Tag Archives: Women

In My Hands Today…

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The Missing Thread: A Women’s History of the Ancient World – Daisy Dunn

Spanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, a magisterial new history of the ancient world told, for the very first time, through women.

For centuries, men have been writing histories of antiquity filled with warlords, emperors and kings. But when it comes to incorporating women aside from Cleopatra and Boudica, writers have been more comfortable describing mythical heroines than real ones.

While Penelope and Helen of Troy live on in the imagination, their real-life counterparts have been relegated to the margins. In The Missing Thread, Daisy Dunn inverts this tradition and puts the women of history at the centre of the narrative.

These pages present Enheduanna, the earliest named author, the poet Sappho and Telesilla, who defended her city from attack. Here is Artemisia, sole female commander in the Graeco-Persian Wars, and Cynisca, the first female victor at the Olympic Games. Cleopatra may be the more famous, but Fulvia, Mark Antony’s wife, fought a war on his behalf. Many other women remain nameless but integral.

Through new examination of the sources combined with vivid storytelling Daisy Dunn shows us the ancient world through fresh eyes, and introduces us to an incredible cast of ancient women, weavers of an entire world.

In My Hands Today…

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The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts – Mary Claire Haver

Filling a gaping hole in menopause care, everything a woman needs to know to thrive during her hormonal transition and beyond, as well as the tools to help her take charge of her health at this pivotal life stage–by the bestselling author of The Galveston Diet.

Menopause is inevitable, but suffering through it is not! This is the empowering approach to self-advocacy that pioneering women’s health advocate Dr. Mary Claire Haver takes for women in the midst of hormonal change in The New Menopause. A comprehensive, authoritative book of science-backed information and lived experience, it covers every woman’s needs:

The very latest research on the benefits and side effects of hormone replacement therapy.
Arming women with the power to secure vibrant health and well-being for the rest of their lives, The New Menopause is sure to become the bible of midlife wellness for present and future generations.

From changes in your appearance and sleep patterns to neurological, musculoskeletal, psychological, and sexual issues, a comprehensive A to Z toolkit of science-backed options for coping with symptoms.

What to do to mediate the risks associated with your body’s natural drop in estrogen production, including for diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain.

How to advocate and prepare for annual midlife wellness visits, including questions for your doctor and how to insist on whole life care.

International Women’s Day

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International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, is a global occasion dedicated to recognising the achievements of women and advocating for gender equality. This day has its roots in the early 20th century, emerging from labour movements and the suffrage movement in North America and Europe. Its significance has evolved over the years, becoming a focal point for women’s rights and empowerment across various sectors.

The origins of International Women’s Day can be traced back to February 28, 1909, when the Socialist Party of America organised the first National Woman’s Day in New York City. This event responded to the growing unrest among women regarding their working conditions, pay disparities, and voting rights. The following year, Clara Zetkin, a German activist, proposed the idea of an international women’s day during the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. Her proposal aimed to unify women across nations in their struggle for equal rights, and it was met with unanimous approval from over 100 women representing 17 countries.

The first official International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, where more than one million people participated in rallies advocating for women’s rights to work, vote, and hold public office. However, it wasn’t until March 8 became established as the global date for IWD after a significant event in Russia in 1917. On this day, women in Petrograd staged a strike demanding bread and peace amid World War I. This protest marked a pivotal moment that contributed to the Russian Revolution and solidified March 8 as International Women’s Day.

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The United Nations theme for 2025 IWD is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” This theme underscores the urgent need to create a world where every woman and girl, regardless of background, has access to equal rights, opportunities, and empowerment. Marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, this year’s theme reflects on the progress made since 1995 while emphasising the unfinished work in achieving gender equality. The Beijing Declaration remains a landmark global commitment to advancing women’s rights, yet systemic barriers such as violence, discrimination, and economic disparities continue to hinder progress. The UN’s campaign calls for action in three critical areas: advancing women’s rights by fighting all forms of violence and exploitation, promoting gender equality by dismantling patriarchal systems and amplifying marginalized voices, and fostering empowerment through inclusive access to education, leadership roles, and economic opportunities. With just five years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this theme serves as a rallying cry for governments, organizations, and individuals to accelerate efforts toward building a feminist future where no one is left behind.

