US soccer and national teams reach agreement to close gender pay gap
In a historic win for women’s rights, US Soccer and both the women’s and men’s national teams have proclaimed a collective bargaining agreement to close the gender pay gap and ensure that each player, regardless of gender, will be paid equally. This collective bargaining agreement is the Read More...
Connecticut expands abortion rights to balance new wave of restrictions
In response to the surge of new measures to restrict abortion access and in some cases imposing criminal penalties on those who perform them, lawmakers in Connecticut approved a bill that would expand the kinds of medical practitioners who can offer abortion services within the state and protect Read More...
Indonesia outlaws sexual abuse and forced marriage
Here at The Optimist Daily, we are passionate about proclaiming victories for human rights around the world. We have paid special attention to the globally shifting attitudes around child marriage and forced marriage practices. Now, we can joyfully report that Indonesia passed a bill that, for the Read More...
All-women news source launches in Somalia to cover inequality
Journalism used to be called the Fourth Estate, referring to its political and societal influence within a country. It has the power to expose injustices and sound a call to action from the people. Finding solutions to endemic problems often starts by identifying them in the media. For a fair Read More...
Reproductive justice: Colombia decriminalizes abortion
Following in the footsteps of Latin American countries such as Mexico and Argentina, Colombia’s constitutional court ruled five against four to decriminalize abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, as reported by The Guardian. Prior to this motion, abortion in Colombia was only Read More...
Words matter: Sunil Jaglan is on a mission to stop sexist swearing in India
In India, as in many other places, several profanities are inherently sexist and target or shame women. Even though each region’s swear words may sound distinct from each other, one thing remains the same—they are misogynistic in nature. The common use of these words makes it clear that most Read More...
The Philippines bans child marriage to help stop child abuse
According to a report issued last year by the United Nations Children’s Fund, more than half a billion girls and women across the globe were married as children, meaning under the age of majority (18). The areas with the highest rates of child marriage are found in sub-Saharan Africa and South Read More...
New Zealand approves paid leave for miscarriage
Led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand has spearheaded progressive women’s rights policies with free menstrual products in schools and landmark pay equity laws. Now, the country is expanding upon its public health policies surrounding reproductive rights and has unanimously approved a Read More...
Finland proposes law to help close the gender wage gap
As part of a bid to help close the wage gap between men and women, the Finnish government is planning to put a new law into motion that allows workers to see what their colleagues are earning if they feel as though they may be experiencing discrimination in the workplace. The Organization for Read More...
Benin becomes the first West African country to legalize abortion
On October 20, after a long and grueling parliamentary session, Benin became the first West African country to legally provide access to safe abortion. Before, abortion was only permitted if the pregnancy endangered the life of the pregnant woman, was the result of rape, or was conceived in an Read More...