In early 2020, Awa had just turned 15 years old when she heard that her marriage was being arranged. Escaping it seemed difficult, but Awa found the courage to defy her father’s decision. Her small village in Mali had a committee for the prevention of early marriage, and she took her case to them. This body of respected people presented Awa’s father with all the arguments against early marriage and managed to convince him. It is to help the cause of young girls like Awa that the European Union supports this committee and many other projects in this area around the world.

Our goal as EU is for everyone to have the same power to shape society and their own lives. We are putting it black on white in our third Gender Action Plan, adopted on 24 November calling for a gender-equal world. Now, due to the significant setback that COVID-19 has brought on the global work on equality and as we watch civil society organisations, including women’s and LGBTIQ organisations facing shrinking civic and democratic space, stepping up in building gender-equal world is more important than ever.

Awa’s story is similar to those of many girls around the world who manage to gain control over their lives and stand up to gender-based inequalities and discrimination. They have a voice, they drive change, and they have the European Union by their side to support. Because women’s rights are human rights and because gender equality is a non-negotiable value of the EU, a value which should be reflected in EU’s external action and in the design of all EU development programmes.

It is with EU support that Tufahah Amin, Aziza Al-Hassi and Amine Kashrouda developed an application for online education in Benghazi. And that the Gaziantep Women Platform was launched last year to help more women participate in Syria’s political process. It is in the framework of the EU supported Digital2Equal initiative for online platforms that 15,000 women in India will get training in hospitality skills and can improve their earnings.

The challenges to gender equality are as varied as the contexts in which they emerge and call for context-specific responses whether through multilateral fora, dialogues with partner countries to EU policy proposals or financing of concrete projects. Through our programmes on education, we aim to help more girls attend, learn and think of themselves as future drivers of change. We believe that education is also one of the most powerful ways of putting an end to isolation and abuse, for there is no exit option without economic self-sufficiency. We are embracing the notion of human security and integrating gender equality into our training programmes for EU crisis management operations, for example in the EUCAP Sahel Mali programme for internal security forces (EU Capacity Building Mission).&nbsp;

During the coronavirus pandemic the level of gender-based violence increased significantly and the EU partnered with the United Nations to offer shelters and helplines, and to give lifeline support to women’s grassroots organisations. The gender- and age-sensitive measures and mitigating the risks of gender-based violence are part of the DNA of our Team Europe global response to COVID-19. Yet beyond immediate action, we must remain aware of the challenges facing women in a shrinking labour market and shifting global economy. &nbsp;But challenges also bring opportunities. We celebrate the fact that women and girls are increasingly taking part in shaping global transformations, with new generations active in grassroots movements for a green and just transition, equal rights for all, democracy, and for peaceful and inclusive societies. Positive change is possible and the post-COVID-19 recovery must be an opportunity to address structural inequalities and build more inclusive societies. Underscoring women’s role in the green and digital transitions ahead is key.

Change is still needed. This year it is 25 years since the Beijing Declaration on women’s rights and 20 years since UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security were adopted. While progress has been achieved since, not a single country in the world is on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. Not even Europe, as revealed by the European Institute for Gender Equality´s recent update of the gender equality index. Too many women still do not have access to resources, essential social services and equal power. The call for more action is therefore immediate.

The EU’s Gender Action Plan is not a paper exercise. It is a call for action, with concrete measures. &nbsp;We want to empower more women and girls, in all their diversity, to be economic, political, or environmental actors and leaders. We want to continue integrating Women, Peace and Security in the broader gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda. We want to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights and make gender-responsive leadership the norm in the EU institutions, leading by example. &nbsp;

We believe that gender equality deserves to be put at the heart of European policies. Not only because a gender-equal, fair and inclusive world means a more prosperous and safer world for all of us, but because we see gender equality is an objective in its own right and a mission for Europe, at home and abroad.&nbsp;

(Josep Borrell is High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Jutta Urpilainen is EU Commissioner for International Partnerships. The joint OpEd has been written exclusively for WION.)

In early 2020, Awa had just turned 15 years old when she heard that her marriage was being arranged. Escaping it seemed difficult, but Awa found the courage to defy her father’s decision.

In early 2020, Awa had just turned 15 years old when she heard that her marriage was being arranged. Escaping it seemed difficult, but Awa found the courage to defy her father’s decision. Her small village in Mali had a committee for the prevention of early marriage, and she took her case to them. This body of respected people presented Awa’s father with all the arguments against early marriage and managed to convince him. It is to help the cause of young girls like Awa that the European Union supports this committee and many other projects in this area around the world. Our goal as EU is for everyone to have the same power to shape society and their own lives. We are putting it black on white in our third Gender Action Plan, adopted on 24 November calling for a gender-equal world. Now, due to the significant setback that COVID-19 has brought on the global work on equality and as we watch civil society organisations, including women’s and LGBTIQ organisations facing shrinking civic and democratic space, stepping up in building gender-equal world is more important than ever. Awa’s story is similar to those of many girls around the world who manage to gain control over their lives and stand up to gender-based inequalities and discrimination. They have a voice, they drive change, and they have the European Union by their side to support. Because women’s rights are human rights and because gender equality is a non-negotiable value of the EU, a value which should be reflected in EU’s external action and in the design of all EU development programmes. It is with EU support that Tufahah Amin, Aziza Al-Hassi and Amine Kashrouda developed an application for online education in Benghazi. And that the Gaziantep Women Platform was launched last year to help more women participate in Syria’s political process. It is in the framework of the EU supported Digital2Equal initiative for online platforms that 15,000 women in India will get training in hospitality skills and can improve their earnings. The challenges to gender equality are as varied as the contexts in which they emerge and call for context-specific responses whether through multilateral fora, dialogues with partner countries to EU policy proposals or financing of concrete projects. Through our programmes on education, we aim to help more girls attend, learn and think of themselves as future drivers of change. We believe that education is also one of the most powerful ways of putting an end to isolation and abuse, for there is no exit option without economic self-sufficiency. We are embracing the notion of human security and integrating gender equality into our training programmes for EU crisis management operations, for example in the EUCAP Sahel Mali programme for internal security forces (EU Capacity Building Mission). During the coronavirus pandemic the level of gender-based violence increased significantly and the EU partnered with the United Nations to offer shelters and helplines, and to give lifeline support to women’s grassroots organisations. The gender- and age-sensitive measures and mitigating the risks of gender-based violence are part of the DNA of our Team Europe global response to COVID-19. Yet beyond immediate action, we must remain aware of the challenges facing women in a shrinking labour market and shifting global economy. But challenges also bring opportunities. We celebrate the fact that women and girls are increasingly taking part in shaping global transformations, with new generations active in grassroots movements for a green and just transition, equal rights for all, democracy, and for peaceful and inclusive societies. Positive change is possible and the post-COVID-19 recovery must be an opportunity to address structural inequalities and build more inclusive societies. Underscoring women’s role in the green and digital transitions ahead is key. Change is still needed. This year it is 25 years since the Beijing Declaration on women’s rights and 20 years since UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security were adopted. While progress has been achieved since, not a single country in the world is on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. Not even Europe, as revealed by the European Institute for Gender Equality´s recent update of the gender equality index. Too many women still do not have access to resources, essential social services and equal power. The call for more action is therefore immediate. The EU’s Gender Action Plan is not a paper exercise. It is a call for action, with concrete measures. We want to empower more women and girls, in all their diversity, to be economic, political, or environmental actors and leaders. We want to continue integrating Women, Peace and Security in the broader gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda. We want to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights and make gender-responsive leadership the norm in the EU institutions, leading by example. We believe that gender equality deserves to be put at the heart of European policies. Not only because a gender-equal, fair and inclusive world means a more prosperous and safer world for all of us, but because we see gender equality is an objective in its own right and a mission for Europe, at home and abroad. (Josep Borrell is High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Jutta Urpilainen is EU Commissioner for International Partnerships. The joint OpEd has been written exclusively for WION.)

