Babies – and Baby Steps
Blog by Jan Collins A British woman I know, who lives in California, recently gave birth to her first child. Her employer, Google, granted her six months of paid parental leave to care for her new baby.
Dr. Sue Rex: Teacher Extraordinaire
Sue Rex never wanted to be anything but a teacher. From her childhood days in Pennsylvania instructing her “classroom” of dolls to her decades as a special education teacher and professor of education at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, teaching…
Cracker Jill
On April 5, 2022, Frito-Lay North America announced that, after more than 125 years as one of sport’s most iconic snacks, Cracker Jack® is adding a new face to its roster, with the introduction of Cracker…
I Took Action
Imagine the excitement that filled my heart when I passed my teacher test and landed a teaching job in a rural South Carolina county! But, I quickly found that my real-life teaching experience was going to be totally…
Where Are Women in 2023?
By Sherry Shealy Martschink Way back in my college days, as a teenaged student at Columbia College, I was trying to get signatures on a petition relating to a controversial issue. One professor who signed the petition…
Curb Abortion Culture War by Electing More Women to State Senate
This opinion piece was originally published by the City Paper Editorial Board for Charleston City Paper One sure-fire way to put a sock in the continuing culture war over abortion is for more women to…
Women Are Inspired to Run for Office When They See How Political Exclusion Threatens Their Rights
Originally published in LSE. Scholars often suggest that role models inspire women to run for office, but Amanda Clayton, Diana Z. O’Brien, and Jennifer M. Piscopo argue that…
’How Does Your Husband Let You Do This’ and Other Sexist Comments Women in Politics Face
I was running to be the Republican legislative district chair in my area some years ago and one of the delegates who would be voting said to me that he would vote for me, but he had a question: “How…
Sister Fidelma Is on the Case
Another “Sister Fidelma” mystery (#34 in the series) will be published in July, and this makes me happy. For nearly three decades I’ve been an enthusiastic fan of these historical mystery novels, set in ancient Ireland…
How Do Crises Affect Women Leaders?
From the pandemic to the cost of living, politics in the UK and beyond has, in recent times, been marked by multiple, overlapping crises. But what is the impact of crisis on the women occupying the highest offices,…