Category Archives: Sisters In Other Nations

An Argument in Favor of Menstrual Leave in India

Bhaghamma G (Mysore) and Prof. (Dr.) Ramesh (Mysore) have posted to SSRN their article Addressing Menstrual Stigma: The Case for Implementing Menstrual Leave as a Legal Provision in India, 5 Indian J. of L. & Legal Research __ (2023). Here … Continue reading

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Which Countries Have Scrapped the Tampon Tax?

Writing for Reuters, author Diana Baptista has a nice summary here. An excerpt: Since Kenya became the first country to scrap VAT on sanitary pads and tampons in 2004, at least 17 countries have followed suit, according to research by … Continue reading

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Gender-Based Price Discrimination in Germany

For anyone doing comparative anti-discrimination work, a fact sheet (here) prepared by Iris an der Heiden and Maria Wersig and published by the German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agencyprovides insight into gender-based price discrimination. Here is a summary: The survey systematically examines … Continue reading

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Who Benefits from #TamponTax Repeal? In Germany, Consumers Do

A UK study suggests that consumers there did not benefit from repeal of the tampon tax (see here).  A new study out of Germany suggests contrary results in that country. Here is the abstract of VAT Pass-Through: The Case of … Continue reading

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The Gender Wealth Gap in Retirement Savings: A German Case Study

Carla Cardova (Pomona College), Markus Grabka (German Institute for Economic Research — DIW Berlin) & Eva Sierminska (LISER; DIW Berlin) have posted to SSRN their working paper, Pension Wealth and the Gender Wealth Gap. Here is the abstract: We examine … Continue reading

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Who Benefits From #Tampon Tax Repeal? Not Consumers, Says New Report

A copy of the report by the (UK) Tax Policy Associates is here. Some highlights: 5% VAT applied to tampons and other menstrual products until January 2021. Then, following the high-profile “tampon tax” campaign, it was abolished. Many expected that … Continue reading

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Australia Has a Majority-Female High Court: Why That Matters

Jayne Jagot was sworn in last week as the 56th justice of the High Court of Australia. She is the Court’s seventh woman appointed to the High Court, which now has a female majority.  See news reports here. Law professor … Continue reading

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Menstrual Products are Free in Scotland

Yup.  The NYT has full coverage here. As Emily Waldman (Pace) and I write in our book, Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law’s Silence on Periods (NYU Press 2022): On an international level, the most dramatic menstrual equity development that occurred … Continue reading

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Buenos Aires Bans Gender-Neutral Language

Read World Politics Review writer Graciela Monteagudo’s piece, “Argentina’s Feminist Backlash Takes Aim at Inclusive Spanish,” (July 19, 2022), which tackles the ongoing struggle for Latin American educators to adopt gender neutral language within the restrictive masculine/feminine designations that Spanish … Continue reading

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Bolivian social groups push government to reinforce gender violence protections

Read La Prensa Latina’s piece, “Bolivia moves reform bill to strengthen gender violence law” (July 20, 2022) which touches on community leaders’ efforts to legally curb rising numbers of femicides and sexual violence. Here is an excerpt below: The Bolivian … Continue reading

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Dandara Rudsan: Amazonian Lawyer/Activist Spotlight

Look to the work of Amazonian lawyer and activist Dandara Rudsan to understand the importance of arm-in-arm organizing in marginalized environments and bodies: “Dandara Rudsan is a Black and trans activist from Altamira, in the Brazilian state of Pará. She … Continue reading

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A Photo Essay Remembering Victims of Femicide/Transfemicide in Argentina

Read and witness the chilling testimonies of loved ones of victims of femicide and transfemicide in NPR writer Estefania Mitre’s photo story, “Families of murdered women and trans Argentinians ensure their voices are not silenced,” (Jun 30, 2022). Read Mitre’s … Continue reading

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Belgium’s Historic Decriminalization of Sex Work

