Spy wars, leap seconds and tattooing before childbirth

Millions of women in Pakistan are declining in health as large parts of the country remain underwater or severely damaged. Pakistani women suffer from urinary tract infections (UTIs), reproductive health issues, experience trauma and other health complications. At COP 27 in Egypt, attention was drawn to the need to fund projects that give access to water, sanitation and hygiene in vulnerable countries for women and girls bearing the burden of climate change. ActionAid research in Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and Nigeria found that climate change also increases gender-based violence and damages women’s mental health.

56% of 5100 women surveyed in the UK feel that the pain they experience is ignored or disregarded,  and 50% of those surveyed feel this way when they seek support from their GP. 26% of women feel disregarded by their partners and 21% feel disregarded by friends. 63% of women say this is due to being seen as “emotional”. When it comes to experiencing pain, 74% of those surveyed regularly choose self-care overseeing a professional.

The English Collective of Prostitutes draws attention to the increasing number of women, in about ⅔ of cases of mothers, who, due to the economic crisis, are seeking information on how to start providing sex work. Some women also return to the profession after years off and take on potentially dangerous assignments and clients they would normally refuse to meet.