An Overview of Women's Rights Today

Women can finally go to school and choose careers

The successes of women's rights today

The world is quickly evolving especially in regard to women and there are monumental changes that are still occurring.In the past women were not able to vote and had no political rights,they were forced into marriage,they could not own money but women’s rights today have drastically changed.It would be hard to place ourselves in the shoes of those women of the past.It is further difficult to even imagine what they went through with men being considered superior to women,a thought which in turn provoked the Feminism movement.

Today the levels of equality have increased.For example Countries such as France and Iceland have improved the levels of women’s equality with both sexes having equal levels of income. Income disparities have reduced and the wage gaps between men and women has been reduced.In addition,various laws against sex discrimination and for the equal treatment of women have been passed over the years.

Women have also achieved great levels of equality in education.Equality of men and women within the family has also been witnessed. More women are now working outside the home and therefore resulting to equality between husbands and wives within the family and home. Wives today are more likely to have a larger voice in family decisions.

Why women’s right are still an unfinished business

Even though there are various successes women have achieved there are still many challenges that women face.There are countries where women still oppressed and women’s rights have not yet been embrassed.

For example developing countries do not have the same gender equality as developed countries because their social growth is instead going at a slower pace.An example is Afghanistan where a woman’s average life expectancy is forty-five years because of the high percentages of HIV/AIDS positive people and also the high levels of women dying during child birth.Its further saddening that in developing countries a woman dies every thirty seconds during childbirth.

In countries like Saudi Arabia its still illegal for any woman to drive.In other countries such as Mali ,it is so common that women are sold off for money if they fail to get married at a young age .There are no laws that prevent this degrading acts and this countries are therefore considered weak when compared to developed countries such as America where a lot has changed for women in the past decades.For example women in the U.S can now vote whereas this was a harsh reality for them in the early 1900.The success of women’s rights in the U.S has been accredited to the feminism movement.

Gender Prejudice and Discrimination: Examples of Areas in Which Women Face Prejudice and Discrimination Today

Discrimination against women is very prevalent in the society.Women are traditionally referred to as the weaker sex and are therefore discriminated on the basis of their sex and gender.However,the United nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women has pushed for the protection of women from discrimination.The convention has defined discrimination against women as a violation of the principles of equality and respect to human dignity.It is an obstacle to the participation of women on equal terms with men in the political ,social and economic development of their countries.Discrimination hampers the growth and prosperity of the society and the family.Discrimination against women is fundamentally unjust and constitutes an offense against human dignity.

Areas in which women face discrimination

• The education sector-Women have often been discriminated against by being denied equal conditions of access to, and study in, educational institutions such as universities and vocational, technical and professional schools.They have also been denied equal opportunities to benefit from scholarships and other study grants and access to programmes of continuing education.In addition young girls would traditionally stay at home and help in household chores while the boys went to school

• At work,institutions and companies- Women have been paid less than men for the same amount of work.They have been excluded from getting certain jobs and been denied promotions on the basis of their gender.

• In Politics and Elections- Some countries have discriminated women and denied them their right to vote and take part in political affairs.Whereas men in this countries are allowed to vote,women cannot do so since their traditional role is to stay at home and take care of the family.

• In marriage - Women should enter into marriage only with their free and full consent but sometimes this is never the case.Whereas men have a choice of who they want to marry, women and young girls have no say and are sometimes forced into marriage and they therefore have no free choice of a spouse.

• In divorce- Women are in some instances denied their right to equal division of property during a divorce.Traditionally once a woman got married the property would belong to her husband and in the event of a divorce,the husband would carry all the property and leave the wife with little or no property

• In inheritance- In some only men are allowed to inherit their parent’s properties and women are not allowed to do so.A father in most cases would give land to his sons and leave the daughters with none

• In decision making- In most families men are said to be the head of the house and the woman is traditionally supposed to be submissive.This is often translated to mean that the mans words are final and the woman has to go with that without voicing her opinions.A woman cannot also decide on the number of children she wants to have since the man is the one who is traditionally supposed to determine the number of children she should have.

Gender Inequality in the Workplace: What Rights do Women Have at Work?

Today women enjoy most freedoms that men enjoy.Many women have now joined the work force to work as doctors, teachers,lawyers,engineers, designers, truck drivers and many other professions.However, discrimination against women still exists in various forms, especially in the workplace. Women should therefore know their rights as workers and take responsibility to stop the violation of this rights in the workplace.

History of women's right to work

For a long time women had been denied the right to work as their role was to stay at home and take care of the family.Cultural practices restricted women from entering and participating in the workforce. They were therefore economically dependent on men, and this consequently resulted to women having a poor socio- economic status.Later on during the world war I and II women were employed in large numbers because men were few.However,there was too much discrimination in the workforce such as women being paid less and being fired when they got pregnant

Importance of women's right at work

Various laws in regard to women’s right to work have been put in place and make it illegal for employers to exclude qualified women from any available position. This is because employers would often hire qualified men and deny women the positions even though they had qualified.As a result of women’s right to work,women can now sue their employer if they feel that their employer has in any way secluded them from a position based on their gender.In the past,female employees would be paid lower than their male colleagues for the same position.Women can now go to court and sue their employers if they have proof that their male colleagues are being paid higher for the same position.Women’s right to work also help increase the status of women in the workplace.

