Category Archives: women's health

International day for the elimination of violence against women

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Today, November 25, is the international day for the elimination of violence against women.

Unfortunately, violence against women is still a major problem. Both domestic violence, and in society at large.

Women are always obliged to think about how to behave and to do risk-management when out in public places. We have long since understood that whatever we say or do, or the way we dress, can be used against us, should we be attacked by a man.

We are obliged to think about safety when we walk alone on the streets at night. Stay alert, footwear to run in, keys in one hand, cell phone in the other. Or we spend money on a taxi, as it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I don’t think men in general have any idea about how many things we women have to think about, just to get home safe at night.

Domestic violence is still a major problem in many countries. And we must not forget that it’s not that long ago that it actually became a criminal offense. For way too long it was seen as a conflict between spouses, belonging to the private sphere, not something to bother the police with. (This is still the case in many countries.)

Fortunately that has changed, but the problem has not disappeared. And it’s still under-reported. Add to that, that not all abuse comes in the form of physical violence. It can just as well be psychological in the form of control over the other person’s choices, and/or threats. This is harder to prove, as there’s no physical evidence (like bruises, broken bones etc.).

In the most severe cases, the violence is fatal, causing the death of thousands of women every year.

Much is done to help women escape domestic abuse, but the best thing would of course be to prevent it from happening in the first place.

We have a long way to go, but part of the solution should be to bring to attention from an early age the misconception that violence is an integrated part of being conceived as masculine. The two have nothing to do with each other.

A real man doesn’t hit his partner. Or his kids, or anyone else for that matter.

A real man doesn’t rape, he makes sure that his (female) friends make it home safe and sound.

In the end, women don’t want to be protected by men, we want protection from the perpetrators, so that we can feel safe no matter where we are, at any time of the day or night.

And don’t forget, as parents, we are responsible for our childrens’ socialization and moral education. Make sure you raise your boys to be good men.

Equality has yet to arrive…

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Despite what many people think, we are far from gender equality. Neither in the professional domain, or in the domestic. Women are still paid less than men. Sectors predominantly female, are less valued, and thus less paid, than male dominated sectors. Even after the Covid-pandemic, when the whole world was cheering for the nurses, little has happened to their working conditions and their pay check. Likewise when we speak about school/education. All politicians are very concerned about the level of their country’s students in international tests like the PISA, wanting to be the best, but when discussing the pay and working conditions of the teachers, it’s hard to find the money.

Our children’s education is what is going to get them jobs and income in the future, so why is it so hard to give a decent pay to the people whose responsibility it is to provide this education? Is it because it is predominantly women working in the (public) schools up to a certain level?

But it’s not just in public sector that there’s a gap between the genders in pay. It happens all over, also in the private sector and in the movie business to add a couple of examples. So no, equality at the workplace has not arrived.

The same is true when it comes to domestic life. Women still take on much more of the domestic chores and logistics, than the men, even when both parties are working full time.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, girls are still raised different than boys, in the respect of taking care of a household. And the women are punished much harder than men if things are not “up to standard” at home, being it cleanliness, homemade food, following up on birthdays and other anniversaries (both family and friends, and children’s friends).

Women are expected to drop whatever they are doing for the needs of anyone else. Children need attention? Mum is coming. Children need help with homework? One moment, darling, I’ll come help you. Child sick and home from school? Mum is usually the ones who stays home from work. Elderly family members need assistance? Be there as fast as I can.

This constant disruption of own activities, and work, is something women just accept. Like there is no alternative. And this constant rupture also influences women’s careers and pay check in the long run. Or, if they are really focused on juggling both family and career, they are often sacrificing almost everything else, like taking care of their own health, going out with friends, or just read a book on the sofa (a book that has nothing to do with work or childcare, but simply for entertainment).

Most mums I know are up and about, taking care of their family’s needs no matter their own condition. We pop an Advil, and get on with business as usual, because we are expected to do so.

Alright, the occasional Scandinavian reader might protest a bit. But don’t you forget that you’re in the lead. Here in France, things are rather different. Even if we have free childcare from 3 years (pre-school, not kindergarten), the children don’t go to school on Wednesdays. Or they finish at 12am that day. Meaning that parents have to organise one way or another; leisure clubs, grandparents or one parent stay at home every Wednesday. And guess who that usually is? It’s mum, of course.