Towards a gender-equal world: A mission for all

Judit Polgar might be the one woman in the world who knows how Beth, the heroine of the hit Netflix series 'The Queen’s Gambit,' really feels. Like Beth, Polgar, who is from Hungary, stood out during her career because she regularly beat the world’s top players, including Garry Kasparov, in 2002, when he was ranked No&nbsp;1.

Polgar, the only woman to ever be ranked in the Top 10 or to play for the overall world championship, retired from competitive chess in 2014. Watching the series, which she described as an “incredible performance,” gave her a sense of déjà vu, particularly in the later episodes.

But there was one respect in which she could not identify with Beth’s experience: how the male competitors treated her.

“They were too nice to her,” Polgar said. When Polgar was proving herself and rising in the world rankings, the men often made disparaging comments about her ability and sometimes jokes, which they thought were funny but were actually hurtful, she said.

And no one ever resigned to her, as Shapkin did to Beth in Episode 7 by gallantly holding her hand near his lips.

“There were opponents who refused to shake hands,” she recalled. “There was one who hit his head on the board after he lost.”

Not every woman has had negative experiences. Irina Krush, who won her eighth US&nbsp;Women’s Championship last month, said she felt as if the chess community and men in particular were supportive of her when she was an up-and-coming player. She said of the series, “The spirit of what they are showing conforms to my experience.”

Whether what happens to Beth is typical or not, the popularity of 'The Queen’s Gambit' has inspired anew a debate about inequality and sexism in chess and what, if anything, can be done about them.

Though chess would seem like one area where men and women should be able to compete on equal footing, historically, few women have been able to do so. Among the more than 1,700 regular grandmasters worldwide, only 37, including Polgar and Krush, are women. Currently, only one woman, Hou Yifan of China, ranks in the Top 100, at No&nbsp;88, and she has been playing infrequently, even before the pandemic.

The superiority of men in the game is so well established that the best female players have freely acknowledged it. In a recent issue of Mint, in an article titled 'Why Women Lose at Chess,' Koneru Humpy, an Indian player currently ranked No&nbsp;3 among women, said men are just better players. “It’s proven,” she said. “You have to accept it.”

The dearth of women at the top of the game is one reason that there are separate tournaments for women, including a world championship; the World Chess Federation even created titles for women, such as women grandmaster.

Having such institutionalized, second-class status might seem like a bad idea, but not according to Anastasiya Karlovich, a grandmaster who was the press officer for the World Chess Federation for several years. She said the women’s titles permit more female players to earn a living as professionals, thereby increasing their participation in the game.

Karlovich said the Netflix show has helped her indirectly: It has made the parents of her chess students look at her differently.

“They have more respect for me. They understand better the life of a player,” she said.

While some men have speculated that the reason there are so few top female players is because they are not wired for it — Kasparov once said that it is not in their nature — women think the overriding reason is cultural expectations and bias.

Krush said the cultural cleaving between boys and girls happens at a young age. Scrolling through lists of the top players in the United States who are 7, 8 and 9, Krush pointed out that there are only a handful of girls in the Top 10.

That creates and reinforces another problem that discourages women’s participation: too few social contacts. Jennifer Shahade, a two-time U.S. women’s champion who has written two books about women in chess ('Chess Bitch' and 'Play Like a Girl!') and is the women’s program director at the US Chess Federation, said teenage girls tend to stop playing chess because there are so few of them and they want the social support. That Beth is a loner is likely an important reason she does not quit playing in tournaments.

Of 74,000 members in total, the US Chess Federation said it has about 10,500 female members. Shahade wants to increase that number, as well as their participation. To that end, she and the federation started an online chess club in April to keep female players engaged during the pandemic. In the last few weeks, there have been between 80 and 140 participants, with quite a few older players. The last meeting also had a special guest: Kasparov, who has become a big booster of women’s chess since his retirement from competition in 2005. He was also a consultant on the Netflix series.

To keep the momentum going, Shahade is launching a new online group called the “Madwoman’s Book Club.” The title refers to a pejorative name used for the queen in the 15th and 16th centuries after it became the most powerful piece on the board. The first meeting, this Friday, already has 100 people signed up.

The subject of the discussion should come as no surprise: 'The Queen’s Gambit'&nbsp;by Walter Tevis, the book on which the Netflix series is based. 
&nbsp;

Judit Polgar might be the one woman in the world who knows how Beth, the heroine of the hit Netflix series 'The Queen’s Gambit,' really feels. Like Beth, Polgar, who is from Hungary, stood out during her career because she regularly beat the world’s top players, including Garry Kasparov, in 2002, when he was ranked No 1.

Judit Polgar might be the one woman in the world who knows how Beth, the heroine of the hit Netflix series 'The Queen’s Gambit,' really feels. Like Beth, Polgar, who is from Hungary, stood out during her career because she regularly beat the world’s top players, including Garry Kasparov, in 2002, when he was ranked No 1. Polgar, the only woman to ever be ranked in the Top 10 or to play for the overall world championship, retired from competitive chess in 2014. Watching the series, which she described as an “incredible performance,” gave her a sense of déjà vu, particularly in the later episodes. But there was one respect in which she could not identify with Beth’s experience: how the male competitors treated her. “They were too nice to her,” Polgar said. When Polgar was proving herself and rising in the world rankings, the men often made disparaging comments about her ability and sometimes jokes, which they thought were funny but were actually hurtful, she said. And no one ever resigned to her, as Shapkin did to Beth in Episode 7 by gallantly holding her hand near his lips. “There were opponents who refused to shake hands,” she recalled. “There was one who hit his head on the board after he lost.” Not every woman has had negative experiences. Irina Krush, who won her eighth US Women’s Championship last month, said she felt as if the chess community and men in particular were supportive of her when she was an up-and-coming player. She said of the series, “The spirit of what they are showing conforms to my experience.” Whether what happens to Beth is typical or not, the popularity of 'The Queen’s Gambit' has inspired anew a debate about inequality and sexism in chess and what, if anything, can be done about them. Though chess would seem like one area where men and women should be able to compete on equal footing, historically, few women have been able to do so. Among the more than 1,700 regular grandmasters worldwide, only 37, including Polgar and Krush, are women. Currently, only one woman, Hou Yifan of China, ranks in the Top 100, at No 88, and she has been playing infrequently, even before the pandemic. The superiority of men in the game is so well established that the best female players have freely acknowledged it. In a recent issue of Mint, in an article titled 'Why Women Lose at Chess,' Koneru Humpy, an Indian player currently ranked No 3 among women, said men are just better players. “It’s proven,” she said. “You have to accept it.” The dearth of women at the top of the game is one reason that there are separate tournaments for women, including a world championship; the World Chess Federation even created titles for women, such as women grandmaster. Having such institutionalized, second-class status might seem like a bad idea, but not according to Anastasiya Karlovich, a grandmaster who was the press officer for the World Chess Federation for several years. She said the women’s titles permit more female players to earn a living as professionals, thereby increasing their participation in the game. Karlovich said the Netflix show has helped her indirectly: It has made the parents of her chess students look at her differently. “They have more respect for me. They understand better the life of a player,” she said. While some men have speculated that the reason there are so few top female players is because they are not wired for it — Kasparov once said that it is not in their nature — women think the overriding reason is cultural expectations and bias. Krush said the cultural cleaving between boys and girls happens at a young age. Scrolling through lists of the top players in the United States who are 7, 8 and 9, Krush pointed out that there are only a handful of girls in the Top 10. That creates and reinforces another problem that discourages women’s participation: too few social contacts. Jennifer Shahade, a two-time U.S. women’s champion who has written two books about women in chess ('Chess Bitch' and 'Play Like a Girl!') and is the women’s program director at the US Chess Federation, said teenage girls tend to stop playing chess because there are so few of them and they want the social support. That Beth is a loner is likely an important reason she does not quit playing in tournaments. Of 74,000 members in total, the US Chess Federation said it has about 10,500 female members. Shahade wants to increase that number, as well as their participation. To that end, she and the federation started an online chess club in April to keep female players engaged during the pandemic. In the last few weeks, there have been between 80 and 140 participants, with quite a few older players. The last meeting also had a special guest: Kasparov, who has become a big booster of women’s chess since his retirement from competition in 2005. He was also a consultant on the Netflix series. To keep the momentum going, Shahade is launching a new online group called the “Madwoman’s Book Club.” The title refers to a pejorative name used for the queen in the 15th and 16th centuries after it became the most powerful piece on the board. The first meeting, this Friday, already has 100 people signed up. The subject of the discussion should come as no surprise: 'The Queen’s Gambit' by Walter Tevis, the book on which the Netflix series is based.

