particularly in the developing world. The NES/T gel was created in collaboration with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, among others. They’ve already brought nestorone-based female contraceptives to the market, such as a long-acting vaginal ring approved in the U.S. in 2018. But it’s been a harder road for NES/T — and for male contraceptives in general.

There are many reasons why male birth control hasn’t happened yet. While scientists have tried to develop such treatments for decades, there’s been a general lack of interest and funding from pharmaceutical companies, according to Regine Sitruk-Ware, a distinguished scientist at the Population Council and one of the NES/T project coordinators.

“The research on male contraception has really been held together by small groups of researchers. And we’ve never had much support from industry,” Sitruk-Ware told Gizmodo.

A few options have made it as far as later-phase clinical trials but have been linked to many potential side-effects, such as acne, pain, and mood swings, all but ending their prospects of reaching the public. Some people have noted that female contraceptives have their own laundry list of side effects but were still approved decades ago, and have further argued that these failed projects highlight a gap in how we treat women’s reproductive health versus men’s.

A volunteer using the NES/T gel in a clinical trial. (Photo: The Lundquist Institute)

It’s true that at least some drugs approved in the 1960s (when the first birth control pill was legalised) wouldn’t pass regulatory muster if they were being tested today. And there are many ways that gender inequality and bias continues to rear its ugly head in medicine. But the situation is more complicated than a simple double standard. In a 2016 study of a hormonal male contraceptive shot, for instance, the overall rate of side effects was much higher than the typical safety profile for female birth control. And ultimately, it was this high risk that compelled an independent panel of scientists to end the study early, not the patients themselves (when asked, a majority of men in the study still wanted to take the shots).

There’s also an important difference in how fertility works in men and women. Hormonal female birth control generally works by convincing the body that it’s pregnant, which is something that our biology is well-equipped to undergo. But hormonal birth control in men works by reducing sperm count, which isn’t supposed to happen normally. Finding a way to reliably, temporarily, and safely turn off these levers in men has just proven harder to do than it has been for women.

That said, some of our perceptions surrounding gender likely have slowed down the development of male birth control, according to Sitruk-Ware. There’s long been a common belief that men don’t want personal responsibility for birth control, she says, and it’s this belief that has at least partially scared pharma companies away from funding research.

“[The pharmaceutical industry] wants to work on fields where they see a high demand and a high return on investment. And for a long time, they didn’t think that men would use it,” she notes.

Even if that attitude might have been true for a majority of men decades ago, it doesn’t seem to be nowadays. A 2017 survey, for instance, found that over 80% of U.S. men report taking at least some role in preventing pregnancy (usually wearing a condom) and that more than half of eligible men would be interested in trying out new male contraceptives if they became available. Surveys in other parts of the world have found similar trends. And in their own clinical research, researchers such as Christina Wang have seen plenty of interest from their male volunteers.

“Things have changed a lot since we first started working on this. The men that come into this study really wanted to take up responsibility,” said Wang, principal investigator and researcher at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbour-UCLA Medical Centre.

Wang and other researchers around the world are now conducting a Phase IIB trial of NES/T, which involves around 400 couples. An interim analysis of the full results is expected later this year, but the early data looks promising. Last summer, the researchers announced that about 100 couples had completed the trial. Among these volunteers, the gel appeared to be safe, tolerable, and possibly even better at preventing pregnancy than female hormonal birth control, which is around 93% effective in the real world.

The Population Council and their collaborators hope that their results will convince the Food and Drug Administration to grant them permission to start a Phase III trial before the formal end of their current study — a decision that would speed the process toward commercialization. But even if that happens, they’ll still need a pharmaceutical partner willing to fund this next phase and take on some of the hefty costs involved in producing and distributing the gel, should it become approved. Sitruk-Ware says that they’ve been in talks with several small companies, and they’re hopeful that they will find that partner.

Should everything work out as expected, the NES/T gel may soon become the first new kind of male contraceptive to reach the public. But it’s hopefully not going to be the last. Some of the NES/T project’s researchers are also working on a hormonal daily birth control pill for men, which has shown good results in small human trials. In early 2023, a NIH-funded team reported its discovery of a short-lasting, on-demand contraceptive that seems to work safely on male mice. And other scientists are developing non-hormonal methods that might be more appealing to some men.

“I think one of the great things about the field of male contraceptive research is that there’s a lot of collaboration. There’s not a lot of competition — probably because there aren’t very many of us,” said Stephanie Page, a researcher at the University of Washington who is working with the NES/T project and also leading a team developing its own pill and injectable form of hormonal male birth control.

“We think there’s a great unmet need,” Page added. “And even if that isn’t hormonal contraception, it’s just about getting something out there so that people can start to think about how to use it and how that might fit in the contraceptive menu for couples.”

There are still years of research and effort ahead, but the future of male contraception looks brighter than it’s ever been.

Read more: A Male Birth Control Gel Is the Field’s Most Promising Option in Years

Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.

Title:

Content: Skip to main content

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Commentary: Allowing two adults to divorce in mutual agreement is hardly radical or revolutionary

No-fault divorce is a welcome change amid changing ideas of marriage and gender roles, says SUSS sociologist Hu Shu.

SINGAPORE: Divorce by mutual consent was proposed as an amendment to the Women’s Charter for the first time in Singapore in 1979 but was removed before it could become law.