Who is usually running to pick up their kids from after-school activities before it closes at 6.30 pm? Mum. Meaning that she has to adjust her work to fit the logistics of the family. Usually under the pretext that the husband is earning more, so again, no equality.

In other words: Women work for less pay in the workplace, they take more of the burden at home, and they run like Forrest Gump every day to be in the right place at the right time, and at the end of the day, they are punished economically for doing less professional work than the men, and so they have less pension. If all the “invisible” chores done by women every day were to count as workhours during a week, our pension would look very different.

If parents start to educate their children at home in the same manner, regardless of gender, I hope for a better future for both women and men. Because men are absolutely capable of doing the same tasks at home as the women they live with. Just like a woman can be an astronaut, a man can be a caretaker. A woman can use a screwdriver and an electric drill, just as a man can mop a floor and change diapers. If we raise our children to be independent in more ways than the economic sense, and encourage them to use a wider range of their capabilities, including their caretaking cababilities, equality between genders will arrive at a much faster pace.

Let us get rid of the stereotypes that says that a man should be the main breadwinner of the household, and the woman the primary caretaker, and instead create a better symbiosis between the genders.

I will write about that symbiosis in the near future. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed reading, whether you agree or not. It’s possible to leave a comment on the subject J

We need to talk about…. FGM – Female Genital Mutilation

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We need to talk about…. FGM – Female Genital Mutilation

I know, it’s not a pleasant topic to raise, but as a matter of fact, more than 3 million girls are at risk of being subject to FGM every year. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have already undergone some form of FGM.

The practice is mostly practiced in the western, eastern and north-eastern regions of Africa, and in some countries in Asia and the Middle-East (a total of 30 countries).

Contrary to what many probably think, FGM is a cultural practice, not a religious one. No religious scrips prescribe this practice. What is a fact is that it is a way to control girls, women and their sexuality. It is grounded in deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and represents the most extreme form of discrimination of women and girls.

Depending on the type of FGM (there are 4 types), the female genitals are mutilated/damaged to various degrees for non-medical reasons, which in most cases leads to various health problems, and of course pain during sexual intercourse.

The procedure has both immediate complications and long-term complications, ranging from severe pain, excessive bleeding, problems urinating, painful menstruations (difficulty in passing menstrual blood), scar tissue and complications during childbirth. The procedure can also lead to psychological problems, like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

What is also disturbing is that some women find out that they have been subject to FGM as adults, having no recollection of it happening. The practice is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and adolescence (up to 15 years), while most are most likely carried out when the girl is between 2 and 4 years, or between 7 and 12 years old.

Most of the FGM is performed by traditional practitioners, under unhygienic conditions, with non-sterile instruments (knives, razorblades). In recent times, more health care providers are performing FGM, about 52 million per year, due to the belief that it is safer when medicalized. Despite the fact that it might reduce the risk of immediate severe infections, the procedure is still the same, and just as harmful for the girl.

Internationally the practice of FGM is recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women, a person’s right to health, security and physical integrity, as well as the right to be free from torture, and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. It also violated the right to life, as the procedure in some cases end by death of the girl.

WHO has been working for a long time to support a holistic health sector response to FGM prevention and care. WHO also collects evidence to improve the understanding of FGM, to better develop means to end this harmful practice.

With more than 200 million girls and women who already have undergone FGM, and another 3 million girls at risk every year, this is a global problem.

In European countries, health care staff are trained to discover already performed FGM, and to inform parents that the practice is illegal in Europe. They risk both heavy fines and jail time if they subject their daughters to FGM. Health care personnel can also inform other juridical instances if they suspect the parents will bring their daughter(s) to their country of origin to perform FGM, so they will be prevented to leave Europe with their child(ren).

European countries also offer post-FGM support to women, like reconstructive surgery, pre-natal follow up, C-section, psychological therapy, among other things.

The international day against FGM is 6 February. Let’s hope that one day this day can rather be The international day of the death of the practice of FGM.

You can read more here (including an overview of the 4 types of FGM):

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation