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“Master of None” and the freedom to be average

Racial disparities on television are nothing new. When I was a child in the late 1980s, I remember having an internal struggle about whether my career of choice would be professional athlete or superhero. I also remember coming to the conclusion that because no superheroes had brown skin, that professional athlete would be the more […]

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The Heightened Scrutiny of Hillary

It’s a bit after 9pm on Thursday, October 22, 2015.  I’m still at work.  I’m exhausted.  I’ve been working since about 10 this morning, and I’m feeling the weight of the day.  Even more, I’m marveling that Hillary’s eleven hour ordeal with the Benghazi and the tedious-email-eyeroll-blah Investigation just wrapped up moments ago.  I’m googling […]

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Womenomics

Japan is not a country that has often been lauded for its gender rights records. Just nine years ago, the Japanese Minister of Health, Hakuo Yanagisawa, famously referred to women as “birth giving machines” in a statement about the country’s shrinking population. Yet despite the prevalence of such harmful opinions about gender roles, Japan recently […]

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“Rabbit Rabbit”

It is a British superstition to repeat the word “rabbit” on the first day of each month when you awake in the morning.  Repeating this phrase brings the promise of good luck for the month.  I would like to say “rabbit rabbit” to October in the hopes that it will bring good luck and progress […]

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A Woman on Currency? A Joke For Republican Men at This Week’s Debate

During the Republican debate this week, one exchange that was especially maddening for female viewers ensued when the candidates were asked what seemed like a straightforward question: “Earlier this year, the Treasury Department announced that a woman will appear on the $10 bill.  What woman would you like to see on the $10 bill?” This […]

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Mad Men: A Very Unfeminist Ending

Spoiler alerts Fans seem to be all over the map on the Mad Men series finale. When I watched it, I was candidly a little disappointed. But reflecting on it, I think that some of that disappointment speaks to the real world. In other words, Matthew Weiner, the show’s creator, seems to have captured the […]

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Mission Possible? Ending Gender Discrimination Against Female Directors in Hollywood

The marginalization of women in Hollywood has gotten a lot of attention lately.  The Sony hacking scandal revealed glaring gender disparities in pay among movie stars and studio executives alike, and Patricia Arquette’s controversial Oscar acceptance speech demanded wage equality for women. Now the spotlight has shifted to the discrimination faced by female directors, after […]

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The Case for Paid Paternity Leave: It’s Not All About Cute Photo Ops (though we like those, too)

Many readers may have seen the popular story being shared on the internet, with the caption, “This Is What It Looks Like When Men Are Allowed To Take 480 Days Of Paternity Leave” (although that article could just have easily been captioned, “This is What It Looks Like When Humans Are Allowed to Take 480 […]

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Virginity Tests for Civil Service Applicants in Indonesia

When applying for a job as a police officer, you might expect to have to meet certain educational, physical, and mental health requirements.  But what if I told you that in Indonesia, you can be rejected for a civil service job because you are not a virgin?  Or because you are married?  And what if […]

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Shrinking Workers’ Compensation Excludes Women

At Shattering the Ceiling we cover many of the hurdles that women face in the workplace. In addition to on-the-job issues, women can face discrimination in how they are treated following a workplace injury. According to recent news reports, Californian women who apply for workers’ compensation following an injury on the job receive lower compensation […]

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