One reason cited then was “not (to) make it easy” to terminate marriage, such that there is “no incentive” to save it.

More than 40 years later, a no-fault option that allows couples to divorce by mutual agreement resurfaced in Parliament earlier this month.

This would allow couples to part ways without having to establish the fault of their spouse or wait for separation for three to four years that currently prove the irretrievable breakdown of marriage – the “sole ground for divorce” enshrined in law.

It is a long-awaited and welcome change. No-fault divorce will reduce bitterness, pain and litigation costs on divorcing couples.

RECOGNITION THAT REASONS FOR DIVORCE ARE DIVERSE

Contrary to perceptions that the decision to divorce is ill-thought-out or that divorcees have not tried hard enough to make their marriage work, it often takes years - sometimes decades - for people to make up their minds to end the marriage.

A profile analysis of divorcing couples conducted by the Family and Juvenile Justice Centre of the Subordinate Courts in 2002 found that the 50 couples in the sample were married for an average length of 14.3 years.

Yet, half the sample noted problems in their marriage within the first four years. Wives recognised the existence of a marriage problem earlier than their husbands.

This speaks to the high regard for marriage in society, the remnant stigma attached to divorce and divorcees, and the fact that divorce is life-changing and requires long and careful consideration.

The top major problem among both men and women is communication breakdown. Women reported domestic violence and financial difficulties as the second and third most significant problems, while men reported constant quarrelling and problems with in-laws and/or relatives.

In her 2015 book Perspectives on Marital Dissolution, local sociologist Sharon Ee Ling Quah wrote about the experiences of 35 divorced Singaporeans.

Her informants cited a combination of reasons for divorce, such as communication breakdown, misalignment of life expectations and unmet need for emotional intimacy and bonding. Other reasons included abandonment, infidelity, lack of financial ability and responsibility to provide for the family, domestic violence, problem gambling, and drug addiction.

These findings shed some light on the diverse reasons why people leave a marriage – and it’s worth mentioning they’re not always fault-based.

STOP SAYING IT’LL MAKE DIVORCE TOO EASY

Opponents continue to claim no-fault divorce will increase divorce rates by making it too easy to part ways.

But is this true? A look at the history of no-fault divorce in other countries may provide some answers. The best-researched divorce law reforms happened in the United States between the 1960s and 1980s.

The US saw a rapid increase in the divorce rate in the 1970s after a spate of reforms implementing mutual consent or unilateral no-fault divorce – that is, without the consent of their spouse.

But research showed less than 10 per cent of the rise in divorce was due to these legal changes and more specifically, to unilateral no-fault divorce. And this small effect is short-lived and can no longer be discerned after six to eight years.

Even without major changes to Singapore divorce laws in recent years, the number of divorces has been increasing since 1980 and then stabilising around 7,000 each year in the last 10 years.

Singapore’s new option of divorce by mutual agreement will likely affect only those couples in which both parties want a divorce and are just waiting to clear the lengthy and complex legal process. The requirement that divorce can only be filed after at least three years of marriage also remains unchanged.

In the short run, we may see an increase in the number of divorces. But as the pent-up demand for divorce is met, this trend will return to its normal level.

Another insight from research on the US divorce law reforms is that neither mutual consent nor unilateral no-fault divorce has had any effect on marriage rates.

WOMEN INITIATE DIVORCE MORE THAN MEN

Conventional thinking might hold that women, more than men, do not want to leave an unhappy marriage, since historically many women became full-time homemakers and therefore were less financially independent than their husbands.

But times have changed. In most countries including Singapore, women’s participation in the labour market has grown over the past few decades. Almost 60 per cent of married women were employed in 2020, an increase from 2010 according to the Department of Statistics.

Research has shown that, among women who are unhappy with their marriage, employed women are more able to leave.

Women initiate about two-thirds of divorces in Singapore. In fact, most divorces are wanted by wives not only in Singapore, but in many countries such as the US, United Kingdom, France, Australia, and China.

TOWARDS AN EGALITARIAN PARTNERSHIP

As modern ideals of love, marriage and individual fulfillment became widely accepted, couples typically enter a marriage with the expectation that it will bring happiness, emotional satisfaction, and personal growth.

With changing gender roles resulting from rising educational attainment and female labour force participation, women also increasingly expect an egalitarian partnership in financial contribution, emotional engagement, and household labour.

When a marriage ceases to satisfy these needs and expectations or even becomes harmful to one’s physical and mental health, divorce becomes rational and necessary.

No-fault divorce will not encourage divorce or discourage marriage, but it will make the divorce process less acrimonious for those who are already determined to end a counterproductive marriage.

If divorcing couples could part on more amicable terms, it would help them and their children to adapt and move on in life more quickly.

It benefits no one to drag out an unhappy marriage in a lengthy and agonising process of divorce.

Dr Hu Shu is the Head of Sociology Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Couples can jointly file for a dissolution of marriage without assigning blame. But how does a no-fault divorce work? Listen to CNA's Heart of the Matter:

Source: CNA/ep

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Content: Ghana has an ambitious digital policy that is set to make it a leading digital economy in Africa. However, the existing digital gender gap in the country may obstruct the achievement of the levels of digital literacy required for universal e-government service delivery.

In May, the Ghanaian parliament approved a $200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to help push Ghana’s Digital Acceleration Project. This project, slated to run till 2027, is part of Ghana’s larger digital economy policy. The project is aimed at increasing access to internet services for six million people by encouraging private sector investment in last-mile connectivity in underserved rural areas. The digital economy policy, launched in 2020 in collaboration with the World Bank, is hinged on five pillars: universal access and connectivity, digital skills, digital entrepreneurship and innovation, digital government, and data and emerging technologies.

Other objectives of the Digital Acceleration Project include accomplishing 1.5 million digital service transactions completed annually, as well as an 85% user satisfaction rate of its Ghana.GOV portal which was launched to provide a single point of access to all government services. Currently, Ghana ranks eighth on the list of digital leaders in Africa, and this Digital Acceleration Project is poised to take it even higher. However, while this ambitious project could improve the digital literacy and economic standing of the larger population, it currently faces a formidable obstacle: the digital gender gap.

Women are left behind

At an estimated 16.8 million, women make up an equal percentage (50%) of Ghana’s population,  but that is where the gender equality ends. In Ghana, women earn, on average, less than one-third of what their male counterparts earn. This significant disparity has far-reaching effects, impacting women’s access to property ownership, including houses, and limiting their ability to possess items like smartphones, hindering their full participation in the country’s digital economy. This especially affects poorer women. According to a report by the United Nations on gender inequality in the digital space, only about 60% of Ghanaian women own smartphones, compared to 72% of men. The average cost of a smartphone is estimated to be $41, which translates to about a quarter of the average monthly income in the country.

According to a survey participant in a study done by the Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSMA), respondents felt spending money on data for a smartphone sounded like a waste when there were other more pressing needs to be attended to.

“I cannot go and buy an expensive phone and also be paying for data when I need to provide food for my hungry children,” one participant shared.

Another factor that affects Ghanaian women’s ability to own smartphones is inadequate literacy and digital skills. According to findings from the GSMA study, at least three-quarters of women who do not use mobile internet services in Ghana only have a primary school education or less. This coincides with the national gender ratio for completion of senior high school in the country; 68 girls for every 100 boys. Additionally, more than one-third of the women surveyed who do not use mobile internet attribute insufficient skills as a barrier to being digitally included.

“I do not know how to use the phone to make calls properly, how much more using the internet and or even visiting these government websites you are talking of,” a survey participant responded when asked why she didn’t use the country’s official payments website.

“My education is limited and I cannot send or read messages. So I feel I may make a mistake and make the wrong payment, so I do not take the risk of making payment on an e-government platform, where I might lose my money and not get my refund,” another participant shared.

Potential solutions to lessening the gap

While the Ghanaian government has taken some steps to reduce digital illiteracy with the launch of digital literacy initiatives, these initiatives frequently target younger people with the aim of getting them into the formal sector. This neglects people in the informal economy—the majority of which are women—who make up the bulk of the country’s workforce. For literacy training to have a wider impact, women in the informal sector must be focused on, with training programs scaled across the country. An example is the ICT Skills for Entrepreneurial Women Empowerment (ISEWE) which has trained 15,000 artisans (including hairdressers, tailors, market women, and mechanics) and 720 female entrepreneurs in basic digital skills. But while such initiatives have recorded some success in improving digital literacy, beneficiaries are often unable to practise new skills beyond the training sessions due to a lack of device ownership.

Another way to lessen the digital gender gap is through financial inclusion. Ghana has made significant progress in promoting financial inclusion in recent years, but not for women. The country has one of the most mature mobile money markets in the world and has a financial inclusion rate of 68.2%, one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite these impressive numbers, credit consumption remains appallingly low (only 13%), due to a lack of collateral and high interest rates on loans, which directly affect people in the informal economy.

Beyond giving women more control over their finances, financial inclusion can also give more women access to tools to expand their businesses and increase their purchasing power. Ghana has the highest number of female entrepreneurs in the world but the majority of them still operate at the small-scale level because they lack the resources and education to scale up. Financially empowering women puts them in better positions to participate more fully in the digital economy.

Unless the contributing factors behind the gender gap and digital exclusion, in general, are addressed, it will be impossible to drive large-scale adoption of e-government services. As the digital gender gap shrinks, Ghana’s digital economy policy will have a significant number of benefits for women.

To read the full report on Ghana’s e-Government services from Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSMA), download it here

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This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

With a New Gel, the Future of Male Birth Control Looks Bright

The invention of birth control provided women with a degree of reproductive freedom that past generations never had, and today there is a great variety of options: pills, rings, gels, vaginal sponges, long-acting implants, surgery, and specialised condoms.

But a team of researchers now believes they’re on the brink of bringing the first novel kind of male contraceptive to the public: a topical gel applied once a day to the shoulders.

A profile analysis of divorcing couples conducted by the Family and Juvenile Justice Centre of the Subordinate Courts in 2002 found that the 50 couples in the sample were married for an average length of 14.3 years.

Skip to main content

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Commentary

Commentary: Allowing two adults to divorce in mutual agreement is hardly radical or revolutionary

No-fault divorce is a welcome change amid changing ideas of marriage and gender roles, says SUSS sociologist Hu Shu.