• Right to work while pregnant.An employer should demote or fire a woman due to pregnancy,childbirth or pregnancy related illnesses as long as she can perform satisfactorily.Pregnant women in addition have a right to breastfeed at work and go for maternity.

• The right to be protected from sexual harassment.No employee or employer of any company where a woman works should sexually harass the woman in any way.Sexual harassment includes sexual comments, touching or making unwanted sexual advances.

• The right to equal pay.Women have a right to be paid equally with their male workmate for the same position.

• The right to be protected from network discrimination- Most recruiters of high status jobs are often men who hire other men and exclude women.Employers should not exclude female employees from any available positions as long as they are qualified wherein recruiters for high-status jobs are generally men who hire other men.

Benefits of women's rights to work

Workplace rights help women enjoy freedom to work in any position of their choice.They can be lawyers ,doctors,mechanics,drivers or even become executives of large companies .The society also benefits from the women’s right to work because when the financial status of a woman increases,the welfare of her family,children and the nation also increases.

Radical Feminism: A demand for change rather than women's equality

Unlike Liberal feminism which focuses on equal opportunities for women,radical feminism support change.Radical Feminism broke away from the Marxist feminism due to the frustration as a result of failure to applysocial class in analyzing gender oppression.They launched whole scale onslaught on the man and considered him the enemy and demanded radical transformation of the oppressive gender relations.Their slogan”The personal is political” empowers women to analyze their lives as partand parcel of common experiences in patriachial society.They further put sexuality and reproduction and partriachy at the centre of political arena and changes women political consciousness.Gender, production, reproduction are the four domains of social life.

The concept of partriachy differentiates theforces maintaining gender oppression and discrimination from other social forces such as capitalism or socialism.Partriachy is a specific form of male domination based on thepowerful role of a further trend.In many communities however,the power of male is founded on their collective adult maleness as depicted by men’s lives,warfare and initiation ceremonies.This communities are highly oppressive to women but not partriachal.However, in matrilineal societies women do not necessarily have significant social authority.Male supremacy rather than patriarchy is the definition for social system where there is riid gender division of labor.Gender studies shouldtherefore cover male supremacy as well as patriarchy.

The kingship system for example is a system of classification and status which regularly contradict actual genetic relationships.An analysis of gender oppression concludes that the essence of kingship system was rooted to the exchange of women between men.To levi Strauss women were the most preciousgift and exchanged during marriage thus rendering them powerless.The system gives men powers to organize women and through exchange men are made the beneficiaries.Women are in no position to give themselves away but must be disposed off.Women are sent as tribute,given in marriage,traded,taken in battle, bought or sold, a practice that existed from colonial times but are only merely pronounced in the modern society.Men are also trafficked but only as shares, athletic stars,serfs rather than as womenUnlike the liberal feminists who want equal education opportunities, the radicals challengethe quantity of education being offered.

The demand for changes in the curriculum.Studies in Botswana and Tanzania indicate new educational stereotyping in contributing to marginalization of women.For instance the pictures in textbooks reinforce gender stereotyping.In literature books too,men are portrayed as heroes and women as helpless individuals who can easily be manipulated.The school environment too also contributes to gender inequalities and biases which impacton female academic achievement.Boys from well educated and high status families are more likely to do well unlike girls where not thefamilies social class and status which necessarily contribute to performance but more basic factors such as career aspirations.Nursing,clerical work etc is viewed as female jobs while scientific,technical and production related are viewed as male occupations.Men have been seen as more suited to politics and law.The views on classification of gender were shared by both male and female students coming from both rural and urban women trended households and upper class homes.Girls from upper class homes have more liberal views on division of labour in the family.Liberals fight for equal access to health while radicals argue that helath services must empower women.Medcalisation of health services has rendered women particularly poorones and powerless in controlling their bodies and health.Reproductive rates are therefore particularly curtailed as it is a necessary prerequisite for women to control their own health and bodies.

The Botswana parliament after a heated debate passed the penal code amendment bill or the abortion bill in 1991.The amendments are to the effect that abortion is legala) When the pregnancy is as a result of rape,incest or defilement.b) When a child is likely to be born with a serious physical or mental disease or abnormality.c) When the physical or mental health of a woman is endangered by the pregnancy.The amendment bill falls short of increasing women’s control over their bodies.Increased rights were the agenda but women were highlyimpressed by what appeared at first glance to be a very progressive move.

Liberal Feminism: A demand to women's equal opportunities and participation in the management of the society

Liberal feminism dates back in the 18th century as a result of critical socio-economic transformation in the 18th Century.Liberal feminists such as Mary Wollerstone craft,aired viewpoints against women, which are damaging and discriminatory.Liberal feminists demand equal opportunities and participation in the management of the society through legal reforms,increased participation in the political origins,education and training.The emergence of legal feminism as a theory was as a result of two critical socio-economic transformation.

The transformations include
1.Industrial revolution-This created structural changes in the methods of production and social relationships.Traditional paterns declined in Europe especially England and France.This led to the emergence of a powerful class which challenged feudal and aristocratic classes.This social classes began to question their place in the developing capitalist system.Consequently feminist thinking was influenced by the bourgious revolutions,which had led to the growth of political ideas based on equality.
2.The 18th century was characterized by politics of confrontation with absolute monarchies, aristocracy and political oppression.Liberal feminists aspirations for women's political equality was fueled bin the capitalist US and France by the very democratic political ideas.This resulted to evolution and spread of the suffragettes movements in the UK and USA.Liberal feminism has never questioned structural inequalities in the society and despite having fought for the rights and opportunities for a long time.It doesn’t adequately challenge new feminists views of inequality neither does it pinpoint relations between the sexes as specific power relations.It therefore tends to perpetuate the status quo.