In her Reuters article, “How COVID-19 helped sex workers in Belgium make history,” (May 31, 2022) writer Joanna Gill accounts for the Belgian Parliament’s groundbreaking decriminalization of sex work. With the law’s recent implementation, Belgium became the first country in … Continue reading

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The Relentless State of Gender Violence in Mexico — And its Resistance

While May 10th is Mother’s Day in Mexico, in Juarez, Mexico City, Veracruz and other Mexican cities, mothers gathered to grieve more so than celebrate. These guardians of young women murdered or disappeared demanded government action amidst a resurgence of … Continue reading

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Motherhood & Forced Climate Migration in Marathwada, India

As the number of climate migrants rises exponentially due to the dire state of the climate crisis and warming planet, drought-prone areas like the Indian state of Maharashtra are most at risk of displacing their population. In Maharashtra, millions of … Continue reading

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President of Chile Publicly Apologizes to Woman who was Sterilized Without Her Consent

On May 26, the President of Chile Gabriel Boric publicly apologized to Francisca, a Chilean woman with HIV who was sterilized without her consent in 2002 while giving birth. Soon after becoming pregnant, Francisca had tested positive for HIV, then … Continue reading

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Spanish Menstrual Leave Legislation Tucked Into Abortion Law

Last month, draft legislation was introduced in Spain that would provide for three days of sick leave every month for painful menstruation. This was an attention-getting part of a larger bill that contains greater restrictions on surrogacy but the loosening … Continue reading

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Exploration of “Menstrual Pollution” Beliefs in Sweden

Josefin Persdotter (PhD candidate in Sociology, University of Gothenburg) has published her thesis, Menstrual Dirt: An Exploration of Contemporary Menstrual Hygiene Practices in Sweden, as an open-access book, available for free download here. A short description of the book follows: … Continue reading

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Paudel & Shah on the Relationship Between Menstrual Discrimination and Child Marriage

The Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation andRadha Paudel Foundation have published a report by Radha Paudel and Noor Jung Shah, Isn’t Menstrual Discrimination a Driver for Child Marriage. Here is the abstract: This study is undertaken to examine the … Continue reading

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Open Access Book Announcement—The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

On May 28, 2022, Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Open Library of Humanities will publish a new open-access volume, The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty.  Here is the publisher’s description: In 2021, Scotland … Continue reading

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#Menopause as a Lens for Evaluating the Intersections of Ageism & Sexism & Racism

What started off a few years ago as an investigation of state sales taxes on menstrual products has taken my work in many unexpected directions. My colleague Emily Gold Waldman (Pace) and I have combined forces (and expertise) to write … Continue reading

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Posted in Elder Law, Employment Discrimination, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Medicine, Feminism and Technology, Sisters In Other Nations | Comments Off on #Menopause as a Lens for Evaluating the Intersections of Ageism & Sexism & Racism

Evaluating Menstrual Leave as a Viable Workplace Policy

Marian Baird (University of Sydney Business School), Elizabeth Hill (Political Economy, University of Sydney) and Sydney Colussi (University of Sydney Business School) have published their article Mapping Menstrual Leave Legislation and Policy Historically and Globally: A Labor Entitlement to Reinforce, … Continue reading

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Free Menstrual Products for 141 Middle Schools in Loire, France

Via the podcast Nova, this news of a program in the Loire-Atlantique region of France to make menstrual products available for free in 141 middle schools: Après une expérimentation de plusieurs mois dans quelques établissements, la mesure est étendue sur … Continue reading

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25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Celebration of Margaret Thornton’s Iconic Work, “Dissonance and Distrust: Women in the Legal Profession”

On Thursday, November 18, 2022, 10-11:30 a.m. [that’s evening time on Wednesday, November 17, 2022 on the east coast in the US and Canada; time zone converter here], the Australia National University College of Law will be holding a celebratory … Continue reading

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New Italian Budget Still Discriminates in the Form of Tampon Taxes