How 'The Queen's Gambit' started a new debate about sexism in chess

Mark Bryan is an American, but he currently lives in Germany and is a robotic engineer. He lives his life like every other person, except that he challenges gender stereotypes every day.

Mark Bryan is an American, but he currently lives in Germany and is a robotic engineer. He lives his life like every other person, except that he challenges gender stereotypes every day. Married for eleven years, Mark gets full support from his wife, and much often, she makes suggestions on what he should wear. Interestingly, Mark’s daughter sometimes wishes to borrow his shoes are they are really stunning and classic. In a conversation to WION, Mark emphasized that people should be comfortable in whatever clothes they want to wear. Binding styles into gender is a bit of injustice to people who want to enjoy styling without any limitation or questions on their sexual orientation. Here are the excerpts of the interview: WION: Tell us something about your family and your profession? MARK BRYAN: I’m a 61-year-old American living in Germany. I’m a mechanical engineer and I work for a Robotic Company. I’ve been married for eleven years. I have three children, they all live in states. View this post on Instagram Working these 5” heels. Sorry for taking so long since last upload. This was back in June. The way all of you followers have responded has blown me away. Thanks . @lostink.official @landsend @tagheuer @underarmour. A post shared by Mark Bryan (@markbryan911) on Oct 28, 2020 at 9:50am PDT × View this post on Instagram Decided to wear some boots today and a longer skirt. It’s not cold today, but very cool. Worked at home this morning and now going into the office to meet with my 2nd shift group. I am just a normal, happily married, straight guy that loves Porsche’s, beautiful women, and likes to incorporate a skirt and heels into his daily wardrobe. Clothes and shoes should have no gender. #meninskirts #markinhighheels #clotheshavenogender #maninheels #maninhighheels #socialdistancing #maninskirt #skirtsformen #heelsformen A post shared by Mark Bryan (@markbryan911) on Oct 1, 2020 at 3:13am PDT × WION: What inspired you to wear heels and a skirt? MARK BRYAN: I’ve been in the business corporate environment for almost 35 years and I’ve always had to wear a suit and a tie. It just got very boring, especially in the last 5 years. I’m wearing black, I’m wearing navy blue, I’m wearing brown, I’m wearing grey. Those were the only colour choices we have in suits and stuff and also we just have a pair of brown shoes and a pair of black shoes. It was the same thing every day for the last 35 years. It kind of clicked on me one time when I was out trying to buy a new pair of black shoes to wear at the office, I passed through the women department and I was like okay, there are some nice colours out there which look very interesting. I thought that okay, I think I’ll just start wearing high heels and started wearing little more colours and stuff like that. I started wearing high heels with pants, I wore high heels that matched my shirt for the day. But, there still was black pants or white pants. And then some colleagues joked around and said, someday you’ll start wearing a skirt. So, that’s how the skirt came into it. I went out, picked a skirt tried it on and thought, ok the skirt doesn’t look too bad. And that’s basically how I started wearing a skirt with heels, which is 3 years back from now. WION: When did it all start for you? MARK BRYAN: It was about 40 years ago when I was in college. It was a girlfriend, we were living together. She was of the same height that I was. I am 6feet, she was 6feet and she loved wearing high heels, which made her taller than me, so I wasn’t too happy about that, so she said that you’re gonna start wearing high heels too. As a man, I have very small feet, we had the same size foot, so I can wear her shoes, that’s how it all started with me wearing high heels. WION: Do you think clothes have any gender? MARK BRYAN: I think clothes should have no gender. With all the people that follow me on Instagram, I get a lot of responses on my pictures, and I get a lot of response from people that are excited that I’m doing this coz it opens other people’s eyes or it gives them the strength to choose what they want to wear. Not just men wearing women clothes but also women wearing men clothes. I was surprised by the number of women who responded saying that we’re so happy that you’re doing this. I’m a woman but I like to wear men clothes but sometimes I’m scared to go out, coz people will think I’m a lesbian. Same things I get from men, they’ll say, hey, I’m glad that you’re doing this. You’re opening everybody’s eyes, you’re giving hopes to people to do different things. I’m a man and I want to wear women clothes but I’m scared to go out coz I’ll be called out a gay. In a way, I think I’m helping people to think that it is okay to dress with what you feel more comfortable in. What a person wears should not dictate his or her sexual orientation. I’m a straight man, but I wear a skirt and high heels. That doesn’t make me any less of a man. WION: Carrying heels is a difficult job. How difficult for it for you to get used to it and be so graceful? MARK BRYAN: I’ve got very strong legs and I’ve got very strong ankles, I’ve hardly had any ankles problem or leg problem as such. I think that’s one of the reasons why I can wear heels fairly comfortably. Of course, the higher heels I choose the more pressure it puts on my feet and I do have discomfort at times when I’m standing for too long or I have walked too long, especially with the higher like 5-inch heel, then I do have a little bit of soreness and stuff, typically like if I behind my desk or working on the computer, I’ll kick off the heels underneath the desk and massage my feet with the tennis ball. WION: How does your family view this decision of yours? What about your wife and daughter, do they come up with suggestions to help you style up with the right choices? MARK BRYAN: last night I posted a picture on Instagram with me modelling a pair of shoes that one of my sponsors had given me to try on, for me to try post on my Instagram account. My wife says, Mark, you haven’t shown them very well. You could have done some twirls to show the backs. So yes, she is supportive about it and one of my daughters is always asking that Dad I want to borrow your shoes, but unfortunately, we have different size and I know she can never wear my shoes, but I think she jokes around as fun with asking me to borrow my shoes. WION: Do you ever feel uncomfortable in heels and skirt? Any incident that you remember where people around you made it awkward for you? MARK BRYAN: I’m kind of at the age where I don’t care what the people think. So, I’ve been called a lot worst things, I’ve been called a lot of worse. I’ve had no one, other than people face to face calling me names. The only negative things I come across is people posting negative stuff on my Instagram account on pictures. Those things I just leave them there, I just ignore them. Most of the times when I’m out in public, I try to make contact with everyone that comes across to me coz that’s the way I am, but men will look at me and go back to looking or ignore the eye contact. But, women when they make eye contact, they smile, some will wink at me, some will give a thumbs up. I’ve had people approaching me. Women approach me with compliments, saying I love your shoes, where did you get them, I love your skirt, you look so good. If a man approached me typically they ask, how do you not break your ankles wearing those shoes. Most of the times it is a question on how I do it or either compliment. WION: What are your favourite style to wear and your fav style of heels? MARK BRYAN: My favourite ones are the 5inch stilettos heels. Not because they’re my fav but I think they look the best. They make your legs, the muscle definitions stand out. They also make you stand a little more upright making your posture a little better. For comfort, 3 and a half inches stilettos heel or 4-5 block heel is more comfortable. WION: How many pair of shoes do you have? MARK BRYAN: I have probably a little over 50 pairs of shoes. WION: Your fascination for skirt and heels comes at a time when women are rejecting heels. What are your views on that? MARK BRYAN: the reason why women reject heels is that they are uncomfortable and I agree with the fact that women should not be forced to wear high heels when they don’t want to wear them. Some companies require women to wear high heels, I don’t think that’s right, I think you should be allowed to wear what you want to wear. I want to wear high heels if a woman doesn’t want to wear high heels that her right not to wear high heels. If a woman wants to wear high heels, she should be allowed to wear high heels. Clothing should not have any limitations. Of course, there’s got to be some limitations, some dress code, that’s probably I don’t wear platform shoes, I don’t even have a platform shoe. I think, if women are saying they refuse to wear a high heel, I think that’s because they have it in their job description or it’s their dress code, I think that’s wrong. I think they should have a choice to wear them or not to wear them. WION: Any advice to men who would like to take up the style? Any style tips for them? MARK BRYAN: Naturally, start with a lower heel to get used to it. And then once you decide to go out in public, I suggest you have confidence in yourself. You got to be confident in yourself, you’ve got to be strong inside, saying that I’m not going to be afraid because I think that people can pick up on that. If you go out there and you’re afraid, people will pick up on that. Because your kind of coward and people sense that you’re weak and when they are that you’re weak they’re like predators. That’s when you invite the attacks to come because they feel that you’re weak and they’re gonna abuse that weakness. But if you show that you’re confident and strong people just leave you alone.