The digital economy policy, launched in 2020 in collaboration with the World Bank, is hinged on five pillars: universal access and connectivity, digital skills, digital entrepreneurship and innovation, digital government, and data and emerging technologies.

Women are left behind

At an estimated 16.8 million, women make up an equal percentage (50%) of Ghana’s population,  but that is where the gender equality ends.

This report addresses: Female Crane Operators

Title:

Content:

With a New Gel, the Future of Male Birth Control Looks Bright

The invention of birth control provided women with a degree of reproductive freedom that past generations never had, and today there is a great variety of options: pills, rings, gels, vaginal sponges, long-acting implants, surgery, and specialised condoms. Men, on the other hand, only have condoms and the surgical, usually permanent option of a vasectomy. But a team of researchers now believes they’re on the brink of bringing the first novel kind of male contraceptive to the public: a topical gel applied once a day to the shoulders. It’s possible that this will only be the start of a new era of male birth control.

The gel, a winner of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair, is called NES/T, which is short for the two main ingredients it carries, nestorone and testosterone. Nestorone, also known as segesterone acetate, is a synthetic version of progesterone, a hormone that plays a major role in regulating pregnancy and other reproductive functions. Nestorone and similar drugs are already used as hormonal birth control for women. When it’s given to men, the drug lowers the levels of hormones in the testes responsible for male fertility, including testosterone, which then leads to low sperm counts. The trouble is that it also lowers testosterone circulating in the blood, which can have counterproductive effects like reduced sex drive. So by adding synthetic testosterone to the gel, the theory goes, you can keep levels of the hormone stable in men’s blood, while still ensuring their temporary sterility and minimising side-effects.

Nestorone was developed by the Population Council, a nonprofit organisation that has focused on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS research, particularly in the developing world. The NES/T gel was created in collaboration with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, among others. They’ve already brought nestorone-based female contraceptives to the market, such as a long-acting vaginal ring approved in the U.S. in 2018. But it’s been a harder road for NES/T — and for male contraceptives in general.

There are many reasons why male birth control hasn’t happened yet. While scientists have tried to develop such treatments for decades, there’s been a general lack of interest and funding from pharmaceutical companies, according to Regine Sitruk-Ware, a distinguished scientist at the Population Council and one of the NES/T project coordinators.

“The research on male contraception has really been held together by small groups of researchers. And we’ve never had much support from industry,” Sitruk-Ware told Gizmodo.

A few options have made it as far as later-phase clinical trials but have been linked to many potential side-effects, such as acne, pain, and mood swings, all but ending their prospects of reaching the public. Some people have noted that female contraceptives have their own laundry list of side effects but were still approved decades ago, and have further argued that these failed projects highlight a gap in how we treat women’s reproductive health versus men’s.

A volunteer using the NES/T gel in a clinical trial. (Photo: The Lundquist Institute)

It’s true that at least some drugs approved in the 1960s (when the first birth control pill was legalised) wouldn’t pass regulatory muster if they were being tested today. And there are many ways that gender inequality and bias continues to rear its ugly head in medicine. But the situation is more complicated than a simple double standard. In a 2016 study of a hormonal male contraceptive shot, for instance, the overall rate of side effects was much higher than the typical safety profile for female birth control. And ultimately, it was this high risk that compelled an independent panel of scientists to end the study early, not the patients themselves (when asked, a majority of men in the study still wanted to take the shots).

There’s also an important difference in how fertility works in men and women. Hormonal female birth control generally works by convincing the body that it’s pregnant, which is something that our biology is well-equipped to undergo. But hormonal birth control in men works by reducing sperm count, which isn’t supposed to happen normally. Finding a way to reliably, temporarily, and safely turn off these levers in men has just proven harder to do than it has been for women.

That said, some of our perceptions surrounding gender likely have slowed down the development of male birth control, according to Sitruk-Ware. There’s long been a common belief that men don’t want personal responsibility for birth control, she says, and it’s this belief that has at least partially scared pharma companies away from funding research.

“[The pharmaceutical industry] wants to work on fields where they see a high demand and a high return on investment. And for a long time, they didn’t think that men would use it,” she notes.

Even if that attitude might have been true for a majority of men decades ago, it doesn’t seem to be nowadays. A 2017 survey, for instance, found that over 80% of U.S. men report taking at least some role in preventing pregnancy (usually wearing a condom) and that more than half of eligible men would be interested in trying out new male contraceptives if they became available. Surveys in other parts of the world have found similar trends. And in their own clinical research, researchers such as Christina Wang have seen plenty of interest from their male volunteers.

“Things have changed a lot since we first started working on this. The men that come into this study really wanted to take up responsibility,” said Wang, principal investigator and researcher at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbour-UCLA Medical Centre.

Wang and other researchers around the world are now conducting a Phase IIB trial of NES/T, which involves around 400 couples. An interim analysis of the full results is expected later this year, but the early data looks promising. Last summer, the researchers announced that about 100 couples had completed the trial. Among these volunteers, the gel appeared to be safe, tolerable, and possibly even better at preventing pregnancy than female hormonal birth control, which is around 93% effective in the real world.