It however has had a greater impact on development strategies and blends well in the modernization of paradigm especially in south Africa.The oppression between modernization paradigm which has had a very narrow and static perception of development process considered as having resulted from primitiveness of the African culture and social values.Most anthropological studies were located within the modernization paradigm.This modernization of the economy was considered necessary for the liberation of women because it was supposed to have led to the introduction of new values and social norms and ideas in favor of women’s liberation.

Nationalist governments have challenged anthropological approaches to gender issues,nationalization did provide a point of departure to Liberal feminism but nationalist parties and governments encouraged the creation of women’s party wings whose function was to mobilize support for the male dominated politics.They have encouraged and created women’s wings of the dominant political parties whose thrust is to solicit support for the male dominated societies.Liberal feminists in the national framework have been fighting for redistribution of health,work,education ,legal status and higher standards of living.They maintain that education is unfair to females since it limits their access and retention in certain fields.Education for girls and women is thus considered an investment and probably higher economic returns than boys and men especially in production and health.Liberal feminists have further compromised women’s rights to access to productive assetsand right to life and liberty for welfare oriented services.

They have ignored the gender inequities and instead concentrated child rearing roles of women.Ignorance about existing unequal divisions of labor contributes to the increased workload, which has been a major subject of criticism by feminists who have been challenging liberal feminism.There is an equity approach,which is the welfare approach on women's issues.The latter ignores the structural gender inequities and consequently demand a rare radical transformation of gender relations through theequity approach.Equity challenges existing societal injustices and existing discriminatory legal systems.It also recognizes that women are active participants in the development process but have been marginalized in production and reproduction resulting in income inequalities.In 1970,the world bank changed its policy fromenhancing economic growth per se to reduction of poverty.This has its limitations as most projects have only increased the woman’s backlog thus little attention has beenpaid to issues of social justice,empowerment and equal entitlement of women.The liberal feminists have been criticized y the radical feminists.

Socialist and Marxist Feminism: A demand for the liberation of women

This scholars of this school of thought attributes women’s oppression to social class,race and ethnicity.The liberation of women is therefore the liberation of oppressive social class relations.Fredrick Engel’s theory of Originof the family locates women’s oppression in the inability to participate in the public sphere.The assumption that liberation of women from domestic to public sphere would automatically contribute to the liberation in every sense of the word was misplaced.In both the capitalist and socialist,it didn’t since women occupied a low paid job.Reproduction concept has been proposed as an antithesist of the familiar concept of production.

The debate links production to the economy and reproduction to the sexual system.Production and reproduction however take place in both systems ie. In every mode ofproduction involves reproduction of labor,social class and technology.For example the replacement of machinery is an example ofreproduction in the economy.The formation of Gender identity is an example of production in the domain of gender system but not all multi- variations of social reproduction can be attributed to the gender system.Gender system is the domain of social life.

The Marxist feminist participation in reproduction/production debate is summarized as:
1.Women are a reserve labor force of capitalism.Their lower wages provides surplus to the capitalist employer.They serve capitalism interest through management of family consumption.The underlying link between productive and reproductive activity operates on at least 3levels i.e structural, community and household levels.Structural factors refer to political,economic and social factors that pertain in each state in the region.Community factors apply to localized situations in a specific geographic location.Household dimensions refer to unique situations within individual homes.
2.There is a relationship between housework and the reproduction of labor.Several researchers have according to the Marxists that women’s work is not valued as recognized.They cite the fact that women’s social reproductive functions such as unpaid child care,domestic work, care for the aged and so forth are vital for the regions economies.Housework is not perceived as work by male dominated society since no wage is paid for it. Marxists ultimately consider women’s labor as contributing to the final quantity of surplus value realized after surplus value is derived from unpaid labor of the worker.The broad economic picture should include women in theformal sector or subsistence farming.This women belong to the lowest social strata bandsuffer from numerous difficulties such as poverty,access to credit,social harassment.inadequate information,dissemination network etc.Education researchers argue that the reproduction considers schools as photocopiers.Schooling in the capitalist section is considered as reinforcing social inequities and solidifying social class structure.It also maintains a workforce divided by social class.Schools also confirm identities of success and failure.This ensures that the mass of future employer labor force accepts its low position in the overall labor process.One variant views schools as producers.This approach maintains that schools so not only reproduce but go further to provide social class system.This view is supported by developing countries.Regional and gender differences are produced by universal access to primary education.Traditional division of labor too has been broken down by the absence of men in the rural sector.Women’s workload has increased dramatically and most women found themselves in the informal sector while those in the formal sector were concentrated at lower levels.The contradiction is evident to Marxists that liberation of women from public employment would automatically lead to their liberation.The male dominated socialist states have not changed the situation of women but merely adjusted it to suit the needs of socialism.Female headed households is a dilemma which faces feminists from all walks of life.Marxist feminists on the ability of the traditional Marxism to contribute to women's liberation by allocating class oppression in the specific socio- cultural milieu.They believe socialism can improve conditions of women but not liberation from men.Interaction between class,gender and race or ethnicity has been one of the greatest challenges of Marxist feminist in the region.Marxist feminist has been particularly attractive to feminist scholars challenging male white dominated ideologies and demanding development of black feminist theories.

