Political News

U.S. Won't Commit to Women's Equality

The United States, for all its talk of equality, just can’t seem to make a commitment to women’s equal rights. Not only has it never ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), it has also never ratified the U.N.’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

CEDAW is an effort by the United Nations to set comprehensive international legal standards for women. By accepting the Convention, countries commit to implementing a series of measures to end discrimination against women, including:

* to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
* to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
* to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

Background
CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations’ General Assembly in 1979 by votes of 130 to none. At the special ceremony that took place at the Copenhagen Conference on July 17th in 1980, 64 countries signed the Convention, including the United States, and two submitted their instruments of ratification. On September 3rd in 1981, one month after 20 member countries ratified it, the Convention entered into force faster than any previous human rights convention.

Status
As of March 2, 2006, 182 countries - over 90% of the members of the United Nations - are party to the Convention. The U.S. has signed, but not ratified, the treaty – allowing it to be free from putting the provisions of the Convention into practice. The U.S. remains the only industrialized nation that has not ratified CEDAW.

What You Can Do
Write a letter to President Bush telling him that women’s rights are not only important, but also essential to a vital society.

President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20500

Phone: (202) 456-1111. Fax: (202) 456-2461 E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov

You can also write your Senators and ask them to push for the ratification of CEDAW. The U.S. Senate has a list of Senators and their contact information.

Mental Health News

Powerful Depression Self-Help Techniques

There are a number of easy yet powerful depression self-help techniques available. These depression self-help techniques are not meant as a replacement to professional treatment, but as a supplement to depression treatment. Try as many of these depression self-help tips as possible and watch the cloud of depression lift.

Depression Self-Help Techniques:
- Exercise daily. Exercise is known to boost people’s moods. Physical activity, most specifically aerobic exercise, alters brain chemistry, releases endorphins that make us feel good and and leads to feelings of wellbeing. A number of research studies show that regular exercise can be as effective as other medication treatments in relieving mild to moderate depression.
- Add Omega-3 fatty acids to your diet with fish oil, flaxseed oil or other food sources high in essential fatty acids. Research continues to confirm the importance of omega-3 fats for treating depression. Not only can Omega-3 fatty acids boost your mood, it can also increase focus and concentrate and increase energy levels. Additionally, Omega-3 fatty acids are also shown to helps prevent and fight heart disease, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, hyperactivity and other diseases.
- Supplement the diet with natural depression formulas. The brain is a hungry organ that will not function well without the proper fuels. To keep the brain functioning at top performance, find a depression-specific formula designed to feed the brain.
- Avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates and add fresh vegetables and protein to your diet. Sugars, starches and caffeine may make you feel good initially but will only make you feel worse when the rebound crash sets in.
- Get an adequate amount of sleep, maintain a regular sleep pattern and try to follow your circadian rhythm of sleeping shortly after sunset and waking up at sunrise.
- Get at least 15 minutes of sunshine daily. Lack of sunshine can cause depression. Conversely, adding a daily dose of sunshine can lift depressive moods.
- Reduce or eliminate the use of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drugs may make you feel better for a few hours, but actually makes depression worse in the long run.
- Pray or meditate. Refining your spiritual side is as old as the mountains yet one of the most powerful and easy method to break through depression.
- Seek emotional support from friends and family, even if you want to hide away in your "cave." If you’ve have a major upset, tell someone close to you, and tell them how you feel.
- Avoid people who make you feel worse. You already feel bad. Don't make it worse by spending time with acrid or non-supportive people.
- Join a depression support group. If you cannot express your true feelings in person or cannot find a depression support group in your area, look for online communities and forums.
- Put off making long-term commitments or important decisions, if possible, until you reach a better state of mind.
- Look for the positives in life, even if you have to dig deep. Studies show that negative thinkers are more susceptible to depression, stay in a state of depression longer and are more likely to become depressed again.
- Practice forgiveness. We are all human and we all make mistakes. Don't carry yours or anyone else’s mistakes. And while you are at it, do not assume responsibility for actions outside of your control.
- Get out of bed every morning and do something - anything. Studies consistently show that activity decreases and wards off depression. Go for a walk. Meet with a friend for lunch. Read a book. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do something that you enjoy.
- Help another person or volunteer for a good cause. Helping others is an incredibly powerful depression self-help technique.
- And finally, take responsibility for your recovery. No one has the power to lift the depression but you. It’s up to you to make lifestyle changes, exercise, get out of bed in the morning...

Source: http://www.newomen.com/displayarticle374.html

Work Place News

Gender Pay Gap

Should women be making as much as men? If they are performing the same job in the same capacity, of course they should! But women working full time today earn an average of 80 cents for each dollar that men earn, even when you take into account their occupation, industry, marital status and job tenure. So why aren't women closing the gender pay gap?

Actually nobody really seriously disputes the existence of a gender pay gap. The arguments typically focus on the actual reason for the difference in pay.

History of the Gender Pay GapEqual pay has been the law since 1963 when President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. It was an amendment to the Wages and Hours Act which prohibits discrimination based on sex that results in unequal pay for equal work. At the time the law was passed women made 58 cents for every dollar earned by men. In 2002, women were paid 73 cents for every dollar earned by men.

In January, 2003 the Paycheck Fairness Act was reintroduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro and Senator Tom Daschle. This Act would strengthen enforcement of the Equal Pay Act. It would work to improve Equal Pay Act remedies, make it easier to bring about class action claims, improve collection of pay information, prohibit employer retaliation, develop voluntary guidelines, increase training and education, and recognize model employers.

On December 1st, 2003 the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) published a new code of practice on equal pay and explains to employers what they have to do to comply with equal pay law. All employers were encouraged to perform an audit to make sure women were being paid equally to the men for doing the same job or work of equal value.

Argument For Closing the Gender Pay Gap

Those who believe that there is a gender pay gap usually state that the reason the gap exists is due to gender discrimination. The discrimination affects a woman's ability to achieve an education and thus her available choice of careers. Women are also pushed into lower-paying jobs and are not welcome in the male-dominated professions.

Argument Against Closing the Pay Gap

Those who are against closing the gender pay gap believe that the gap exists because of of the characteristics associated with each gender. They believe the gap is due to gender-related differences in occupational choice, educational attainment, and prior work experience. For example women tend to fill the roles of lower-paying jobs (secretaries, nurses, teachers) while men fill the roles of higher-paying jobs (engineers, doctors, scientists). Since each woman has a choice in her education and career, if she enters a lower-paying job it is voluntarily and not due to gender discrimination.

And then there are those that say the gender pay gap does not exist. In some industries women make more money than men... yes you read that right! These include the fashion industry, modeling, and the entertainment industry.

Source: http://www.allinfoaboutwomensissues.com/gender_pay_gap.html