The Population Council and their collaborators hope that their results will convince the Food and Drug Administration to grant them permission to start a Phase III trial before the formal end of their current study — a decision that would speed the process toward commercialization. But even if that happens, they’ll still need a pharmaceutical partner willing to fund this next phase and take on some of the hefty costs involved in producing and distributing the gel, should it become approved. Sitruk-Ware says that they’ve been in talks with several small companies, and they’re hopeful that they will find that partner.

Should everything work out as expected, the NES/T gel may soon become the first new kind of male contraceptive to reach the public. But it’s hopefully not going to be the last. Some of the NES/T project’s researchers are also working on a hormonal daily birth control pill for men, which has shown good results in small human trials. In early 2023, a NIH-funded team reported its discovery of a short-lasting, on-demand contraceptive that seems to work safely on male mice. And other scientists are developing non-hormonal methods that might be more appealing to some men.

“I think one of the great things about the field of male contraceptive research is that there’s a lot of collaboration. There’s not a lot of competition — probably because there aren’t very many of us,” said Stephanie Page, a researcher at the University of Washington who is working with the NES/T project and also leading a team developing its own pill and injectable form of hormonal male birth control.

“We think there’s a great unmet need,” Page added. “And even if that isn’t hormonal contraception, it’s just about getting something out there so that people can start to think about how to use it and how that might fit in the contraceptive menu for couples.”

There are still years of research and effort ahead, but the future of male contraception looks brighter than it’s ever been.

Read more: A Male Birth Control Gel Is the Field’s Most Promising Option in Years

Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.

Title:

Content: Skip to main content

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Commentary

Commentary: Allowing two adults to divorce in mutual agreement is hardly radical or revolutionary

No-fault divorce is a welcome change amid changing ideas of marriage and gender roles, says SUSS sociologist Hu Shu.

SINGAPORE: Divorce by mutual consent was proposed as an amendment to the Women’s Charter for the first time in Singapore in 1979 but was removed before it could become law.

One reason cited then was “not (to) make it easy” to terminate marriage, such that there is “no incentive” to save it.

More than 40 years later, a no-fault option that allows couples to divorce by mutual agreement resurfaced in Parliament earlier this month.

This would allow couples to part ways without having to establish the fault of their spouse or wait for separation for three to four years that currently prove the irretrievable breakdown of marriage – the “sole ground for divorce” enshrined in law.

It is a long-awaited and welcome change. No-fault divorce will reduce bitterness, pain and litigation costs on divorcing couples.

RECOGNITION THAT REASONS FOR DIVORCE ARE DIVERSE

Contrary to perceptions that the decision to divorce is ill-thought-out or that divorcees have not tried hard enough to make their marriage work, it often takes years - sometimes decades - for people to make up their minds to end the marriage.

A profile analysis of divorcing couples conducted by the Family and Juvenile Justice Centre of the Subordinate Courts in 2002 found that the 50 couples in the sample were married for an average length of 14.3 years.

Yet, half the sample noted problems in their marriage within the first four years. Wives recognised the existence of a marriage problem earlier than their husbands.

This speaks to the high regard for marriage in society, the remnant stigma attached to divorce and divorcees, and the fact that divorce is life-changing and requires long and careful consideration.

The top major problem among both men and women is communication breakdown. Women reported domestic violence and financial difficulties as the second and third most significant problems, while men reported constant quarrelling and problems with in-laws and/or relatives.

In her 2015 book Perspectives on Marital Dissolution, local sociologist Sharon Ee Ling Quah wrote about the experiences of 35 divorced Singaporeans.

Her informants cited a combination of reasons for divorce, such as communication breakdown, misalignment of life expectations and unmet need for emotional intimacy and bonding. Other reasons included abandonment, infidelity, lack of financial ability and responsibility to provide for the family, domestic violence, problem gambling, and drug addiction.

These findings shed some light on the diverse reasons why people leave a marriage – and it’s worth mentioning they’re not always fault-based.

STOP SAYING IT’LL MAKE DIVORCE TOO EASY

Opponents continue to claim no-fault divorce will increase divorce rates by making it too easy to part ways.

But is this true? A look at the history of no-fault divorce in other countries may provide some answers. The best-researched divorce law reforms happened in the United States between the 1960s and 1980s.

The US saw a rapid increase in the divorce rate in the 1970s after a spate of reforms implementing mutual consent or unilateral no-fault divorce – that is, without the consent of their spouse.

But research showed less than 10 per cent of the rise in divorce was due to these legal changes and more specifically, to unilateral no-fault divorce. And this small effect is short-lived and can no longer be discerned after six to eight years.

Even without major changes to Singapore divorce laws in recent years, the number of divorces has been increasing since 1980 and then stabilising around 7,000 each year in the last 10 years.

Singapore’s new option of divorce by mutual agreement will likely affect only those couples in which both parties want a divorce and are just waiting to clear the lengthy and complex legal process. The requirement that divorce can only be filed after at least three years of marriage also remains unchanged.

In the short run, we may see an increase in the number of divorces. But as the pent-up demand for divorce is met, this trend will return to its normal level.

Another insight from research on the US divorce law reforms is that neither mutual consent nor unilateral no-fault divorce has had any effect on marriage rates.

WOMEN INITIATE DIVORCE MORE THAN MEN

Conventional thinking might hold that women, more than men, do not want to leave an unhappy marriage, since historically many women became full-time homemakers and therefore were less financially independent than their husbands.