'Clothes have no gender': Dad of 3 wears heels and skirts everyday

Have you heard about Gender reveal parties? They are in trend. And as the name suggests, it is a party that involves revealing the gender of an unborn baby. The concept took off sometime around 2008. And today, gender reveal parties have become commonplace

But there is something really worrying about how these gender reveal parties are shaping out.

A Syrian couple recently spent as much as USD 100,000 on gender reveal party of their baby. What did they do with that kind of money?

Project the child's gender onto the Burj Khalifa in Dubai!

The couple are social media influencers with over 7 million followers on Youtube and over 2 million followers on Instagram

And they saw nothing wrong in splurging this much on a grand celebration.

Here's an alternative viewpoint.&nbsp;

Imagine the kind of use this money could have been put to back in the couple's home country Syria. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Remember, Syria is a war-torn country.&nbsp;

According to one estimate, 9.3 million Syrians go to sleep hungry. 
&nbsp; 
2 million others are at risk of meeting a similar fate.

There is nothing wrong to share joy over your yet-to-born child.

But what we are talking about here are limits.

Several netizens have pointed at the sheer waste of money. One Twitter user called it disgusting and shameful. Someone else called the celebrations to be exaggerated. 
&nbsp; 
Another Twitter user from Syria dropped a political bomb. She said that the couple belongs to a political family.

The man's father is the head of US-backed Syrian Opposition. We have not been able to independently verify this claim. But if it is true, then some serious questions need to be posed to political elites in Syria and the US

Speaking of US, you must have heard about the California wildfires. The same one that has gutted 2.2. million acres of land.&nbsp;

Did you know that a gender reveal party is responsible for it? That's where the fire started.

There is nothing wrong in celebrating the gender of an unborn child. Especially if you can afford it economically and socially.

In India, for example, it is not even an option as the gender of the child is not revealed over fears of infanticide.

But if you are in a country where there aren't social taboos and fears, you are well within your rights to celebrate.

The only question is, how far should you take things&nbsp;

 
This woman is said to have come up with the idea of gender reveal parties.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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&nbsp;

In her post on Facebook, she claims she has mixed feelings about her contribution to this culture.

Check out couple of lines from her post.

'Who cares what gender the baby is? I did at the time because we didn't live in 2019 and didn't know what we know now...PLOT TWIST, the world's first gender-reveal party baby is a girl who wears suits!'

Hope this gets you thinking&nbsp;

Have you heard about Gender reveal parties? They are in trend. And as the name suggests, it is a party that involves revealing the gender of an unborn baby. The concept took off sometime around 2008.

Have you heard about Gender reveal parties? They are in trend. And as the name suggests, it is a party that involves revealing the gender of an unborn baby. The concept took off sometime around 2008. And today, gender reveal parties have become commonplace But there is something really worrying about how these gender reveal parties are shaping out. A Syrian couple recently spent as much as USD 100,000 on gender reveal party of their baby. What did they do with that kind of money? Project the child's gender onto the Burj Khalifa in Dubai! The couple are social media influencers with over 7 million followers on Youtube and over 2 million followers on Instagram And they saw nothing wrong in splurging this much on a grand celebration. Here's an alternative viewpoint. Imagine the kind of use this money could have been put to back in the couple's home country Syria. Remember, Syria is a war-torn country. According to one estimate, 9.3 million Syrians go to sleep hungry. 2 million others are at risk of meeting a similar fate. There is nothing wrong to share joy over your yet-to-born child. But what we are talking about here are limits. Several netizens have pointed at the sheer waste of money. One Twitter user called it disgusting and shameful. Someone else called the celebrations to be exaggerated. Another Twitter user from Syria dropped a political bomb. She said that the couple belongs to a political family. The man's father is the head of US-backed Syrian Opposition. We have not been able to independently verify this claim. But if it is true, then some serious questions need to be posed to political elites in Syria and the US Speaking of US, you must have heard about the California wildfires. The same one that has gutted 2.2. million acres of land. Did you know that a gender reveal party is responsible for it? That's where the fire started. There is nothing wrong in celebrating the gender of an unborn child. Especially if you can afford it economically and socially. In India, for example, it is not even an option as the gender of the child is not revealed over fears of infanticide. But if you are in a country where there aren't social taboos and fears, you are well within your rights to celebrate. The only question is, how far should you take things This woman is said to have come up with the idea of gender reveal parties. × In her post on Facebook, she claims she has mixed feelings about her contribution to this culture. Check out couple of lines from her post. 'Who cares what gender the baby is? I did at the time because we didn't live in 2019 and didn't know what we know now...PLOT TWIST, the world's first gender-reveal party baby is a girl who wears suits!' Hope this gets you thinking

This gender reveal party cost USD 100,000

Germany adopted a national strategy on Wednesday to promote gender equality for the first time in its history, aiming to put an end to years of sluggish progress on equal rights and treatment for women. 
 
The strategy sets out goals for all government departments, including closing the gender pay gap and better representation for women in business and politics, Families Minister Franziska Giffey said. 
 
"This is the first equality strategy in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany that has been coordinated and agreed across all departments," Giffey said, describing the strategy as a "milestone". 
 