Role of women’s movements and affirmative action

Role of women’s movements in enhancing women's participation in political decision making

Women organizations have provided a platform for women’s participation in the political process.Women leaders who have been active in political organizations have builtup courage to seek the electorate vote.Women's movements thus play a role in outgrowing the traditional perception by women.The boldness and courage amazed at the organizations catapults omen forward to seek greater leadership shots.The movements have also served to educate women on their rights.As a result of this the women have increasingly become aware of their rights and thus are therefore in a better position to venture into politics without reservations.Women’s movements serve to empower women economically especially at grass root levels ,where they engage in income generating projects.As a result this serves as aforum for liberating women from dependence on men.

The women thus become more confident and can openly exercise their freedom especially politically.Women candidates must endeavor to make themselves visible and utilize whatever means available to ensure their election and nomination, and the rest of the women movements need to lobby parties to exercise affirmative action rather than discriminate against the few women candidates.Others not in politics must support women candidates particularly towards giving them visibility through organizations,election monitoring wearing gender lenses.Women movements also ought to build the capacity of women delegated in the art of lobbying and negotiating at constitutional conferences so as to ensure that new constitutions have adequate and non contradictory provisions for women's rights and justice,on mattes of ownership,control,representation and decision making.

Affirmative action as a strategy
Affirmative action is a deliberate policy adopted by a government for the good, any historically disadvantaged groups of the society.It originated from united states to address imbalance arising from slavery and segregation.The term was coined by president Lyndon B Johnson in 1965.He said that federal contractors should take affirmative action to ensure federal employees would be treated without regard to race ,colour,sex or nation of origin.Subsequently in 1969, president Nixon instituted a policy on affirmative action under which contractors seeking federal finding had to ensure that minorities were adequately represented in the workplace.A lot of understandings have existed over the policy and myths have arisen over the same.Inthe United states it is said it is for the benefit of the minorities and thus a preferential treatment .The truth is it has been used for thebenefit of the minorities as well as the majorities.More precisely, affirmative action is positive discrimination and not preferential treatment.Indeed affirmative action is equal treatment because people of unequal positions are given treatment that would put them at per with more advantaged persons antthus achieve equality.This has succeeded in education,employment among others.In the united states,affirmative action is defined to mean a series of programs which include special efforts to promote women and minorities in the united states who had been excluded from the mainstream of participation in that countries sphere.Affirmative action plan identifies jobs in which women are least employed and ensures they are employed in sufficient numbers.Affirmative action received a lot of critics example from muslim women thus posing a threat to the quest for liberation.

Women and money: The top 11 Smart Financial tips for Women

Turn Your Financial Life Around
Why do a lot of women give their financial security to their spouse or significant other and by doing so allow death to lead them into poverty?Why do a lot of women spend more money than they earn and later become mired into debt?Most women that tend to make smart money choices are known to be assertive,open to change and have an optimistic outlook .It is believed that our problems with money are often a sign of problems in our lives and relationships.When we work on money issues, many other problems tend to take care of themselves or when we work on other problems,majority of our money problems takecare of themselves.For a lot of people, money is an emotionally charged issue.It sometimes represents power,love,or control especially when it comes to relationships.Our beliefs concerning money and our emotional attachments to money, strongly influences the ways in which we spend and also handle money.If you are not exactly where you ought to be financially, try and study what drives you emotionally on issues of money.Also try to figure out the psychological blocks that are keeping you from becoming financially independent.Before you read the below tips,have a look at the importance of being financially independent through this hub :Why women who are not financially independent are likely to face violence.Below are some of the most important things women should do for themselves and their financial future:

1.Never rely on someone else, for instance a boyfriend or husband for your financial security.Author of the book "Prince not so charming" says that women make a great mistake of giving control of their money to the men in their lives.Then when they end up single, like most do, maybe as a result of death or divorce,they aren't in a good position to take control of their finances.She encourages women to manage their finances in each and every stage of their life.
2. Set goals- Setting financial goals and building a financial plan is the key to financial success.Always write your financial goals on apaper and be specific as to when you want to get there and what you are planning to do to make it happen.
3. Never use money to make yourself feel awesome/good.Do things that promote your creativity and self respect so that you don’t necessarily have to seek those feelings through spending a lot of money.
4. Always be involved in the everyday management of your family's finances and also talk about money with your spouse. If youwill not allocate time to manage your money, you will in the long run not have any money to manage.Take time to track your money.Otherwise money gets frittered away if its not managed.
5. Get an education- Women with college degrees make more money than those withoutdegrees.Education generally expands your mind as well as your earning potential.In addition,always educate yourself about investing and money management.
6. Get an emergency fund.This will prevent youfrom getting into a financial hole that might be difficult if not impossible to get your way out incase you loose your job or incur a large bill thatcould force you to take a heavy credit debt card.7. Don’t take your spouses or partners debt when you get married.It is advisable to wait until both of you are out of debt before saying Ido or you can protect yourself with a pre-nuptial agreement.8. Never spend more than you earn- This is one of the greatest secrets to creating wealth.You cant always have it all.Choose a fancy lifestyle and still like to become that millionaire next door.Live below your means if you plan to be one.
9. Never let the fear of the unknown,fear of loosing money or fear of failure stop you from investing.10. Shop smart- Going for shopping without a list will definitely cost you more than when youshop with one.Shopping with a list is important as it will help you live below your means and helps you avoid impulse buying.Forexample you can make a list of those items you must have in your wardrobe: the number of bloused,jackets,jeans and shoes.Say goodbye to recreational shopping, and hello to increased savings.11. Learn from the mistakes you have made in regard to money.Don't let this mistakes hobbleyou.Your financial security is all dependent on yourbeliefs,attitudes about money and your willingness to take your financial future into your hands.