But times have changed. In most countries including Singapore, women’s participation in the labour market has grown over the past few decades. Almost 60 per cent of married women were employed in 2020, an increase from 2010 according to the Department of Statistics.

Research has shown that, among women who are unhappy with their marriage, employed women are more able to leave.

Women initiate about two-thirds of divorces in Singapore. In fact, most divorces are wanted by wives not only in Singapore, but in many countries such as the US, United Kingdom, France, Australia, and China.

TOWARDS AN EGALITARIAN PARTNERSHIP

As modern ideals of love, marriage and individual fulfillment became widely accepted, couples typically enter a marriage with the expectation that it will bring happiness, emotional satisfaction, and personal growth.

With changing gender roles resulting from rising educational attainment and female labour force participation, women also increasingly expect an egalitarian partnership in financial contribution, emotional engagement, and household labour.

When a marriage ceases to satisfy these needs and expectations or even becomes harmful to one’s physical and mental health, divorce becomes rational and necessary.

No-fault divorce will not encourage divorce or discourage marriage, but it will make the divorce process less acrimonious for those who are already determined to end a counterproductive marriage.

If divorcing couples could part on more amicable terms, it would help them and their children to adapt and move on in life more quickly.

It benefits no one to drag out an unhappy marriage in a lengthy and agonising process of divorce.

Dr Hu Shu is the Head of Sociology Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Couples can jointly file for a dissolution of marriage without assigning blame. But how does a no-fault divorce work? Listen to CNA's Heart of the Matter:

Source: CNA/ep

Advertisement

Also worth reading

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Title:

Content: Ghana has an ambitious digital policy that is set to make it a leading digital economy in Africa. However, the existing digital gender gap in the country may obstruct the achievement of the levels of digital literacy required for universal e-government service delivery.

In May, the Ghanaian parliament approved a $200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to help push Ghana’s Digital Acceleration Project. This project, slated to run till 2027, is part of Ghana’s larger digital economy policy. The project is aimed at increasing access to internet services for six million people by encouraging private sector investment in last-mile connectivity in underserved rural areas. The digital economy policy, launched in 2020 in collaboration with the World Bank, is hinged on five pillars: universal access and connectivity, digital skills, digital entrepreneurship and innovation, digital government, and data and emerging technologies.

Other objectives of the Digital Acceleration Project include accomplishing 1.5 million digital service transactions completed annually, as well as an 85% user satisfaction rate of its Ghana.GOV portal which was launched to provide a single point of access to all government services. Currently, Ghana ranks eighth on the list of digital leaders in Africa, and this Digital Acceleration Project is poised to take it even higher. However, while this ambitious project could improve the digital literacy and economic standing of the larger population, it currently faces a formidable obstacle: the digital gender gap.

Women are left behind

At an estimated 16.8 million, women make up an equal percentage (50%) of Ghana’s population,  but that is where the gender equality ends. In Ghana, women earn, on average, less than one-third of what their male counterparts earn. This significant disparity has far-reaching effects, impacting women’s access to property ownership, including houses, and limiting their ability to possess items like smartphones, hindering their full participation in the country’s digital economy. This especially affects poorer women. According to a report by the United Nations on gender inequality in the digital space, only about 60% of Ghanaian women own smartphones, compared to 72% of men. The average cost of a smartphone is estimated to be $41, which translates to about a quarter of the average monthly income in the country.

According to a survey participant in a study done by the Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSMA), respondents felt spending money on data for a smartphone sounded like a waste when there were other more pressing needs to be attended to.

“I cannot go and buy an expensive phone and also be paying for data when I need to provide food for my hungry children,” one participant shared.

Another factor that affects Ghanaian women’s ability to own smartphones is inadequate literacy and digital skills. According to findings from the GSMA study, at least three-quarters of women who do not use mobile internet services in Ghana only have a primary school education or less. This coincides with the national gender ratio for completion of senior high school in the country; 68 girls for every 100 boys. Additionally, more than one-third of the women surveyed who do not use mobile internet attribute insufficient skills as a barrier to being digitally included.

“I do not know how to use the phone to make calls properly, how much more using the internet and or even visiting these government websites you are talking of,” a survey participant responded when asked why she didn’t use the country’s official payments website.

“My education is limited and I cannot send or read messages. So I feel I may make a mistake and make the wrong payment, so I do not take the risk of making payment on an e-government platform, where I might lose my money and not get my refund,” another participant shared.

Potential solutions to lessening the gap

While the Ghanaian government has taken some steps to reduce digital illiteracy with the launch of digital literacy initiatives, these initiatives frequently target younger people with the aim of getting them into the formal sector. This neglects people in the informal economy—the majority of which are women—who make up the bulk of the country’s workforce. For literacy training to have a wider impact, women in the informal sector must be focused on, with training programs scaled across the country. An example is the ICT Skills for Entrepreneurial Women Empowerment (ISEWE) which has trained 15,000 artisans (including hairdressers, tailors, market women, and mechanics) and 720 female entrepreneurs in basic digital skills. But while such initiatives have recorded some success in improving digital literacy, beneficiaries are often unable to practise new skills beyond the training sessions due to a lack of device ownership.