The plan includes a focus on work-life balance and the fact that women are more likely to work part-time or not at all because of family commitments.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/entertainment/halle-berry-not-playing-transgender-character-in-upcoming-film-after-criticism-311381" hreflang="en">Halle Berry not playing transgender character in upcoming film after criticism</a> 
 
It also focuses on increasing the number of women in management positions, including in the civil service, and on better representation in politics. 
 
The ruling conservative CDU party has this week already shown movement on the issue, with party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announcing new binding quotas that will see women filling at least 50 percent of senior positions at a local level by 2025.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/germany-vows-to-beef-up-finance-watchdog-after-wirecard-drama-310919" hreflang="en">Germany vows to beef up finance watchdog after Wirecard drama</a> 
 
The government is also working on a strategy to increase the number of women on executive boards so that an existing 30 percent quota will apply to 600 companies instead of 105 currently, Giffey said.

Below European average 
Despite being led by a female chancellor, Germany sits below the European average when it comes to equality between men and women, according to a 2019 index from the European Institute for Gender Equality. 
 
Women earn an average 20 percent less than men and occupy only around 15 percent of executive board positions. 
 
Representation of women in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, is currently at its lowest for 20 years, and more than 90 percent of local mayors are male, Giffey said. 
 
Historically, gender equality was a particular sticking point in the former West Germany, where women still needed permission from their husbands to work until 1977.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/germany-becomes-first-major-nation-to-phase-out-coal-and-nuclear-311058" hreflang="en">Germany becomes first major nation to phase out coal and nuclear</a> 
 
Shortly before reunification, just over half of women in West Germany were employed in the workforce, compared with 91 percent of women in communist East Germany. 
 
The coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated gender disparities, according to some observers. 
 
"It is quite obvious that women have borne the main burden in families," judge Elke Buedenbender, the wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said in an interview with the Funke media group in June. 
 
"It seems to me that in the time of coronavirus, women have been more prepared to fall back into traditional roles than men have to take a step back from their careers," she said.

Germany adopted a national strategy on Wednesday to promote gender equality for the first time in its history, aiming to put an end to years of sluggish progress on equal rights and treatment for women.

Germany adopted a national strategy on Wednesday to promote gender equality for the first time in its history, aiming to put an end to years of sluggish progress on equal rights and treatment for women. The strategy sets out goals for all government departments, including closing the gender pay gap and better representation for women in business and politics, Families Minister Franziska Giffey said. "This is the first equality strategy in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany that has been coordinated and agreed across all departments," Giffey said, describing the strategy as a "milestone". The plan includes a focus on work-life balance and the fact that women are more likely to work part-time or not at all because of family commitments. Also read: Halle Berry not playing transgender character in upcoming film after criticism It also focuses on increasing the number of women in management positions, including in the civil service, and on better representation in politics. The ruling conservative CDU party has this week already shown movement on the issue, with party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announcing new binding quotas that will see women filling at least 50 percent of senior positions at a local level by 2025. Also read: Germany vows to beef up finance watchdog after Wirecard drama The government is also working on a strategy to increase the number of women on executive boards so that an existing 30 percent quota will apply to 600 companies instead of 105 currently, Giffey said. Below European average Despite being led by a female chancellor, Germany sits below the European average when it comes to equality between men and women, according to a 2019 index from the European Institute for Gender Equality. Women earn an average 20 percent less than men and occupy only around 15 percent of executive board positions. Representation of women in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, is currently at its lowest for 20 years, and more than 90 percent of local mayors are male, Giffey said. Historically, gender equality was a particular sticking point in the former West Germany, where women still needed permission from their husbands to work until 1977. Also read: Germany becomes first major nation to phase out coal and nuclear Shortly before reunification, just over half of women in West Germany were employed in the workforce, compared with 91 percent of women in communist East Germany. The coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated gender disparities, according to some observers. "It is quite obvious that women have borne the main burden in families," judge Elke Buedenbender, the wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said in an interview with the Funke media group in June. "It seems to me that in the time of coronavirus, women have been more prepared to fall back into traditional roles than men have to take a step back from their careers," she said.

Germany unveils plan to boost gender equality

In my work as a gender and communications specialist I have met &ndash; and in some cases professionally advised &ndash; female ministers, legislators, mayors, community leaders and judges across the world, from the Dominican Republic and Honduras to the Netherlands and Sweden.

I&rsquo;m Argentinean, so the struggles described to me by Latin American female leaders, who confront inter-party resistance and media double standards on a daily basis, are familiar ones. Our region&rsquo;s gender gap is a disheartening 30%; Guatemala and Paraguay are among the world&rsquo;s least gender-equal places.

I have been surprised, however, to hear that women in northern Europe &ndash; the most gender-equal region in the world &ndash; report the same grievances. While researching my latest book on women in power, I interviewed 18 female politicians in Sweden and The Netherlands, certain that their experience in public service would starkly contrast that of their Latin American peers.

After all, in those countries, women already occupy 40% of political positions &ndash; and they didn&rsquo;t need a quota system to do it. Only in a gender-equal paradise could that happen, right?

Sadly not.

The women I interviewed varied in age and ideological background. Some were already retired and others were engaged as EU parliamentarians, congresspeople, government ministers, judges and congressional commission presidents.&nbsp;

It turns out that although women in Sweden and the Netherlands have achieved near parity in national parliaments, they nonetheless share many challenges. Every person interviewed &ndash; conservative, progressive, junior or senior &ndash; felt that women still had a long way to go to achieve substantive equality.

&ldquo;When we talk about involvement of women in politics,&rdquo; one Dutch interviewee said, &ldquo;it is not just a matter of numbers, but &hellip; also of their position to exert influence. How many of them are in &lsquo;hard core&rsquo; areas like budget, for example, and really have visibility?&rdquo;

In other words, equality is not just numeric.

In the Netherlands, since the 1970s &ldquo;gender mainstreaming&rdquo; effort, the idea of gender equality is so firmly instilled that citizens won&rsquo;t vote for parties whose candidate lists aren&rsquo;t roughly gender-equal, ensuring women get on the ticket. The EU first began to legislate equal pay and equal rights for women in 1979, pressuring member states to adopt such laws nationally. So a top-down cultural shift has been underway for decades.

All the women I spoke to agreed that this has helped, but only to a degree. Women are still under-represented in ministries and decisive parliamentary commissions: among developed-world nations, only 17% of government ministers are women. It&rsquo;s also meaningful that in Spain only 9% of male ministers do not have children, while 45% of female ministers do not.

Neither Sweden nor the Netherlands has yet seen a female head of state &ndash; something that, for example, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica have all achieved.&nbsp;

We&rsquo;ve still got a long way to go

So even in the world&rsquo;s most egalitarian countries, the debate on women&rsquo;s rights continues.

&ldquo;There are still many stereotypes that exert influence, especially on domestic task divisions,&rdquo; one Dutch parliamentarian said. Yes, even Western European women confront the &ldquo;can she have it all?&rdquo; dilemma.

Another woman, an EU parliamentarian, told me:

When I became Member of Parliament, [the media] asked me how I managed to combine my work as a politician with motherhood or family life. Before we had kids, my husband had two jobs &hellip; He gave up one to take care of the household and our children. After eight years, he became Alderman of Amsterdam, &hellip; and then everybody turned to me and asked what I would do now. I answered &lsquo;well, I have the same job, he is the one who has a new one, so ask him.&rsquo;

Of course, in Northern Europe as in the rest of the world, stereotypes and double-standards still influence media coverage of women. Women said journalists made numerous comments about their hair or clothing, or about looking exhausted after a late-night session (men were celebrated for their stamina).

