Quick Hits
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Asian Americans have a unique experience in the U.S. as a so-called‘model minority group.’ Discrimination against Asians is often overlooked due to their success in some metrics like education attainment or median income. But a joint study from the Harvard Business Review and the Ascend Foundation found that while Asians are the most-likely demographic to be hired into white-collar jobs, they are the least likely of all races to be promoted to management positions. Harvard Business Review
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In other unsettling news, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is set to expire at the end of September. VAWA, which was originally authored by Joe Biden and signed into law by Bill Clinton, was the first federal act to recognize domestic violence as a serious crime. House Democrats have introduced a measure to reauthorize it, but House lawmakers will only have a few weeks to make it happen once their recess is over on September 4. Huffington Post
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Ten years after its cancellation, Veronica Mars, the cult-classic drama about everyone’s favorite teen detective (sorry, Nancy Drew) is getting an eight-episode revival on Hulu. Veronica Mars rode the tail-end of the 90’s/2000’s teen girl-power trend on TV (think back to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess) and we’re more than happy to welcome Veronica and her witty, feminist ways back on our screens. Marie Claire
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While we’re talking TV, be sure to tune in to (or set your DVR for) the OWN channel tomorrow to catch the debut of award-winning Selma director Ava Duvernay’s much-anticipated short film entitled August 28. The film will focus on six significant events that occurred in the Black community on this date throughout history, starting with the murder of Emmett Till on August 28, 1955 and ending with Barack Obama’s presidential nomination acceptance on August 28, 2008. Marie Claire
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A woman at the Federal Housing Finance Agency alleges that director Melvin Watt held up her request for equal pay as he harassed her and attempted to draw her into a relationship. Truly disgusting — thankfully, she’s got it all on tape. NPR
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The Massachusetts woman who claims to have been sexually harassed by Mario Batali (she’s one of several) has officially filed a suit against him. Batali was fired from The Chew last year and admitted in a previous statement that “there is no question I have behaved terribly.” The New York Times
How Sexist is Your State?
Researchers from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the National University of Singapore have been asking just that. Using data from the General Social Survey, which measures American attitudes, they studied factors such as working parents, opinions on women in politics, and gender roles in romantic partnerships — and came up with a list ranking the states from most to least sexist. Coming out on top (more like the bottom, really) Arkansas wins first prize for misogyny, and is closely followed by Utah, Alabama, West Virginia, and Tennessee. New Hampshire was found to be the least sexist, with Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont, and Connecticut trailing only slightly behind. Overall, the researchers found that sexism festers most heavily in the Southeast and is least potent in New England and the West.
These findings are significant, because the study also found that where a woman grows up has a big impact on her future success. Women that grow up in more sexist areas get paid less, leave the workforce more often, marry earlier, and have children at younger ages than women who grew up in less sexist environments. And this phenomena continues to impact women even after they relocate to a more equal state, proving that misogyny runs deep internally, and can be hard to shake. Hello Giggles
Around the World
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Women in the United Kingdom will now be able to take early abortion pills in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Previously, women had been required to come into a clinic two days in a row to take the pills under the supervision of a physician. This caused problems for patients both in terms of access and health; it was difficult for some women to make it to the clinic if it was far away and some women who took the pills would experience the effects of the medication, like heavy cramping and bleeding, before they could make their way home. The New York Times
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Scotland will become the first country in the world to offer free sanitary products to all students. A recent survey conducted by Young Scot found that one in four student respondents in Scotland faced problems accessing sanitary products. The Guardian
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In the face of a rising sexual assault epidemic, Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent four years researching women’s issues to inform its newly released Feminist Foreign Policy handbook outlining how governments can better protect and support their women populace. The Globe Post
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Didi Chuxing, a ride-sharing service that is China’s equivalent of Uber, has suspended operations after a second female passenger was killed in three months. The New York Times
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On a more optimistic note, woman entrepreneurship in China is rising. South China Morning Post