Safety Tips for Women: How to Protect Yourself

Women are known to be vulnerable and this is a major factor that contributes to the instances of crime against women.In most cases the culprits who commit the crimes against women are weaker.Knowing some basic safety rules is important especially in this era where the world can be quite a scary place to live in.

• Importance of knowing this safety rules

Knowing some safety rules can help you keep yourself safe and can help you feel confident when you are out and about be it in the streets,travelling,at home alone or when in danger.They are meant to empower you.

Below are some of the safety rules that you will find in this article.

1. 8 ways to protect yourself from sexual assault.
2. 15 ways to protect yourself from domestic violence and abuse in relationships.
3. 14 safety tips for women living alone.
4. 14 safety tips for women travelling alone(solo female travellers).
5. 11 ways to protect yourself from being stalked.

8 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Rape and Sexual Assault

Sexaul assault is on the rise throughout the world and affects millions of people majorly women.
Below are some ways you can reduce the likelihood of being sexually assaulted.

1. Always trust your gut and instincts.If you feel you are not comfortable with someone or your sorrounding isn't comfortable,just get away from that person or place.Perpetrators normally act in a way that you will feel uncomfortable thats why it's important that you listen and trust your gut.If you are walking and you feel like somebody is intentionally following you,try and get to a safer place for example a nearby shop or mall.
2. If you are out for a party ,always stay with your friends and let them know when your leaving to go somewhere.
3. Don't take too much alcohol while at a party
4. If your going to receive a phone call or visit the rest rooms, don't leave your drink unattended and then come back and drink it.Somebody may put drugs into your drink and end up sexually assaulting you once you get unconscious.
5. When walking alone, always be aware of your sorrounding.Use your senses of sight and listening.Pay attention to everything that is happening around you ,and don't use earphones while walking.You will most likely get a way out of a bad situation if you know where you are and who is around you.
6. If you are going out on a date, alert your friends where you are going and if you don't know the person you will be meeting well,don't agree to go to a secluded or private venue.
7. Be physically resistance such as self defense tactics and use also verbal attacks like yelling,screaming shouting.
8. Avoid isolated areas because you won't get help in case of anything.

15 Ways to Protect Yourself From Domestic Violence or an Abusive Relationship

• What is Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is violence or abusive behaviour in a relationship/marriage.Domestic violence is not physical violence alone.It can also be verbal ,sexual, emotional or psychological abuse.Most women find it hard to get out of an abusive relationship because the abusers usually use psychological tactics, threats and coercion so that they can make their partners stay.So how do you protect yourself from someone who wants to abuse you physically,emotionally,sexually or verbally?

• 15 Ways women can protect themselves from domestic violence and abusive relationships

1. .Be alert for any signs or red flags that show the abuser may be getting upset.
2. Avoid places where you can be trapped such as the bathroom where it might be hard for you to leave.Avoid the kitchen where the abuser can grab a knife and find a room with doors and windows so that you can leave if the situation gets worse.Identify places in the house that are safe and where you can go the moment you notice your partner's behavior is getting worse
3. Think of some people who do care about you so that you can contact them immediately.This includes people who are geographically close to you but they are also far enough from the threatening situation, so that they can house you plus your children temporarily, and also store personal items for you.
4. If you get time with the kids,talk to them about how they can keep themselves safe if the situation worsens.For instance they can call an emergency number or run to a neighbours house.
5. If the situation is getting worse, don't go where the children are because the abuser might harm them.
6. Get out of the house if you are in a position to because it could take some time before the police respond to your call. If possible, you can run to a neighbor’s house for safety but make sure you let the police know where you are goingvto be so that the officers can find you.
7. Call emergency services such as police emergency number.Call the number when you are in a safe place.Tell the officers that you are in danger and need someone to come rescue you at your home or the place you went to for safety.
8. Have an extra set of house and car keys.
9. Make sure you turn off GPS/location services on your mobile phone so that the abuser cannot track you down.
10. Always have a memorized list of emergency contacts.Ask several people you know you can trust if you can contact them incase of danger or need assistance. Also have in memory the phone numbers and addresses of organizations and people who are willing to help you,
11. Pack an emergency escape bag.The bag should contain things such as clothes, cash, supplies, prescribed medication,copies of important papers ( IDs, birth certificates, passports, etc.) and a list of important contacts.
12. Open a bank account in your own name so that the abuser doesn't maintain their control financially.
13. When a man hits you for the first time,don't wait for him to change.In most cases he won't and a majority of physical abusers end up doing more harm like using a knife to cut/chop off some body part or to kill.
14. Don't wear scarves or jewellery because they might be used by the abuser to strangle you.
15. Change all your passwords and usernames because your abuser may have installed a keylogger on your laptop/home computer and this would have made him know the passwords for your online accounts.Make sure your Facebook,Instagram and other social media accounts are privatized and the abuser cannot see who you might be with or where you are

Bonus.

