College Health Plans Respond as Transgender Students Gain Visibility

Maya sent in this article from the New York Times about colleges that now offer students health insurance plans with coverage for sex reassignment treatments. 

Educational Gender Gap in Afghanistan and the Impact of Razia Jan

If any of you have time, or are interested, check out the below link shown in today's Ath presentation on Razia Jan. Jan is the founder of "Ray of Hope," and the Zabuli Education Center, one of the first free private all-girls school in Afghanistan, where girls are provided education, support, communication skills, food, heat, clothing, and the like, when otherwise these opportunities (more like necessities) would not be feasible. Please take the time to read the attached story and watch the video, as the stories from some of the girls and from Razia herself are very moving. I strongly adhere to the notion that it is important to remind ourselves of the privileges we are granted, when education is something others die for. 

http://www.raziasrayofhope.org/videos.html ("What Tomorrow Brings" is the clip that was shown in the Ath this morning and I highly suggest it)

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/2012.heroes/razia.jan.html (The page talking about Razia Jan, a CNN Hero from 2012, and the exploration of this issue)

Monkeys Demonstrate that Gender Pay Gap is Unacceptable

A psychologist shows two monkeys getting different rewards for the same type of work.

This is the video of the monkey experiment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KSryJXDpZo


The more modest, conservative article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/gender-pay-gap-unacceptable-to-monkeys_n_2212488.html

The slightly inappropriate version of the article (warning-- profanity included):
http://jezebel.com/5964037/can-these-monkeys-solve-the-gender-pay-gap

Male Nurses Have Higher Pay

"The Census report points out that men have 'typically enjoyed higher wages and faster promotions in female-dominated occupations' – known as the 'glass escalator effect' (creating the effect that they are gliding past women as if on an escalator)."

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/male-nurses-becoming-more-commonplace-higher-paid-221330791.html

Government Approved Names

An Icelandic female was called "Girl" by government authorities because her name, Blaer, was considered too masculine. She has recently acquired approval to be called Blaer, which was not on the approved female name list.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21280101

South Korea's First Female President

Park Geun-hye was recently inaugurated as South Korea's first female president. This is an interesting article that discusses women being accepted into leadership roles as well as Park Geun-hye's political detachment on women's rights. Park Geun-hye's father was a former president of South Korea. He is quite controversial for he grew Korea's economy tremendously but also abused his power. It may be interesting to speculate about her father's influence in the recent election as well as the motives for her detachment on women's rights.

http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/south-koreas-new-president-may-be-female-she-no-womens-rights-crusader