Another way to lessen the digital gender gap is through financial inclusion. Ghana has made significant progress in promoting financial inclusion in recent years, but not for women. The country has one of the most mature mobile money markets in the world and has a financial inclusion rate of 68.2%, one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite these impressive numbers, credit consumption remains appallingly low (only 13%), due to a lack of collateral and high interest rates on loans, which directly affect people in the informal economy.

Beyond giving women more control over their finances, financial inclusion can also give more women access to tools to expand their businesses and increase their purchasing power. Ghana has the highest number of female entrepreneurs in the world but the majority of them still operate at the small-scale level because they lack the resources and education to scale up. Financially empowering women puts them in better positions to participate more fully in the digital economy.

Unless the contributing factors behind the gender gap and digital exclusion, in general, are addressed, it will be impossible to drive large-scale adoption of e-government services. As the digital gender gap shrinks, Ghana’s digital economy policy will have a significant number of benefits for women.

To read the full report on Ghana’s e-Government services from Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSMA), download it here

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This report addresses: Science Fiction Evolution

While it's often associated with romantic dramas and high-energy musicals, the realm of science fiction has also found its place on the silver screen, thanks to the visionary directors who dared to explore the unknown.

Digital Desk
The Best Sci-Fi Directors in Bollywood | Image:Republic
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In the vast and dynamic landscape of Indian cinema, Bollywood has often been celebrated for its ability to traverse genres, captivate audiences, and push the boundaries of storytelling.

Mike Nicol is an incredible writer, who has published several series of best-sellers, but he had to start a writer’s academy running master classes, which, in turn, helps produce the next generation of writers, to create a sustainable career out of writing.

Published 1h ago

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Johannesburg - It is one of the enduring sadnesses in South Africa that few writers can make a living from writing – either fiction or non-fiction – unless their books get picked up internationally.

The Evolution of Dengue Virus:

The researchers studied the changes in the four serotypes of the dengue virus and observed how they have changed from their ancestral sequence.

A new multi-dimensional study by the team of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has revealed some new details about the virus and informed that the dengue virus has evolved over the last six decades.

This report addresses: Science Fiction Evolution

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Content: Advertisement

Updated February 19th, 2024 at 14:53 IST

The Best Sci-Fi Directors in Bollywood

Here, we delve into the realm of sci-fi and highlight some of the best directors in Bollywood who have ventured into this fascinating genre.

Digital Desk
The Best Sci-Fi Directors in Bollywood | Image:Republic
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In the vast and dynamic landscape of Indian cinema, Bollywood has often been celebrated for its ability to traverse genres, captivate audiences, and push the boundaries of storytelling. While it's often associated with romantic dramas and high-energy musicals, the realm of science fiction has also found its place on the silver screen, thanks to the visionary directors who dared to explore the unknown. Here, we delve into the realm of sci-fi and highlight some of the best directors in Bollywood who have ventured into this fascinating genre.

1.    Shekhar Kapur: Renowned for his groundbreaking work in films like "Mr. India" (1987) and "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro" (1983), Shekhar Kapur is a visionary director whose foray into science fiction with "Mr. India" left an indelible mark on Indian cinema. The film, blending elements of fantasy and sci-fi, introduced iconic characters like Mogambo and showcased innovative special effects for its time, earning Kapur acclaim as a pioneer in the genre.

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2.    Rakesh Roshan: Rakesh Roshan is a multifaceted filmmaker known for his versatility across genres. While he is celebrated for his work in family dramas and action thrillers, his venture into sci-fi with ‘‘Koi Mil Gaya’’ and the "Krrish" franchise has been monumental. Spanning multiple films, the series follows the journey of a superhero with extraordinary abilities, blending elements of science fiction with Indian mythology to create a unique cinematic universe that has captured the imagination of audiences.

3.    S. Shankar: With a penchant for grandeur and spectacle, S. Shankar is a director renowned for his ambitious vision and technical prowess. His venture into sci-fi with films like "Robot" (2010) and its sequel "2.0" (2018) pushed the boundaries of Indian cinema, featuring cutting-edge visual effects and exploring themes of artificial intelligence and the future of technology. Shankar's ability to seamlessly blend high-concept ideas with mass appeal has solidified his position as a trailblazer in Bollywood sci-fi.

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4.    Shailender Vyas:  Known as “The Christopher Nolan” of India, Shailender Vyas has made significant contributions to the sci-fi genre in Bollywood. His series "JL50" marked a significant departure from conventional Bollywood narratives, showcasing Shailender Vyas' willingness to challenge the status quo. His ability to blend genres and explore unconventional themes demonstrates a refreshing perspective within the sci-fi landscape. Vyas' contribution to the genre serves as a reminder of the importance of creative risk-taking in pushing cinematic boundaries.

5.    Vipul Amrutlal Shah: Vipul Amrutlal Shah is a director known for his diverse filmography, spanning genres from romantic comedies to action thrillers. His venture into sci-fi with "Action Replayy" (2010) offered a quirky twist on time travel, featuring a blend of retro aesthetics and futuristic concepts. While the film received mixed reviews, Shah's willingness to experiment within the sci-fi genre deserves recognition.