One woman with experience as both an EU parliamentarian and government minister, recounted this anecdote:

A photo journalist came to me and said &lsquo;Madam, you have always the same suit on&rsquo;. I said &lsquo;Yes, that&rsquo;s not a problem for me, is it a problem for you?&rsquo; And he answered that in fact it was &hellip; because it gave the impression that photographs were always the same one. I always wore a brooch, so I told him, &lsquo;Ok, I will give you something new: I will change the brooches.&rsquo;&nbsp;

Women make the road

The women interviewed shared recommendations for fixing these inequalities &ndash; again, political affiliation made no difference in these policy recommendations.

Every woman commented on the need to address gender bias in early childhood education. One congresswoman who suggested working with young boys and girls to raise awareness of gender stereotypes also commented that teachers at preschools and schools must be trained in equality as well. And indeed, some Scandanavian nations are, controversially, already mandating gender-neutral reading (goodbye, Snow White).

Although defying gender roles is everyone&rsquo;s job, women have a decisive part to play. Each and every woman I interviewed, regardless of age or political position, agreed that mentorship was key to her success. Women with more experience offered advice to those with less, and gave them strength to keep fighting.

At a collective level, too, these powerful women agreed that women&rsquo;s movements and women&rsquo;s organisations, both within civil society and inside political parties, are fundamental to the continued struggle for political inclusion. Such groups offer women &ldquo;a place where women meet [and] fight for their causes&rdquo;, one interview subject said.&nbsp;

When Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau introduced his new cabinet, comprised of 15 men and 15 women, after his 2015 election victory, a reporter asked why it was important for him to have a gender-equal cabinet.

Trudeau&rsquo;s answer was, &ldquo;Because it&rsquo;s 2015.&rdquo;

But it&rsquo;s 2017 now, and I can&rsquo;t seem to find gender paradise &ndash; only more women struggling for it. Maybe in 2018?

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

Even in egalitarian Europe, female politicians must battle gender stereotypes, biased media coverage, and entrenched power.

In my work as a gender and communications specialist I have met – and in some cases professionally advised – female ministers, legislators, mayors, community leaders and judges across the world, from the Dominican Republic and Honduras to the Netherlands and Sweden. I’m Argentinean, so the struggles described to me by Latin American female leaders, who confront inter-party resistance and media double standards on a daily basis, are familiar ones. Our region’s gender gap is a disheartening 30%; Guatemala and Paraguay are among the world’s least gender-equal places. I have been surprised, however, to hear that women in northern Europe – the most gender-equal region in the world – report the same grievances. While researching my latest book on women in power, I interviewed 18 female politicians in Sweden and The Netherlands, certain that their experience in public service would starkly contrast that of their Latin American peers. After all, in those countries, women already occupy 40% of political positions – and they didn’t need a quota system to do it. Only in a gender-equal paradise could that happen, right? Sadly not. The women I interviewed varied in age and ideological background. Some were already retired and others were engaged as EU parliamentarians, congresspeople, government ministers, judges and congressional commission presidents. It turns out that although women in Sweden and the Netherlands have achieved near parity in national parliaments, they nonetheless share many challenges. Every person interviewed – conservative, progressive, junior or senior – felt that women still had a long way to go to achieve substantive equality. “When we talk about involvement of women in politics,” one Dutch interviewee said, “it is not just a matter of numbers, but … also of their position to exert influence. How many of them are in ‘hard core’ areas like budget, for example, and really have visibility?” In other words, equality is not just numeric. In the Netherlands, since the 1970s “gender mainstreaming” effort, the idea of gender equality is so firmly instilled that citizens won’t vote for parties whose candidate lists aren’t roughly gender-equal, ensuring women get on the ticket. The EU first began to legislate equal pay and equal rights for women in 1979, pressuring member states to adopt such laws nationally. So a top-down cultural shift has been underway for decades. All the women I spoke to agreed that this has helped, but only to a degree. Women are still under-represented in ministries and decisive parliamentary commissions: among developed-world nations, only 17% of government ministers are women. It’s also meaningful that in Spain only 9% of male ministers do not have children, while 45% of female ministers do not. Neither Sweden nor the Netherlands has yet seen a female head of state – something that, for example, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica have all achieved. We’ve still got a long way to go So even in the world’s most egalitarian countries, the debate on women’s rights continues. “There are still many stereotypes that exert influence, especially on domestic task divisions,” one Dutch parliamentarian said. Yes, even Western European women confront the “can she have it all?” dilemma. Another woman, an EU parliamentarian, told me: When I became Member of Parliament, [the media] asked me how I managed to combine my work as a politician with motherhood or family life. Before we had kids, my husband had two jobs … He gave up one to take care of the household and our children. After eight years, he became Alderman of Amsterdam, … and then everybody turned to me and asked what I would do now. I answered ‘well, I have the same job, he is the one who has a new one, so ask him.’ Of course, in Northern Europe as in the rest of the world, stereotypes and double-standards still influence media coverage of women. Women said journalists made numerous comments about their hair or clothing, or about looking exhausted after a late-night session (men were celebrated for their stamina). One woman with experience as both an EU parliamentarian and government minister, recounted this anecdote: A photo journalist came to me and said ‘Madam, you have always the same suit on’. I said ‘Yes, that’s not a problem for me, is it a problem for you?’ And he answered that in fact it was … because it gave the impression that photographs were always the same one. I always wore a brooch, so I told him, ‘Ok, I will give you something new: I will change the brooches.’ Women make the road The women interviewed shared recommendations for fixing these inequalities – again, political affiliation made no difference in these policy recommendations. Every woman commented on the need to address gender bias in early childhood education. One congresswoman who suggested working with young boys and girls to raise awareness of gender stereotypes also commented that teachers at preschools and schools must be trained in equality as well. And indeed, some Scandanavian nations are, controversially, already mandating gender-neutral reading (goodbye, Snow White). Although defying gender roles is everyone’s job, women have a decisive part to play. Each and every woman I interviewed, regardless of age or political position, agreed that mentorship was key to her success. Women with more experience offered advice to those with less, and gave them strength to keep fighting. At a collective level, too, these powerful women agreed that women’s movements and women’s organisations, both within civil society and inside political parties, are fundamental to the continued struggle for political inclusion. Such groups offer women “a place where women meet [and] fight for their causes”, one interview subject said. When Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau introduced his new cabinet, comprised of 15 men and 15 women, after his 2015 election victory, a reporter asked why it was important for him to have a gender-equal cabinet. Trudeau’s answer was, “Because it’s 2015.” But it’s 2017 now, and I can’t seem to find gender paradise – only more women struggling for it. Maybe in 2018? (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: In politics, gender equality can't really come only from numbers

The direct and indirect costs of having children can be high and, in many societies, women most often shoulder these costs.

In a recent research study, we measured the gender-specific economic impact of parenthood in Germany. Our finding: mothers may end up with less accrued wealth than women without children.

German men, who are comparable in other characteristics such as education and age, on the other hand, show similar amounts of personal wealth regardless of whether they have children.

Mothers accrue less wealth

The research, which was conducted in Germany, looked at 28,650 individuals to assess women&rsquo;s personal wealth over the course of a decade, from 2002 to 2012. For the purposes of our study, personal wealth refers to all economic assets that subjects own solely as well as their individual share of assets jointly owned with somebody else.

