The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Recently Cal Thomas of Fox News suggested that a Jell-O wrestling match would be a more appropriate venue for Michele Bachmann than the campaign trail.
Do the talking heads in the media think that it is open season on women? Apparently so, because virulent sexism was used to destroy Clinton’s campaign, and sexism was used with less success against South Carolina Nikki Haley.

Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin have been treated to the sort …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

People look to the past when they fear the future, and the line-up of TV fare indicates there is a lot of fear to go around. How do we soothe bruised egos and wounded pride of men and their overwhelming anxiety? When there are more women receiving college and graduate degrees? When women are more visible in public and the business arenas? When the labor market is so erratic? We …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Society has always been unnerved by the advancement of women; each succeeding generation has manufactured its own scheme for stalling progress and reminding women of their place. In the 1980’s as women rushed off to graduate school and up the corporate ladder, we had the era of shoulder pads and big hair and make-up. The shoulder pads were a subliminal message to the men folk that we were on the same page; the broad …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Older mothers, obesity, poverty and C-sections were blamed on the spike in maternal deaths. – California WatchAccording to a study completed for the California Department of Public Health in 2010, and released in April 2011, there was an alarming increase in maternal deaths associated with pregnancy related complications in California (see the report) . The rate of maternal deaths in California has nearly tripled in the past decade. While the numbers are …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Advertisement for Toronto's "Slutwalk," from a Canadian blog.
In January 2011, young women from York University were attending a campus presentation on rape prevention. York University had recently seen some brazen attacks on women, including a rape in the stacks of the University library. One of the Toronto police officers involved in the presentation shocked the women by remarking that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized.” In other …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
While most Americans became acquainted with Congresswoman Jackie Speier because of her revelation on the House floor — she had a medically necessary abortion, Californians have been aware of her devotion to public service for decades.  Speier’s long track record of flying under the radar is equaled only by her determination to speak for those who do not have the opportunity or power to speak for themselves.  While in California’s Assembly and Senate, she …

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently declared there is a war against women, and made her assertion based on the proposed budget cuts by the Republican Party. The cuts will disproportionally affect women who are more likely to be poor and rely more heavily government programs. And Pelosi is right, there is a war being waged against women. The war being waged is not in the narrow political sense as Pelosi sees, not on a Republican against women basis, (the Democratic Party is not blameless), but on a scale …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Over several decades, the press has trumpeted the gains of working women.  We hear women are closing the wage gap and there are more women in the executive suites. We are told that more women are pursuing higher degrees, and that more women are in the workforce than men.  But behind chirpy headlines and sound bites is a more nuanced reality.
Women may be closing the wage gap, but they are making 80 cents for …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
The mother of French model Isabelle Caro committed suicide; Marie Caro’s death was attributed to her depression over her daughter’s death from anorexia.  Isabelle Caro died in mid November from complications of anorexia, which she battled most of her life.  While Caro was very close to her mother, she felt that her mother’s phobia with growth and growing up was a factor in her battle with anorexia.  By not eating, Caro could remain a …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Patricia Maisch is a low key woman whose quick thinking helped save lives on Saturday in Tucson when a Congressional “meet and greet” became a shooting gallery.  In an interview, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik stated that “for whatever reason, she decided that something had to be done.  She came out of line and tackled the magazine and the gun this guy was holding.  She might have saved many, many lives.”
To hear Maisch recount …