• After you leave seek a personal protection/restraining order from the court which will help protect you and your children from your abuse
• Stay away from those places your abuser is likely to find you or look for you.

Scared to Live Alone? 14 Safety Tips for Women Living Alone

Living alone can be scary especially for single women living alone for the first time.Some women are generally fearful and feel uneasy about living alone. Below are some safety tips for those who are scared to live alone.

1. Choose your environment or where you choose to live wisely.Get an apartment in an area that is secure and safe.It would be better that you spend more in transport and housing and you are assured of security, than get a cheaper apartment and end up risking your life.Live in an environment that doesn't have too much history of crime.
2. Mind your company.Be careful of who you give and trust your information with.Information such as where you live,an area or a neighbourhood,whether you have roommates,whether you have a live in spouse should be shared with extreme caution.Don't invite people until you know them well.
3. Be cautious of those men you let into your life because most of the problems are brought about by romantic partners or those that are hoping to be one.
4. Invest in security and surveillance systems such as cameras.Some cameras can focus on both the inside and outside of the house and be viewed on your mobile phone from any location.
5. Interact with your neighbours and get to know them because they can watch your home when you are away and they can also alert you when strangers are in your home.Don't open the door for strangers not unless you were expecting them.
6. Avoid meeting people at your home especially people you don't know too well or people you are meeting for the first time.You can meet them in public places such as coffee houses or restaurants.
7. Don't stay late at night regularly if you are alone.You are likely to meet criminals late at night who might follow you to your home especially if you are driving a car.
8. Always keep your doors and windows closed.
9. Invest in good locks and bolts and make it hard for burglars to enter tour home
10. Keep your window blinds/curtains closed when you are away so people can't see what's inside the house and avoid using curtains that are transparent.You don't want people seeing your expensive household items like that expensive TV screen.
11. Get a dog.There are dogs that are used for protection.This dogs can help you know when there is someone around because they hear faster than we do.
12. Don't leave your keys hidden because most criminals know where to find them.
13. If you are not at home,always live some light somewhere.There are some devices that switch the lights on and off at different times.
14. Don't put so much information on your social media accounts especially about your whereabouts or when you will be living to visit another town.

Workplace Rights during Pregnancy

Right to work while pregnant

Workplace Rights During Pregnancy
Pregnant women deserve to be treated equally and fairly by their employer.They should not bediscriminated or treated differently. This means that employers should not also create conditions that discriminate against women ormake them feel unwelcome because they are pregnant.Below is a guideline on the rights of awoman during the period of pregnancy.1. Pregnant women should be treated like any other employee.It is illegal for your employer todiscriminate a woman because of childbirth,pregnancy, or pregnancy related conditions. Pregnancy should instead be treated like a temporary medical condition that comes and goes.2. No woman should be forced to take leave . As long as a female employee can perform the tasks assigned to her, she should not be forced to take leave while she is pregnant. In case an employee is absent from work because of a pregnancy related condition, the employer should not force her to remain on leave until the baby's birth.3. No woman should be fired because she is pregnant.As long as the pregnant female employee can perform the major functions of her job ,an employer should not fire, deny a job or a promotion to a woman because of her pregnancy or pregnancy related conditions.
4.Pregnant women have a right to the same benefits that other employees with medical conditions receive. Pregnant women should beoffered the same level of medical benefits, leave, and temporary disability insurance that are given to employees who have other medical conditions or disabilities.Pregnant woman taking time away from work to get a medical checkup5. Pregnant women should be provided with a flexible work schedule so as to accommodate their needs.Pregnant women require a flexible work schedule.This may include flexible working hours, time off for medical checkup, orarranging for the employee to work from home.
6. Pregnant women can take maternity leave before the baby is born.If a pregnant woman is physically unable to work due to pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, she can take a maternity leave while still pregnant.7. A pregnant woman is entitled to have her duties at her work place changed if her pregnancy no longer allows her to perform parts of her job. For instance, if a pregnant store clerk who is restricted from lifting more than fifteen pounds due to some health reasons, cannot be asked to carry boxes heavier than that weight. The employer should instead request another employee who may beable to do this task temporarily to do it. The pregnant employee should then be given additional but less physically demanding tasksin exchange for not carrying heavy boxes.
8. A single mothers should be treated equally with married mothers.This means that they should not be denied the standard benefitsdue to their marital status.Benefits related to pregnancy cannot be limited to only married employees.Right to breastfeed at workWoman breastfeeding her child at work

Workplace Rights After Pregnancy
Even after pregnancy, women deserve to be treated fairly by their employer. After a pregnancy a woman should not be fired on the grounds of childbirth or breastfeeding. She has a right to return back to her job.The employee should also be reign-stated to the position she was in before her pregnancy.The employer should therefore lay off one of the junior employees and place the returning employee to her position.Lastly, employers should not deny women the right to breastfeed in work or in public, or refuse to accommodate breastfeeding at the workplace. They should permit female employees to have their infants brought in to be breastfed in the workplace or allow the pregnant woman to take time to breastfeed outside the workplace.

Where's my period? Reasons for Late or Missed Periods

Most women hate and dread that time of the month when they have to have their periods,accompanied by also some discomforts and pain but as much as we hate them we all love them equally because they area sign that you are not pregnant but also a signthat your body is functioning properly.Missing your monthly period whereas you are not pregnant can therefore raise curiosity and cause anxiety over if your health as a woman isreally okay.Having a constant menstrual periodis known as menorrhea wheras the lack of constant monthly period is known as amennorhea.If your periods don't appear on time,you could try to go for a pregnancy test.But if you know or it turns out that you are not pregnant then the reasons below could be the cause of your late or missed periods.
Types of amennrohea (missed periods)-

Primary amennorhea
This is when a girl has reached the age of 15 or puberty but hasn't started her periods.This may be due to delay in puberty development among other things such as congenital absential of the uterus.

Secondary amennorhea
This occurs at a certain stage when a womans periods suddenly begin to stopoften for a period of three monthsWhat causes lack or delayed of periods?Lack of periods means that you have a condition known as amennorhea.But for it to be termed as amennorhea one has to have missed their periods for a period of three months or more.There are various reasons why you may have missed your monthly or menstrual period.One of the common reasons why you could be having late,delayed or missed periods is that you could be pregnant.Once a woman gets pregnant,her periods stop coming since the process of ovulation stops until she delivers.If you suspect that you are pregnant then it would bewise to first confirm this by going for a pregnancy test.If you are sure you are not pregnant then there are several other reasons as listed below that could have caused the delay in your ppregnancy.

Reasons for lack or delayed of periods other than pregnancy
1.Hormonal imbalance2. Stress and worryToo much stress and worry can distract the ovulation process.Try and check with your doctor how you can possibly relax and drop your stress levels.3. Weather and climate changeSometimes changing locations for instance moving from a hot region to a cold region could cause your body hormones to react negatively hence a delay in your periods.4. Change of schedulesThis happens in cases where one moves from working on a night schedule to a day schedule.If this is your case,try getting back toour normal schedule or if this is no longer possible wait until your next period when your body will have adjusted to your new schedule and your periods will probably be back to normal.5. Dieting weight lossSudden weight loss and dieting can lead to missed periods as your body tries to adjust to your new weight.If this is the case, wait until your body has adjusted to your new weight and see if your next periods will come back to normal.6. Excess exerciseToo much exercise can lead to hormonal imbalances which result to missed or irregular periods.If you suspect this is the case,reduce the rate at which you are exercising and make your exercising moderate.7. ContraceptivesCertain contraceptives do sometimes interfere with ovulation hence if you are using any method of oral contraceptions,you could check with your doctor if they could be the cause of delayed or missing periods.8. MedicationsThere are certain medications that can cause hormonal imbalance .If you are on any medications check with a pharmacist or a doctor if the medications have any side effects9. BreastfeedingBreastfeeding in certain cases interferes with ovulation.10. Peri menopauseYour periods could skip months before comingif you are about to reach menopause.menopause.11. MenopauseThis is the stage when a woman's body stops ovulating and this means that your periods stop compeletely.This mostly happens when one is around the age of 40.

What to do if you miss your periods
1. Go for a pregnancy test.If you are not pregnant then go to the next step2. If you miss your periods for just a couple of weeks wait until your next period to see if they will start coming again.Maybe you were stressed out and they could come back when you are not stressed or if you are in a new environment then you wait till your body adjusts to the new environment.3. If they do not come or you have other symptoms beyond you can't understand,you need to see a doctor for medical checkup.Tests to determine the reasons why you missed your periodsThe following tests will help determine why your periods are late or why you missed them.1.Going for a physical examination- This involves having a physical checkup for any physical problems including checking on your weight and if you have other problems such asgalactoria(milk production)2.Going for blood tests- Prolactin,tsh,fsh3.Progesteron challenge test- it is also known as provera to check if you will bleed after the test.

Is there a time you ever got worried when your periods delayed?

What the bible says about women's rights

Many people today have turned to the bible to find out what it says about women’s rights andthe roles of women in general.In many societies,the bible has often been seen to be “anti-women”.But a closer look at it and how women are depicted in the bible potrays a very different picture.Though the bible does not.Some of the rights about women that can be seen in the bible are:• Right to equality- According to Genesis,Men and women were made in God’s image and made them equal custodian of all his creations. According to Galatians 3:26-29, we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Meaning there is neither slave nor free, Jew nor Greek,male nor female, because we are all one in Christ Jesus.• Right to work- Most cultures consider the womans role to be at home but we see some women like Deborah playing roles outside the home.Deborah was a judge and judges at that time acted as governors of land and would also rule in legislative,military and judicial matters• Right to vote and take leadership positions- Women in the bible have in several occasions held strong positions.For example Esther was put in a place where her influence could help Israel.• Right to protection from violence,torture,slavery,discrimination- While women are often discriminated against and also undergo through various acts of torture and violence(wife beating,rape,female circumcision),this acts do not display love for one another.Jesus advocated that we should love one another as we love ourselves.He was against acts such as murder,stealing among others which would cause harm to another person.Though the bible does not directly say that women should have this or that right like we come out today to proclaim, there are various scriptures which show that women in the bibledid have this rights that women today are being denied.What the old testament says about women’s rights GenesisMajority of the bible teachings about women are found in Genesis.Interpreting the Genesis creation story literally or figuratively doesn’t matter because God’s the intentions by God for men and women are clearly spelled out.

