Swagata Sen
A clinical researcher by profession, I am an advocate of gender equality and women’s rights. I have created Rights of Equality to dismantle institutionalized gender discrimination and harmful social practices through systemic changes. Over the last few years, our contributors from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds were able to voice their concerns about a range of issues that are oppressive to women across the world. We are hopeful that our efforts will help promote awareness and contribute to changing mindsets and shifting cultures about gender roles and norms.
Economic Abuse and the Importance of Financial Literacy For Women
Women around the world face unique challenges and obstacles when it comes to building wealth or assets and earning or saving money. Historically women have been excluded from financial decision-making. In many parts of the world, women still have restricted access to higher education or employment. Worldwide, a huge number of women stay out of the…
Major Drivers of Femicide, A Global Pandemic
Femicide is the systematic killing of women and girls because of their gender. The word “femicide” was first coined in the 1970s by Diana Russell, and is defined as “the killing of women because they are women.” This definition includes all forms of gender-based violence against women, including domestic violence, honor killings, acid attacks, and forced marriage. It is…
From Iran to France: When will Men Stop Telling Women How to Dress?
The recent unrest and demonstration in Iran followed by the death of Mahsa Amini under the custody of moral police invoke the age-old debate on what and how women should wear. The 22-year-old woman was arrested by the moral police for allegedly violating the dress code for women. Be it the mandatory dress code in Iran,…
Feminism and the Advocacy of Women’s Rights: Why Are these Relevant Today?
Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. The term “feminism” was first used in the late 19th century in association with…
Menstruation Equity: We Can Do Better
The term ‘Menstrual Equity’ is used to describe menstruation as a driver of social and economic inequality resulting from staggering menstruation poverty, taboos, and stigma associated with menstruation. Period Poverty and Stigma: Hundreds of millions of girls and women across the world do not have access to hygienic sanitary products, clean and private toilets or clean…
Decriminalization of Abortion in Mexico Might have a Ripple Effect Across Latin America and Beyond
On September 7, 2021, the Supreme Court of Mexico in a historic decision, has unanimously ruled that abortion is no longer a crime in Mexico. This decision set an important precedent across the whole country and possibly across Latin America. Describing the decision as “a watershed in the history of the rights of all women, especially the…
Growing Gender Inequality in India: Slips 28 Spots in The Global Gender Gap Index
Discrimination against women and girls has always been a ubiquitous phenomenon of Indian society. India’s progress towards gender parity measured by the World Economic Forum in 2021 is greatly discouraging. India ranks 140 of 156 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2021 by the World Economic Forum. It has slipped 28 spots compared to the…
A Significant Decline in Women’s Political Representation: World Economic Forum
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021 by the World Economic Forum, there has been a significant decline recently in women’s political representation. The gender gap in politics is the widest out of the four key areas studied – Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. The Global Gender Gap…
A Critical Point To Think About Gender Leadership Gap
The lack of representation of women in leadership positions in both public and private sectors or gender leadership gap is a subject of research. In the United States, women hold only 19 per cent of board seats, 15 per cent of executive officer positions in Fortune 500 companies. The number of female CEOs at…
Acid Attacks on Women in India: Why We Failed to Tackle It?
Acid attacks have been defined as a form of violence, in which acid or another corrosive substance is thrown at a person – usually, a woman or a girl – with the intention of maiming, torturing, or killing them(Action Aid, 2020). Women make up 80% of acid attack victims making these types of attacks highly gendered…
