Article here. Excerpt:

'Women workers are faring better than men in the current economic downturn, for a variety of reasons. So much so that they may soon pass men and become the majority gender in the American workplace.

By November of last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women had already become just more than 49 percent of the non-farm labor force. And the New York Times reports that in the current economic turndown, men have suffered 82 percent of the job losses. That's true, in part, because struggling industries like automaking and homebuilding employ an overwhelmingly male workforce.

But there are other reasons why job prospects for women are brighter right now than they are for men. Women make less money than men in many comparable jobs. That infuriates women's-rights advocates, but it makes women more attractive to employers who are cutting costs to weather the recession. Many industries have culled their executive and veteran workforce - men, by and large - by paying older workers to retire.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Googling desperately, I came upon an informational tidbit that proved excellent (and only slightly ribald) fodder for debate laughs, but also seems an apt take-off point for my yearly Fatherless Day column, namely: Most sperm banks will not accept donations from men who stand under 5’ 11” in height.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A father's rights have remained a largely hidden issue, tucked away beneath America's fiery and passionate opinions on abortion. In many ways, the parental rights of expectant fathers are blatantly ignored, and fathers are, in a court of law, unable to voice their opinion in regard to childbirth.
...
"Men's rights are trampled on all the time when it comes to reproductive rights," said Dianna Thompson, executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children. It is time to fight back, to force our government to re-evaluate the logic of treating men as little more than fertilizers.

This case raises serious questions about a father's say in the life of his own child, as well as the extent of the government's duty to help project human rights and encourage the family unit. Sadly, these profound questions fall by the wayside in a society that worships at the golden calf of individual choice, and relegates the voice of fathers and unborn babies to the margin.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Like most Americans, I look at the news about the economy, the need for health care reform and our growing national debt, and I worry about how we're going to escape the recession.

But as someone who has spent his career working to save an endangered species men I have another worry on my mind: What are we going to do about the Great He-cession?

This troubling trend has been going on for several years, but it really picked up speed at the end of 2008. Of the 5.2 million people who've lost their jobs since last summer, four out of five were men. Some experts predict that this year, for the first time, more American women will have jobs than men. And that's just furthering the decline of the endangered male.

Story here. Excerpt:

'The Maine East High School teacher and former soccer coach charged with having sex with a 16-year-old former student known to be a gang member now has been fired by District 207.

That means Jennifer Espinosa, 38, will not get any retirement benefits. She had been a tenured teacher with 15 years at the district.

Espinosa, of Park Ridge, was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse as a result of an eight-month relationship with a former student, according to a Cook County Sheriff's office release.

Espinosa told police she "loves" the 16-year-old boy, who was expelled from Maine East in September and is a known gang member, the release said.'

The Daily Herald reports that the Maine Township High School District 207 school board voted unanimously earlier this month to terminate Espinosa's contract.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) - A former Bountiful Junior High School teacher has reached a plea deal in a case that accused her of having sex with an underage boy.

Linda Nef, 46, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in 2nd District Court to attempted aggravated sex abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.

She had been charged with rape of a child and sodomy on a child, both first-degree felonies.
...
A second teacher, Valynne Bowers, 40, has pleaded not guilty to rape and forcible sodomy in a case involving the same boy when he was 14. She is due in court on June 29.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Here's a piece on the Second Conference on College Men that took place at the University of Pennsylvania back in May (Inside Higher Education, 5/22/09). The article discusses a couple of studies done by Frank Harris and Keith Edwards into "the gendered experiences and identities of men in college." Overall, the people presenting the papers seem fairly sympathetic to men on campus, so you might ask why they open with statements like this:

"When we think about acts of violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment on college campuses, overwhelmingly the perpetrators of those acts on our campuses are men."

Now, there are several studies, like this one from the University of Florida, that contradict those claims. That showed that 32% of UF women surveyed said they were perpetrators of dating violence, versus only 24% of men. Another survey showed that 58% of UF stalkers were women.
...

Tellingly the article goes on to say,

Article here. Excerpt:

'AUSTIN — Today's fathers may well take parenting as seriously as their mates, but unlike many moms, dads don't view it as a competitive sport. Instead, the new attitude of 21st-century fatherhood is hands-on and involved, but with a hint of playfulness.

"All of these social expectations have developed over decades about what moms are supposed to do. We don't have a new picture of what involved dads are supposed to look like," says Will Courtenay, a psychotherapist in Berkeley, Calif., who is on the advisory board of The Center for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Those who study fatherhood say today's dads are forging a new identity, as working women press for a more egalitarian home life, and telecommuting and workplace flexibility make it possible for dads to have more time with the kids. Also, dads today are no longer the stuffy or clueless fathers portrayed on TV.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A judge this morning found that some of the claims raised in a civil lawsuit by a man who was wrongfully incarcerated for 19 years for rape can move forward, though two others cannot.