The International Women’s Day (IWD) organisation has chosen #AccelerateAction as its 2025 campaign theme. This theme highlights the pressing need to hasten progress toward gender equality in light of persistent inequalities across various sectors. According to recent data from the World Economic Forum, at the current pace, it will take over 130 years to achieve full gender parity globally—a timeline that is unacceptable for millions of women facing systemic challenges today. #AccelerateAction focuses on driving bold and decisive interventions at all levels—political, corporate, and grassroots—to dismantle barriers such as unequal pay, limited educational access, and underrepresentation in leadership roles. The campaign also emphasises recovering lost ground caused by crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacted women through job losses and increased caregiving burdens. By calling on individuals and institutions to step forward in solidarity, this theme seeks to inspire collective action that not only addresses immediate challenges but also fosters long-term systemic change. The message is clear: gender equality cannot wait another century; it requires urgent action now.

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The theme of ‘March Forward’ serves as a reminder that progress is not merely about reflection but about taking actionable steps towards achieving a truly equal future for all women and girls. This theme calls for collective efforts to dismantle persistent barriers to gender equality and to ensure that commitments translate into real change. The IWD 2025 theme encourages everyone to take bold steps in the ongoing fight for gender equality.

International Women’s Day is not only a celebration of women’s achievements but also a vital reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality worldwide. As we look toward, it is crucial to continue advocating for women’s rights across all sectors. By investing in women and girls today, we pave the way for a more equitable future for generations to come.

In My Hands Today…

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Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide – Hawon Jung

Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement, tens of thousands of people in South Korea have taken to the street, and many more brave individuals took a stand, to end a decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful men accused of sexual misconduct—including a popular presidential contender. South Korean feminists know that the revolution has been a long time coming, between battles against its own patriarchal society as well as challenging stereotypes of docile Asian women in the Western imagination.

Now, author Hawon Jung will show the rest of the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames. Flowers of Fire takes the reader into the trenches of this fight for equality, following along as South Korean activists march on the streets, navigate public and private spaces where spycam porn crimes are rampant, and share tips and tricks with each other as they learn how to protect themselves from harassment and how to push authorities to act.

Jung, the former Seoul correspondent for the AFP, draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women who became activists and leaders, from the elite prosecutor who ignited the country’s #MeToo movement to the young women who led the war against non-consensual photography. Their stories, though long overlooked in the West, mirror realities that women across the world are all too familiar with: threats of defamation lawsuits to silence victims of assault, tech-based sexual abuse, and criminal justice systems where victims’ voices are often met with suspicion and abusers’ downfalls are met with sympathy. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo movement, and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—and with extraordinary success. In Flowers of Fire, Jung illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women, too often sidelined in global conversations about feminism and gender equality.

In My Hands Today…

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Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution – Cat Bohannon

How did the female body drive 200 million years of human evolution?

  • Why do women live longer than men?
  • Why are women more likely to get Alzheimer’s?
  • Why do girls score better at every academic subject than boys until puberty, when suddenly their scores plummet?
  • Is sexism useful for evolution?
  • And why, seriously why, do women have to sweat through our sheets every night when we hit menopause?

These questions are producing some truly exciting science—and in Eve, with boundless curiosity and sharp wit, Cat Bohannon covers the past 200 million years to explain the specific science behind the development of the female sex: “We need a kind of user’s manual for the female mammal. A no-nonsense, hard-hitting, seriously researched (but readable) account of what we are. How female bodies evolved, how they work, what it really means to biologically be a woman. Something that would rewrite the story of womanhood. This book is that story. We have to put the female body in the picture. If we don’t, it’s not just feminism that’s compromised. Modern medicine, neurobiology, paleoanthropology, even evolutionary biology all take a hit when we ignore the fact that half of us have breasts. So it’s time we talk about breasts. Breasts, and blood, and fat, and vaginas, and wombs—all of it. How they came to be and how we live with them now, no matter how weird or hilarious the truth is.”

Eve is not only a sweeping revision of human history, it’s an urgent and necessary corrective for a world that has focused primarily on the male body for far too long. Picking up where Sapiens left off, Eve will completely change what you think you know about evolution and why Homo sapiens has become such a successful and dominant species.