We found that each year after a woman&rsquo;s first child is born, she accrues only about 98 cents for each &euro;1 of wealth that childless women gain. This small difference adds up over time. After being a mother for 50 years, a mother&rsquo;s personal wealth is roughly 60% lower than for a German woman who does not have children, everything else remaining equal.&nbsp;

This gap in capital is largely related to employment. German mothers accumulate less wealth because they are likely to stop paid work to care for their young children and, as children get older, return to work part-time.

Without full-time employment, women have less income to put into savings. Employment gaps may also reduce long-term earning potential because career advancement becomes less likely.

According to our study, women&rsquo;s male partners do not appear to fully compensate for these losses in wealth by sharing financial resources within the couple.&nbsp;

The loss in personal wealth is greater the younger a woman is when she becomes a mother. The difference may be due to the fact that career interruptions early in one&rsquo;s working life are especially harmful.

Mothers additionally accrue less wealth if they are unmarried when they give birth; a difference that holds for both single mothers and those living with their partners. This finding suggests that married fathers may be more willing to compensate for their spouses&rsquo; income losses, and that married mothers and fathers are more likely to share their incomes.

By middle life (ages 40 to 60), mothers and fathers show the greatest discrepancy in wealth (see above graph). By older age, these inequalities decrease.&nbsp;

Why wealth differences matter

The reduced wealth of mothers as compared to fathers and to women without children has many important implications.

Financial assets and savings are resources that can be tapped to weather rainy days, independent of current income. Wealth can also be passed on to the next generation or invested in education and, thereby, affect the well-being of children.

For a woman living with a more wealthy partner, having little wealth may seem less important. But, as we know, couples do not always fully share their wealth.

And, in any case, inequalities in personal wealth within the same household also hurt women. German women reported lower subjective well-being if they had less wealth than their partners, and studies from Ecuador and Ghana have shown that the risk of intimate partner violence increases when women&rsquo;s personal capital is less than that of their partners. Although we do not know whether those findings would apply in Germany or other countries.

Finally, economic inequality between mothers and fathers can affect children. When mothers have relatively more resources, the well-being of children is improved. If couples separate, gender inequalities within couples may ultimately contribute to inequalities between ex-partners.&nbsp;

International differences

Our research examined the wealth consequences of parenthood in Germany, where women have achieved equal status compared to men in many respects. Nonetheless, a traditional division of labour, where men are the main breadwinners, still dominates here.

Other research, though based on less adequate data, has also found a wealth gap between genders in the United States. Complementary evidence on income inequalities between mothers and fathers have additionally been found in many countries around the world, including China, Japan, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.&nbsp;

Gender-based wealth inequality as a result of parenthood may be weaker in more egalitarian societies, such as Sweden.

Wealth inequalities between mothers and fathers &ndash; and, more generally, between women and men, even within married couples &ndash; are stronger in countries in which women and men do not have equal legal status.

In Ghana, for example, where women&rsquo;s contributions to marital assets are not recognised, married women own only about 20% of household assets. Similar inequality exists in some parts of India.

By contrast, in Ecuador, where women&rsquo;s legal status is more equal to men&rsquo;s, wealth inequalities within married couples are negligible.&nbsp;

Economic well-being of women and men

The finding that, in relatively gender-equal Germany, women end up with less personal wealth after becoming mothers as compared to both childless women and to men suggests the need for a proactive government response.

Currently, ambiguous policies continue to hinder female employment. One approach for tackling mothers&rsquo; economic disadvantages is to encourage maternal full-time employment, for instance, by providing better access to childcare.

Recent policy reforms in Germany toward this goal may decrease disadvantages in the future. But wealth accumulation is a slow process, and these changes will take time to have any effect.

In the meantime, mothers will continue to struggle to save up for that rainy day.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The economic costs of having children are more often shouldered by women, so mothers tend to accumulate less capital over time.

The direct and indirect costs of having children can be high and, in many societies, women most often shoulder these costs. In a recent research study, we measured the gender-specific economic impact of parenthood in Germany. Our finding: mothers may end up with less accrued wealth than women without children. German men, who are comparable in other characteristics such as education and age, on the other hand, show similar amounts of personal wealth regardless of whether they have children. Mothers accrue less wealth The research, which was conducted in Germany, looked at 28,650 individuals to assess women’s personal wealth over the course of a decade, from 2002 to 2012. For the purposes of our study, personal wealth refers to all economic assets that subjects own solely as well as their individual share of assets jointly owned with somebody else. We found that each year after a woman’s first child is born, she accrues only about 98 cents for each €1 of wealth that childless women gain. This small difference adds up over time. After being a mother for 50 years, a mother’s personal wealth is roughly 60% lower than for a German woman who does not have children, everything else remaining equal. This gap in capital is largely related to employment. German mothers accumulate less wealth because they are likely to stop paid work to care for their young children and, as children get older, return to work part-time. Without full-time employment, women have less income to put into savings. Employment gaps may also reduce long-term earning potential because career advancement becomes less likely. According to our study, women’s male partners do not appear to fully compensate for these losses in wealth by sharing financial resources within the couple. The loss in personal wealth is greater the younger a woman is when she becomes a mother. The difference may be due to the fact that career interruptions early in one’s working life are especially harmful. Mothers additionally accrue less wealth if they are unmarried when they give birth; a difference that holds for both single mothers and those living with their partners. This finding suggests that married fathers may be more willing to compensate for their spouses’ income losses, and that married mothers and fathers are more likely to share their incomes. By middle life (ages 40 to 60), mothers and fathers show the greatest discrepancy in wealth (see above graph). By older age, these inequalities decrease. Why wealth differences matter The reduced wealth of mothers as compared to fathers and to women without children has many important implications. Financial assets and savings are resources that can be tapped to weather rainy days, independent of current income. Wealth can also be passed on to the next generation or invested in education and, thereby, affect the well-being of children. For a woman living with a more wealthy partner, having little wealth may seem less important. But, as we know, couples do not always fully share their wealth. And, in any case, inequalities in personal wealth within the same household also hurt women. German women reported lower subjective well-being if they had less wealth than their partners, and studies from Ecuador and Ghana have shown that the risk of intimate partner violence increases when women’s personal capital is less than that of their partners. Although we do not know whether those findings would apply in Germany or other countries. Finally, economic inequality between mothers and fathers can affect children. When mothers have relatively more resources, the well-being of children is improved. If couples separate, gender inequalities within couples may ultimately contribute to inequalities between ex-partners. International differences Our research examined the wealth consequences of parenthood in Germany, where women have achieved equal status compared to men in many respects. Nonetheless, a traditional division of labour, where men are the main breadwinners, still dominates here. Other research, though based on less adequate data, has also found a wealth gap between genders in the United States. Complementary evidence on income inequalities between mothers and fathers have additionally been found in many countries around the world, including China, Japan, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Gender-based wealth inequality as a result of parenthood may be weaker in more egalitarian societies, such as Sweden. Wealth inequalities between mothers and fathers – and, more generally, between women and men, even within married couples – are stronger in countries in which women and men do not have equal legal status. In Ghana, for example, where women’s contributions to marital assets are not recognised, married women own only about 20% of household assets. Similar inequality exists in some parts of India. By contrast, in Ecuador, where women’s legal status is more equal to men’s, wealth inequalities within married couples are negligible. Economic well-being of women and men The finding that, in relatively gender-equal Germany, women end up with less personal wealth after becoming mothers as compared to both childless women and to men suggests the need for a proactive government response. Currently, ambiguous policies continue to hinder female employment. One approach for tackling mothers’ economic disadvantages is to encourage maternal full-time employment, for instance, by providing better access to childcare. Recent policy reforms in Germany toward this goal may decrease disadvantages in the future. But wealth accumulation is a slow process, and these changes will take time to have any effect. In the meantime, mothers will continue to struggle to save up for that rainy day. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why mothers are less wealthy than women without children

While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s move to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and 1,000 has caused much chaos in the country, some have also called it a strong move to put an end to the circulation of black money.

