In an effort to help women escape from abusive households and gain financial independence, the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association has given 41 women interest-free micro-loans since 2009. Ranging, on average, from $200-$800, these loans not only provide temporary financial security for women who have recently fled hostile home environments, but they also help to build and/or improve their credit scores.

A piece by the New York Times this month exposes a striking gender inequity in the fields of computer science and engineering. Numbers have long ago proven that investing in women as tech entrepreneurs is good for the bottom line, and that co-ed ventures in computer and software engineering tend to be the most successful. And yet, women continue to be scarce in this professional field…

Today is Equal Pay Day 2010: Meaning that Tuesday, April 20, 2010 symbolizes how far into 2010 women must work to earn what men earned in 2009.

Protesting in the name of women’s rights, hundreds of Yemeni women gathered in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital city, to persuade the government to pass a new bill that would ban marriage to a child under 17 years old. As approximately half of Yemeni girls are married by the age of 18, and some as early as nine, the child marriage bill has sparked an intense debate among the bill’s supporters, the government, and the religious opposition, who claim the bill violates the laws of Islam.

After a long period of disputes, street protests, and a whole-scale government intervention, women judges can finally celebrate this week’s constitutional ruling: for the first time, women judges can join the benches of Egypt’s top administrative courts. While many see this as a success story for gender equality in the workplace, others see it as a cause for great concern.

The recent return of Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan’s southern provinces has also marked a return to many of the dangerous tactics utilized to restrict women’s access to education. Despite the devastatingly violent acts targeting many Afghan schools, especially the female students, it has been reported that hundreds of women are participating in underground education programs across the Zabul province.

Shockingly, one woman is killed by a relative or partner every month, according to Violence Against Women in Wales. Furthermore, the Home Office reports that “around 10,000 women in England and Wales are sexually assaulted and 2,000 are raped every week” [1]. From these alarming statistics, it is clear that something must be changed in regard to how the topics of women and violence are perceived and responded to.

Abortion is a topic that has elicited great debate in countries all around the world, and recently has been the object of dispute in Kenya. Because of the country’s highly restrictive regulations, many women and children are resorting to backstreet clinics to receive the medical procedure. Located in garbage-ridden slums, the conditions are incredibly unsafe, as normal household objects such as knitting needles and wire hangers are being used, resulting in unbearable infections, and in many cases, death.

WCI President Marjorie Margolies has been featured in the news recently to discuss the politics behind the pending healthcare vote. Click on the links below to see Marjorie in action, or read her op-ed for the Washington Post below.

Join us for a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women.This event will embody the decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. The evening’s festivities include comedic and musical performances by female artists and opportunities to learn about organizations promoting the empowerment of women. Refreshments and live music follow the performances.