In world news (here), the draft budget for 2022 in Italy still endorses gender discrimination in the form of the tampon tax, but decreases the VAT from 22% to 10%. Governments continue to generate money from the literal bodies of … Continue reading

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Australia Capital Territory Criminalizes Stealthing

Stealthing, the non-consensual removal of a condom, is a crime in several jurisdictions, including California. See here. Last week, the Australia Capital Territory became the first jurisdiction in Australia to criminalize stealthing. Here is an excerpt of relevant press coverage: … Continue reading

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Call for Book Chapter Proposals: Reproductive Health Rights, Tourism and Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Africa

About the Book Following a global sharp decline in inter country adoption which has drawn a lot of attention to Africa, reproductive tourism with the use of assisted technologies is gradually on the increase and attention is gradually shifting to … Continue reading

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What’s Wrong (or Right) About Workplace Menstrual Leave Policies

From the University of Sydney, this news of a working group studying workplace menstrual leave policies: [R]esearchers found in a forthcoming paper that 17 countries have implemented or are considering menstrual policies, with Australian businesses leading the way. “Despite this … Continue reading

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Michoacán, Mexico Makes Menstrual Products Free Schools and Requires Menstruation-Related Education

Earlier this year Michoacán became the first state in Mexico to require schools to provide free menstrual products to students and to require menstruation-related education in schools.  The original legislative proposal is here (in Spanish). Additional news coverage is here … Continue reading

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Uruguay’s VAT on Menstrual Products is a Form of Gender Discrimination

Erika Johanna Lara-Vargas has published El Impuesto de Valor Agregado (IVA) en los productos de gestión menstrual en Uruguay: políticas públicas “neutras” al género vs feminismo estatal, in Revista Límbica Vol. II Núm. 2 (2021), ISSN 2718-7241.  Here’s the English-language … Continue reading

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Period Poverty, Menstrual Equity, Menstrual Justice, or Menstrual Health: Naming the Norms That Legal Scholars Seek

If 2015 was the “Year the Period Went Public,” maybe we’re now in the period period,  catamenial decennary, or menstrual age. Whatever words we use, it’s undeniable that menstruation-related issues have gained new traction in public discourse, academic scholarship, workplaces, … Continue reading

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Gov’t in New South Wales, Australia to Provide Free Menstrual Products in 30 Schools

The government in New South Wales, Australia has announced a pilot program to provide free menstrual products in 30 government schools. Here is an excerpt from the government press release: Free menstrual hygiene products will be available to students in … Continue reading

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A New Environmentally-Friendly Banana Fiber Menstrual Pad Coming to a Store Near You?

India-based researchers Krishnashree Achuthan, Sharanya Muthupalani, Vysakh Kani Kolil, Anju Bist, Krishna Sreesuthan & Aswathy Sreedevi have published the results of their study: A Novel Banana Fiber Pad for Menstrual Hygiene in India: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study, 21 BMC … Continue reading

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13 Short Symposium Essays in Connection with “Are You There, Law? It’s Me, Menstruation?” @ColumbiaJGL

On April 9/10, 2021, the Columbia Journal of Gender & Law will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Judy Blume’s book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and the 30th anniversary of the journal with a symposium … Continue reading

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Giorkaris & Pouliasi on “Tampon Taxes and Gender (In)Equality: The Cyprus Case Study”

Dr Ioannis P. Giokaris (University of Nicosia) and Maria Eleni Pouliasi (O.P. Jindal Global University) have published To Tax or Not to Tax? Tampon Taxes and Gender (In)Equality: The Cyprus Case Study, 21 Cyprus Rev. 257 (2020). Here is the … Continue reading

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Request for Signatories on Petition Asking St. Andrews University (Scotland) Reverse Decision to Terminate Contract of Director of Institute for Gender Studies

The University of St. Andrews has decided to terminate the contract of Dr. Alison Duncan Kerr, director of its Institute for Gender Studies. Dr. Andrews was hired to establish the St. Andrews Institute for Gender Studies. But her contract position … Continue reading