Along with the farmers, the poor and the common man, one community which has been at the receiving end is the transgenders across the country. They were only&nbsp;recognised as a third gender last year following a ruling by the Supreme Court of India.

Most transgenders in India do not have bank accounts or even a formal identification card, owing to which most of the money they own is in cash. The source&nbsp;of income for most in the community is begging and dancing at weddings and other social gatherings. Some even take up sex work to make ends meet. All of these earnings are in cash.

The demonetisation move has thus hit them hard.

A few transgenders residing in south Delhi&#39;s Okhla tell&nbsp;WION that they have been staying at home all day for the past two weeks since no one pays them any cash now.

Surraiya, who makes a living by dancing at weddings, says, &quot;Weddings are either being rescheduled or the expenditure is being cut down. In the last 15 days, I have not been able to find any work. So I took to begging but there too, people are not giving us any money.&rdquo;

Another member of the community tells us that they follow a guru-chela (teacher-disciple) tradition. &ldquo;The savings are passed on from one generation to another in cash. We do not depend upon the banking sector as most of us have never had bank accounts until last year,&rdquo; says Laila, 36.

The ones into sex work too are seeing a sharp decline in the number of customers since most of the payment happened in the denomination of Rs 500 and 1,000.

Sweety (name changed) waits on a south Delhi road but to her dismay, she has hardly had two customers in the last couple&nbsp;of weeks. She would otherwise have two customers every night on an average and would return home with around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 &nbsp;every morning.

&ldquo;Our trade has collapsed completely. Nobody is willing to spend money on us. We are running out of options to sustain ourselves,&rdquo; says Sweety.

Those of us who have visited banks to get the notes exchanged&nbsp;were discriminated against.

&ldquo;The women do not let us stand in their queue&nbsp;while the men pass lewd remarks. There is no separate line for us,&rdquo; says Sweety&#39;s friend.

Activist&nbsp;Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, chairperson of Astitva, an organisation working for the cause of transgenders, has written to the Prime Minister seeking help for the community.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Laxmi writes, &ldquo;Most of the community is uneducated and has never been part of the mainstream society. They have been living lives seeking alms and blessings by singing and dancing at weddings, child births and other auspicious occasions. All transactions made are in cash and we never had any bank account.

&quot;The decision by the government is welcome and we appreciate&nbsp;the efforts of Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi jee. But the Hijra&ndash;Kinnar community is extremely affected by this and we ask for the government&#39;s help.&rdquo;

Meanwhile, most from the community are queuing up to cash exchangers who give them Rs 350 in exchange for an old Rs 500 note.

(WION)

Without an official identity card and no bank accounts, most of the money the community owns is in cash

While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and 1,000 has caused much chaos in the country, some have also called it a strong move to put an end to the circulation of black money. Along with the farmers, the poor and the common man, one community which has been at the receiving end is the transgenders across the country. They were only recognised as a third gender last year following a ruling by the Supreme Court of India. Most transgenders in India do not have bank accounts or even a formal identification card, owing to which most of the money they own is in cash. The source of income for most in the community is begging and dancing at weddings and other social gatherings. Some even take up sex work to make ends meet. All of these earnings are in cash. The demonetisation move has thus hit them hard. A few transgenders residing in south Delhi's Okhla tell WION that they have been staying at home all day for the past two weeks since no one pays them any cash now. Surraiya, who makes a living by dancing at weddings, says, "Weddings are either being rescheduled or the expenditure is being cut down. In the last 15 days, I have not been able to find any work. So I took to begging but there too, people are not giving us any money.” Another member of the community tells us that they follow a guru-chela (teacher-disciple) tradition. “The savings are passed on from one generation to another in cash. We do not depend upon the banking sector as most of us have never had bank accounts until last year,” says Laila, 36. The ones into sex work too are seeing a sharp decline in the number of customers since most of the payment happened in the denomination of Rs 500 and 1,000. Sweety (name changed) waits on a south Delhi road but to her dismay, she has hardly had two customers in the last couple of weeks. She would otherwise have two customers every night on an average and would return home with around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 every morning. “Our trade has collapsed completely. Nobody is willing to spend money on us. We are running out of options to sustain ourselves,” says Sweety. Those of us who have visited banks to get the notes exchanged were discriminated against. “The women do not let us stand in their queue while the men pass lewd remarks. There is no separate line for us,” says Sweety's friend. Activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, chairperson of Astitva, an organisation working for the cause of transgenders, has written to the Prime Minister seeking help for the community. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Laxmi writes, “Most of the community is uneducated and has never been part of the mainstream society. They have been living lives seeking alms and blessings by singing and dancing at weddings, child births and other auspicious occasions. All transactions made are in cash and we never had any bank account. "The decision by the government is welcome and we appreciate the efforts of Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi jee. But the Hijra–Kinnar community is extremely affected by this and we ask for the government's help.” Meanwhile, most from the community are queuing up to cash exchangers who give them Rs 350 in exchange for an old Rs 500 note. (WION)

India:Transgenders hit hard by demonetisation move

Two women will soon be the first female soldiers to undergo training to become members of the Green Berets, the US Army&#39;s special forces, the military said on Monday.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They are the first two women who have been selected for special forces assessment&quot; following the elimination of the ban on women in combat roles, said Major Melody Faulkenberry, a spokeswoman for the United States Army John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.&nbsp; 
 
She did not give additional details about the candidates. President Barack Obama&#39;s administration decided in 2013 that all combat positions should be open to women by 2016, including the infantry and special operations forces.&nbsp;The Marines had requested some exemptions, but these were overruled by defence secretary Ashton Carter. 
 
Two female Marines were assigned to frontline infantry roles in May, though it will take some time before they are placed in their new roles. 
 
Rules stipulate that a female &quot;leadership cadre&quot; needs to be established in their units at least three months beforehand. 
 
Although women warriors have frequently found themselves in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, they had previously been barred from joining frontline combat roles. 
 
Currently, women account for 15.6 per cent of the 1.34 million active duty personnel in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. 
 
(AFP)

Two women have been selected to undergo training to become members of this elite force

Two women will soon be the first female soldiers to undergo training to become members of the Green Berets, the US Army's special forces, the military said on Monday. "They are the first two women who have been selected for special forces assessment" following the elimination of the ban on women in combat roles, said Major Melody Faulkenberry, a spokeswoman for the United States Army John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. She did not give additional details about the candidates. President Barack Obama's administration decided in 2013 that all combat positions should be open to women by 2016, including the infantry and special operations forces. The Marines had requested some exemptions, but these were overruled by defence secretary Ashton Carter. Two female Marines were assigned to frontline infantry roles in May, though it will take some time before they are placed in their new roles. Rules stipulate that a female "leadership cadre" needs to be established in their units at least three months beforehand. Although women warriors have frequently found themselves in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, they had previously been barred from joining frontline combat roles. Currently, women account for 15.6 per cent of the 1.34 million active duty personnel in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. (AFP)

US Army to accept first female Green Berets

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