The woman was created by God as a "helper" for the man:In Genesis 2:18 God said that It is not good for the man to be alone and he therefore made him a suitable helper which is the man.However being a "helper" does not mean that the woman was inferior or lesser to the man. Infact,The Hebrew word for helper which is `ezer, is used to describe God, Himself, according to Psalms 33:20, 70:5, 115:9-11. No one is therefore inferior because God created both men and women in His own image. He also made them equal custodians of all His creation.Man was created in the likeness of God.According to Genesis 5:1-2, when they were both created he called them “man”.Later on Adam and Eve, disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and God punished them and later kicked them out of the garden.As a result of this God gave a lifetime punishment to the woman by increasing pain in child bearing.He also gave power to the man to rule over her.Adam was also punished because of listening to his wife by eating from the forbidden tree.As a result of Adams sin, the ground was cursed and man would also painfully sweat/toil/work to get his daily food all the days of his life.(Genesis 3:16-19)It is however not clear in what sense the husband was to rule over his wife.This has been the subject of much debate.

 Despite howEve's punishment was originally intended, this verses are necessary in helping us understand the Biblical teachings about women.It is God himself who imposed the punishments on both Adam and Eve.By doing so, God did not reduce women to inferior status.Neither did He command men to rule harshly over their wives. However, in the course of history, some people have argued that God's punishment of Eve was enough to justify the degradation and subjugation of women.When you compare other cultures to that of Jewish women, Jewish women often enjoyed a lot of liberty and esteem.Many women were distinguished as prophetesses and leaders in Jewish community. Women such as Deborah,Sarah, Esther, Hannah,Rahab, Jochebed, Miriam, Noadiah, Rachel, Rebekah, Ruth and Huldah played important and decisive roles in the history of Israel.The bible also supports equality of men and women through the Ten Commandments which require children to honor both their father and mother.(Exodus 20:12)

What the new testament says about women’s rights
By the time of Jesus, women in the New Testament did not have the high status or as much freedom as they enjoyed in the old testament era.The Jewish society by then had become male-dominated and women were considered to be inferior,being assigned almost the same status as slaves.They were mostly confined to domestic duties and could not take up any leadership roles.Mary and ElizabethDespite women not having a high status in the new testament,Mary and Elizabeth were models of faithfulness and virtue. Mary who was the mother of Jesus, did put aside her doubts,fears and shame to take on the role of mother of the Messiah. She above all things place her whole trust in God (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth who was the mother of John the Baptist, also put her faith in God (Luke 1:39-45).

Jesus on women’s rights
Jesus' attitude towards women was totally different from the historical and customary attitudes about women at the time. Women usually stayed home and attended to domesticduties. However, as Jesus was traveling with his disciples ,he did not segregate them but heinstead also allowed them to travel with Him (Luke 8:1-3).Those who were really Jews did not actually speak to Samaritans, and definitely not to Samaritan women. However,Jesus at one time did have a long conversation with a Samaritan woman when he was at Jacob's well that led to her conversion (John 4:4-30, 39-42).In addition,Jewish women were not educated and neither were they allowed to take part in any active role in the matters of religion. But Mary who was Martha's sister sat at the feet ofJesus in the role of a disciple while Jesus was teaching her. Jesus also suggested that Martha does the same (Luke 10:38-42).Some of the women who were famous among the followers of Jesus were for example Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Joanna,Salome, Susanna among others.During the crucifixion of Jesus after all His apostles had fled in terror, some women even remained with Jesus to comfort Him.(Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41).Among the first to people to discover that Jesus had risen from the dead was Mary Magdalene and other (Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-11 ;Mark 16:1-7).Sometimes people argue that Jesus appointedonly men as His twelve apostles, and this is therefore a sign of women being of a secondary status. But this was because Jesussent His disciples out to spread the gospel to the world, look for food and shelter where they could find it.In the process they would face great danger and maybe become Matyrs. This roles would not have been considered appropriate for women in Biblical times just as it would not be considered appropriate today.

Women and Money: How single ladies can make charge of their Finances

Advice for single ladies looking to increase their salary, save for retirement and more.Gone are those days when a woman couldn’t have a say on money matters and needed her father's permission to get a mortgage or go to college to get her degree.Thanks to the advancement of women's rights and a spirit of independence in women.Below are some financial areas women in which single women should think about and have a strategy for working through them.Pay equalityWhereas women earn lower than men,women are quite hesitant to negotiate their salaries.They should come out and stop being afraid to negotiate their salaries.Both single and married women earn less on average than men though this has improved with time.The census report shows that women earned 77cents for every one dollar men earned in the year 2012 which is better compared to the 66cents earned in 1960.President Barrack Obama mentioned that despite the improvement, the wage discrepancy is still an embarassment that is happening in 2014.If you as a woman don’t negotiate on you salaries, that is going to have an impact on your earnings for the rest of your career.Catey Hill, the author of “Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl’s Guide to Spending Less and Saving More,” agrees that. “Most women end up with very good grades, but once they go to the negotiating table, they low ball themselves."


Real estate
In the past homes were mainly purchased by men but the number of women that are purchasing homes is now increasing though a lot of women still aren't diversifying their money.More women are needed to buy real estate which is a worthwhile financial investment.Real estateIn the past homes were mainly purchased by men but the number of women that are purchasing homes is now increasing though a lot of women still aren't diversifying their money.More women are needed to buy real estate which is a worthwhile financial investment.
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