Solidaritas #135
More Australians now think gender equality has gone 'too far'
Good morning!
Solidaritas is a fortnightly newsletter about women’s rights, feminism, and gender in Asia and the Pacific, covering the entirety of this huge region: from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the west to Kiribati and Cook Islands in the east.
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In solidarity,
- Kate
Afghanistan
The International Cricket Council has finally agreed to support the Afghan women’s cricket team, providing them with much needed recognition and assistance.
The BBC speaks to girls and women forced to turn to low-paying income generating activities like carpet weaving after the Taliban banned them from going to school.
Australia
Australia is in the middle of a federal election campaign. ANU’s Global Women in Leadership puts forward its analysis of women and the election here, concluding that “The 2025 federal election sees some progress in gender and diversity representation compared to last election, but the ‘glass cliff’ effect remains a significant barrier for female candidates.”
What are federal politicians promising for domestic violence prevention this election?
According to research to be published later this week by the ANU, the views of women and men in Australia are becoming more divided. Researchers found the number of people who believe Australia has gone "too far" in promoting equality has doubled to 19 per cent. Intifar Chowdhury responds, arguing (probably correctly) that young men simply feel short-changed and we need to support them better.
Health practitioners will now have proven findings of sexual misconduct permanently listed on their public registration, giving patients the ability to make more informed choices about who they seek care from.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh's influential Islamist coalition has demanded the abolition of a government Women's Commission.
Indonesia
In West Java’s coastal villages, once-dry land is being flooded by the tides due to rising sea levels. Mongabay meets local women to see how they are adapting.
India
Kashmir has launched free bus services for women.
Women's cricket is booming in India but why are all the coaches still male?
India's unicorns are scaling rapidly, but less than 10% of C-suite roles are held by women.
Japan
A same-sex couple in Japan is seeking legal change due to their daughter not gaining Japanese citizenship because her birth mother is American by citizenship.
Malaysia
Sex education in Malaysia must be given more serious attention through a comprehensive approach that involves schools, parents, and various government agencies, says the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development:
She stressed that sex education should no longer be treated as a taboo subject, but rather recognised as a crucial element in shaping values and protecting children and adolescents, particularly in today’s increasingly digital world.
Myanmar
For Myanmar’s LGBTQIA+ community, the fight for dignity and survival has turned into a major crisis:
The 2024 Conscription Law, implemented amid increasing political instability, has forced queer individuals into a cycle of fear, discrimination, and oppression. What was once a struggle for equality has now become a desperate attempt to escape a system designed to erase their existence.
UNFPA on women’s and girls’ needs following the huge earthquake earlier this month.
Regional
How are women resisting authoritarianism in Afghanistan, Iran, and Myanmar? ABC Radio National takes a look.
Solomon Islands
ABC meets one of the first women to qualify as a surf instructor in the Solomon Islands as she and her team use their passion for surfing to empower girls by challenging stereotypes about men and women.
South Korea
As more South Korean men perceive marriage as unattainable, their politics disfavour gender equality and reinforce sexism. These attitudes likely make marriage less appealing to women, which in turn fuels backlash among men:
Economic and status anxiety play a crucial role in shaping attitudes toward gender equality, but not always in expected ways. Improving a young man’s status or removing his financial struggles does not necessarily translate to greater support for gender-equality policies. Improvements in his economic position could translate to gender backlash if his perceived status fails to keep pace with his aspirations. The status aspiration gap—the distance between where young men see themselves and where they believe they should be—emerges as a powerful predictor of resistance to gender-equality initiatives. Those with a wider gap are significantly less supportive of gender-equity policies and show substantially higher levels of both hostile and modern sexism.
Several incidents of male university students posting videos of themselves running after female students at night – presented as a supposedly comedic attempt to help them get home safely – have sparked public outrage in South Korea, with critics arguing that they trivialise women’s fear of being followed by strangers.
Taiwan
A student advocacy group has found that all 17 of Taiwan’s universities are falling short in areas such as support for LGBTQ students and the functioning of legally required gender equity committees.
Tuvalu
Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo says discriminatory laws and cultural norms continue to be obstacles to full gender equality in the nation.
Vietnam
An increasing number of Vietnamese women are choosing to freeze their eggs as knowledge of the process becomes more widespread.