Thomas Doswell filed a federal lawsuit against Detective Herman Wolf, his supervisors and the city of Pittsburgh, in June 2007, alleging among other things that he was the subject of a malicious prosecution.

Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose threw out both Mr. Doswell's state and federal claims of malicious prosecution, finding that at the time of his arrest, the state did establish probable cause.

Mr. Doswell was convicted of rape and sentenced to 13 to 26 years in prison stemming from the March 13, 1986, attack of a woman who worked at Forbes Hospital. However, the conviction was vacated in August 2005 when DNA testing of seminal fluid in the case showed conclusively that Mr. Doswell was not her attacker.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'The Egyptian parliament passed a law Sunday adding 64 seats reserved for women to the lower house of the legislature. The quota creates 32 new constituencies with two seats each for women candidates only. It will take effect during next year’s elections and raises the number of seats in the People’s Assembly from 454 to 518.

Egypt's Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mufid Shehab stated that the law "ensures parity for women and promotes their role in society, as stipulated by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which Egypt has signed," reported Agence France Presse. Shehab also indicated the law will be effective for just two five-year parliamentary sessions in hopes that after that period, the number of women in parliament will increase without affirmative action.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'As the New York Times reported yesterday, Judge Sotomayor has informed the Senate that (in NYT’s phrasing) the Belizean Grove, the “all-female networking club” she belongs to, “did not discriminate in an inappropriate way.”
...
As Jennifer Rubin points out, the “we let the guys come to party” defense “is reminiscent of the ‘we let women be social members’ excuses that exclusive men’s clubs routinely gave for decades—and which were scorned by women’s groups.” Further:

[T]he line about “no one ever asking to join” is rich. Certainly if one declares the organization to be “all men” or “all white” or “all anything” those not in the “all” group are going to be dissuaded from seeking membership. Isn’t the mere statement of exclusivity enough to raise concerns?'

Article here.

'The Moscow metro is not going to follow the example of Beijing authorities to introduce women-only carriages to prevent the sexual harassment of women.

“We have never considered such a question,” the chairman of the press service of the Moscow metro, Pavel Sukharnikov, told RIA Novosti.

The official added that there were no complaints from female passenger of the metro. However, this subject receives a lot of attention on the Russian Internet. Many bloggers write on their web-pages that every woman was subjected to sexual harassment in public transport at least once in her lifetime.

Psychologists say that public transport provides a perfect environment for that: many people, availability and an opportunity to avoid punishment. Up to 40 percent of female passengers of the Moscow metro were subjected to sexual harassment.
...

Dmitry Gayev, the chairman of the Moscow metro, previously said that there would be no VIP carriages in the underground. The idea to introduce such carriages appeared in St. Petersburg.

Story here. Excerpt:

'TOKYO (Reuters) - Many women taking the crowded train in Tokyo opt for women-only carriages during the rush hour to avoid gropers.

Now, for fear of being accused of groping, some are asking for carriages reserved for men as well.

Ten shareholders of Seibu Holdings, which runs trains in the Tokyo area, have petitioned for carriages reserved for men.

"There have been many cases of groping, as well as false charges of groping, on Seibu Railway," the shareholders said in a notice seeking a vote at the company's annual meeting next Wednesday.

"While measures against groping, such as setting women-only carriages, have been effective to a certain extent, no measures have been taken against false charges of groping... In the spirit of gender-equality, a male-only carriage must be introduced."'

Story here. Excerpt:

'SEATTLE - A 12-year-old girl could face criminal charges after hitting a boy with a backpack at school.

That boy was knocked unconscious, but the girl claims the real crime is relentless sexual harassment at school.

Yesterday, 12-year-old Mark Smith was hit in the head with a backpack that some say was filled with rocks. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness after hitting his head. "I heard a thump and then I heard another thump and I woke up in a hospital bed," the sixth-grader said.
...
She says the incident came only after suffering a year's worth of relentless sexual harassment and bullying by boys at Seattle’s Denny Middle School. She says she had to stand up for herself.
...
Alexis Austin now faces a possible 90-day suspension from school, which would take effect next fall.

Police plan to send the case to King County prosecutors to see if they want to press charges.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'There is much criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act. Some authors and experts are now calling the act No Child but Boys Left Behind Act. As a male teacher in the education system, I feel it is decidedly not male friendly. We can debate whether the gender bias is intentional later.
...
Peter West believes schools fail boys for many of the same reasons I see boys fail Boys are in perpetual motion. They are aggressive, even when young. Classrooms are not places of toleration for kinesthetic behavior. We expect even normal boys to sit still for long periods. Aggressive play is involved in young males sense of mastery, a critical part of their development. This is normal male behavior yet in classrooms there is little toleration for it.

When boys are boys we often tend to bring on the medication, not to address behavioral deficits, but to handle our desire for sedate managed classrooms.'