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6.    Anubhav Sinha: Anubhav Sinha has carved a niche for himself with socially relevant and thought-provoking cinema. While his filmography predominantly includes dramas and thrillers, his sci-fi venture "Ra.One" (2011) showcased his ambition to push the boundaries of storytelling. The film, featuring cutting-edge visual effects and exploring themes of virtual reality and gaming, marked a significant milestone in Bollywood's exploration of the sci-fi genre.

In conclusion, the realm of science fiction in Bollywood continues to evolve, thanks to the creative vision and innovation of directors like Shekhar Kapur, Rakesh Roshan, S. Shankar, Shailender Vyas, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, and Anubhav Sinha. Through their pioneering efforts, they have expanded the horizons of Indian cinema, captivating audiences with tales that transcend time and space, and leaving an indelible mark on the genre for generations to come.

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Published February 19th, 2024 at 14:53 IST

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Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

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Content: Saturday, May 20, 2023

Carping point: Life is tough enough for writers, even without the piracy

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Published 1h ago

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Johannesburg - It is one of the enduring sadnesses in South Africa that few writers can make a living from writing – either fiction or non-fiction – unless their books get picked up internationally. South Africa’s best-selling writers in either format can be listed on each hand – and there are more successful writers of non-fiction than fiction.

The only difference is the Afrikaans market which has an almost baked in loyalty and support system guaranteeing a sustainable income. Deon Meyer straddles both worlds but then, he’s one of a kind. He’s a colossus in the Afrikaans fiction market, his books are translated into English and sold here and overseas. He’s even made it into film.

Mike Nicol is an incredible writer, who has published several series of best-sellers, but he had to start a writer’s academy running master classes, which, in turn, helps produce the next generation of writers, to create a sustainable career out of writing.

The fact of the matter is that in South Africa, selling 3 000 copies is regarded by publishers as a best-seller. At 20% of the net selling price as your royalty, paid in tranches over 18 months, you’ll be lucky if you make as much as the national minimum wage.

But, sometimes, writers shoot the lights out. When Jake White’s Springboks won the World Cup in 2007, his ghosted memoir In Black & White had to go into reprint several times before Christmas. The last time local publishers had seen anything like it was when Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom – 13 years before.

The next great moment came when Jacques Pauw published The President’s Keepers in 2017. It helped create a new genre for local publishers. You could fill bookshelves with the books that detail just how this country has plummeted since Long Walk to Freedom was first published, from Killing Kebble to explaining the demise of Eskom when we thought Stage 2 load shedding was an infraction on our human rights.

Sometimes, the subjects themselves do the greatest marketing, like when ANC Youth League members were specially bussed into Sandton’s Exclusive Books to disrupt the launch of Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s Gangster State and burn the book.

But given how hard it is for the writers to take the personal risks they do and get into print, it’s incredibly galling to discover that their work is being pirated as fast as it is being published. It came to a head with viral PDFs of Pauw’s The President’s Keepers. This week, it was the turn of Andre de Ruyter and his memoir of his three years as Eskom CEO.

As celebrated author Darrel Bristow Bovey noted on Twitter: “It strikes me that the only times South Africans are so interested in a book that they share stolen pirated copies of it, the book is always about corruption and thievery – presumably something of which those South Africans disapprove.”

It is the bitterest, most quintessential South African irony. It has to stop. Delete the WhatsApp if you got it.

Buy the book instead. It’s the right thing to do.

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Content: Home / Science / Health /  Dengue virus has evolved to become more severe, reveals study, urges for vaccine development
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India reports thousands of dengue cases every year and many people lose their life due to the virus. A new multi-dimensional study by the team of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has revealed some new details about the virus and informed that the dengue virus has evolved over the last six decades. The study has also pointed towards the urgent need of a vaccine for the dengue virus.

The team of researchers conducted a computational analysis which revealed that the virus has grown exponentially in the past 50 years. The rise in the spread of the cases of the virus is especially noticed around South-East Asian counties.

"The reported dengue cases in 2018 have increased more than 25-fold (three-year average) since 2002 in India. All four geographical regions, namely–North, East, South, and West-Central India, show periodic spikes in dengue cases as well as deaths over 2–4 years. Comparing all published dengue sequences till 2018 from India, we find all four dengue serotypes co-circulating in the country since 2000," the researchers said in a study published in the journal PLOS PATHOGENS.

The Evolution of Dengue Virus:

The researchers studied the changes in the four serotypes of the dengue virus and observed how they have changed from their ancestral sequence.

The 408 genetic sequences of Indian dengue strains were examined during the research and the results reveal that the dengue virus has changed in a very complex manner. The strains of the virus are changing its patterns and the strains which were not very prevalent in India earlier, are spreading rapidly.

For example, the study mentions that until 2012, Dengue 1 and Dengue 3 were the dominant strains in India, but the situation changed in the past few years with Dengue 2 virus spreading rapidly and Dengue 4 also creating a separate space for itself in the region.

The research reveals that if a person is infected with two strains of the virus at the same time, the symptoms of the dengue virus can be severe. After primary infection from any of the strains of the virus, antibodies provide protection from other strains also for 2-3 years, but after that cross-serotype protection is lost.

The study finds that the new strains of the virus are very different from their ancestral sequence and there is an urgent need to develop a vaccine against the dengue virus.

Currently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting phase-3 trials of a vaccine candidate.

Read More: Climate change spurring surge in dengue, chikungunya: WHO

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
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