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“Righting” and Rewriting: Reflections on Five Feminist Judgments Projects 2/22 @FemLegalStudies

On Monday, February 22, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific, the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies at the University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard School of Law will sponsor a discussion, “Righting” and Rewriting: Reflections on Feminist Judgments Projects. Here … Continue reading

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Germany Lowers its #TamponTax but Still Discriminates

Following the model of online campaigns against the tampon tax in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and the U.S., in March 2018, two German women launched a petition at Change.org urging “Die Periode ist kein Luxus – senken Sie die Tamponsteuer!” … Continue reading

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“Young Australian of the Year” Isobel Marshall Honored for Menstrual Equity Work

Every year in Australia, the non-profit (and government owned) National Australia Day Council gives several awards: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero. The awards are meant to serve … Continue reading

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Copenhagen Business School Colloquium on “Gender Equality Aspects Amid a Pandemic: Discussions on Tax Measures and Fiscal Policy”

The Interdisciplinary Research Group on Taxation and Fiscal Policy at the Copenhagen Business School is sponsoring a 9-part colloquium series featuring researchers from around the world. On February 17, 2021, the session is “Gender Equality Aspects Amid a Pandemic: Discussions … Continue reading

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Bye-Bye U.K Tampon Tax

Global Citizen has a good write-up here about the elimination of VAT on menstrual products, coincident with Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, as of January 1, 2021. Other than Ireland, all other EU countries impose a VAT on menstrual … Continue reading

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Austria Lowered Its Tampon Tax But Missed an Opportunity to Eliminate Its Discriminatory Law

The Austria Federal Council (the upper house of the country’s parliament) has approved the COVID-19 Tax Measures Act. See here. Apart from the extension of the lower 5% VAT tax on certain sectors (such as hospitality) and the creation of … Continue reading

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This Week in #MenstrualEquity News

This week in menstrual equity news from around the world…. The Scottish Parliament passed a bill making menstrual products available at no charge to all who need them. Products will be in all schools (including university) and the government can … Continue reading

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Battling Trolls, Goblins and Structural Sexism: How the Period Emoji Ended up on your Phone

Guest post by Carmen Barlow and Lucy Russell If you have a smartphone, it’s pretty likely you’ve used an emoji. These tiny images have become a language of their own and whether it’s a goblin mask, a sad cat or … Continue reading

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New Article: “Period Poverty in a Pandemic: Harnessing Law to Achieve Menstrual Equity”

Emily Gold Waldman (Pace) and I have posted to SSRN a draft of our article Period Poverty in a Pandemic: Harnessing Law to Achieve Menstrual Equity, 98 Wash. U. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2021). Here is the abstract: Period poverty is … Continue reading

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Scottish Feminist Judgments Podcast!

The indomitable conveners of the Scottish Feminist Judgments Project have a new podcast series. Here‘s a précis of the first episode:  Episode 1: Drury – history and cultural legacies In 1998, Marylin McKenna was murdered by Stuart Drury. Drury was … Continue reading

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ANU Student Work Comparing Justice Kagan and Justice Bell

Professor Heather Roberts (Australian National University) teaches a course called Selected Topics in Australian-United States Comparative Law. Her students produce some engaging work that may be of interest to readers.  Consider this podcast (with video) featuring work by student Jessica … Continue reading

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Period Leave as the New Progressive Workplace Benefit?

From the New York Times, this news of a new policy at Zomato in India: How many days a month have you missed work or requested a day off for stomach pains and cramps because of menstruation? This is the … Continue reading

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CFP: Pakistani Feminist Judgments

Marva Khan and Orubah Sattar are the conveners.

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New Book Announcement: Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies

Here is the publisher’s description of the newly-published Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies (Bobel, C., Winkler, I.T., Fahs, B., Hasson, K.A., Kissling, E.A., Roberts, T.-A. eds.) : This open access handbook, the first of its kind, provides a comprehensive … Continue reading

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