Women in the Philippines ranked third in achieving economic parity with men in the Asia-Pacific region, with New Zealand ranked first followed by Australia.
The MasterCard’s latest index of women’s advancement survey showed that much more can be done to achieve gender parity.
MasterCard’s research also revealed that while more women have access to job opportunities and tertiary education in Asia-Pacific, there are still barriers preventing them from taking top positions in the government or private sector.
At 91.2, New Zealand tops the region for workforce participation and regular employment with over 90 women for every 100 men in the regular workforce.
New Zealand women also lead the region for top jobs in the private sector and government withan overall leadership score of 51.6.
In seven Asia/Pacific markets – China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – women are on par or better represented in secondary and tertiary institutions than their male counterparts.
However, their representation in leadership roles in business and government are still low across the region.
All but one market – New Zealand – had fewer than 50 women business-government leaders for every 100 male business/government leaders, according to the scores of the latest index.
Across the 14 Asia-Pacific markets, only Australia (49.7) and the Philippines (45.6) came close to gender parit.
Markets that scored especially low in this category include India (15.9) Japan (14.8), Korea (17.5) and Thailand (18.6).
Georgette Tan, group head of communications for Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, said: “There is still a lot to be done in our region to enhance the role of women across all aspects of society; there are still too few women leaders in government and business, and not enough women-owned and run businesses.”
“There are standout markets which have repeatedly improved in terms of advancing opportunities and access for women, but more needs to be done,” she added.
When asked what would help improve women’s societal standing, MasterCard’s latest survey on Consumer Purchasing Priorities – Education found that women in Asia-Pacific view affirmative action (17.1%) and more seats in parliament (13.7%) as policies that would advance women’s role in society.
Parental childcare entitlement tops the list of key policy areas Australian, Japanese and South Korean women see as crucial for advancing women’s role in society.
In China, Malaysia and Taiwan, however, women see SME opportunities as the most pressing need to achieve gender parity in their societies.
source: mb.com.ph
Showing posts with label Women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women. Show all posts
Women smokers who quit before 40 gain nine years in lifespan
PARIS - Women can add nine years to their lives by quitting smoking before the age of 40 but still face a 20-percent higher death rate than those who never smoked, a study said Saturday.
Published in The Lancet, a survey of nearly 1.2 million women in Britain showed that smoking throughout adulthood chopped on average 11 years off lifespan.
These results echoed the findings of earlier research conducted on men.
Among women who kicked the habit before the age of 40, the researchers measured an average lifespan gain of more than nine years compared with those who never stopped.
For those who quit before 30 the gains were even bigger -- about 10 years.
"Whether they are men or women, smokers who stop before reaching middle age will on average gain about an extra 10 years of life," study co-author Richard Peto of the University of Oxford said.
But the paper warned this did not mean that it was safe to continue smoking until 40 before quitting.
"Women who do so have throughout the next few decades [of their lives] a mortality rate 1.2 times that of never-smokers. This is a substantial excess risk, causing one in six of the deaths among these ex-smokers."
In Europe and the United States, the popularity of smoking reached its peak among women in the 1960s, decades later than for men.
The Lancet study is one of the most extensive probes into the impacts of smoking on this generation of women, the first likely to have smoked substantially throughout their adult lives.
The research is part of a vast survey that enrolled 1.2 million women in the UK between 1996 and 2001. The volunteers were asked to detail their smoking history, and were followed for an average of 12 years.
The women were on average 55 years old when they signed up. Twenty percent of them were smokers, 28 percent ex-smokers, while 52 percent had never smoked.
The researchers found that the group of women who continued smoking had three times the overall mortality rate of never-smokers.
While the risks increased with the amount smoked, "Even those smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day... had double the overall mortality rate than never-smokers," warned the study.
It also cautioned against so-called "light" cigarettes, smoked by most of the women in the study.
"Low-tar cigarettes are not low-risk cigarettes and... more than half of those who smoke them will eventually be killed by them," the authors warned.
The key causes of death among smokers were chronic lung disease, lung cancer, stroke and heart disease.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
Published in The Lancet, a survey of nearly 1.2 million women in Britain showed that smoking throughout adulthood chopped on average 11 years off lifespan.
These results echoed the findings of earlier research conducted on men.
Among women who kicked the habit before the age of 40, the researchers measured an average lifespan gain of more than nine years compared with those who never stopped.
For those who quit before 30 the gains were even bigger -- about 10 years.
"Whether they are men or women, smokers who stop before reaching middle age will on average gain about an extra 10 years of life," study co-author Richard Peto of the University of Oxford said.
But the paper warned this did not mean that it was safe to continue smoking until 40 before quitting.
"Women who do so have throughout the next few decades [of their lives] a mortality rate 1.2 times that of never-smokers. This is a substantial excess risk, causing one in six of the deaths among these ex-smokers."
In Europe and the United States, the popularity of smoking reached its peak among women in the 1960s, decades later than for men.
The Lancet study is one of the most extensive probes into the impacts of smoking on this generation of women, the first likely to have smoked substantially throughout their adult lives.
The research is part of a vast survey that enrolled 1.2 million women in the UK between 1996 and 2001. The volunteers were asked to detail their smoking history, and were followed for an average of 12 years.
The women were on average 55 years old when they signed up. Twenty percent of them were smokers, 28 percent ex-smokers, while 52 percent had never smoked.
The researchers found that the group of women who continued smoking had three times the overall mortality rate of never-smokers.
While the risks increased with the amount smoked, "Even those smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day... had double the overall mortality rate than never-smokers," warned the study.
It also cautioned against so-called "light" cigarettes, smoked by most of the women in the study.
"Low-tar cigarettes are not low-risk cigarettes and... more than half of those who smoke them will eventually be killed by them," the authors warned.
The key causes of death among smokers were chronic lung disease, lung cancer, stroke and heart disease.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
Pussy Riot rocker slams 'strange game' after release
MOSCOW -- A member of the anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot freed unexpectedly from prison said there was no split within the group, accusing the authorities of playing a "strange game" against the women.
A Russian appeals court on Wednesday unexpectedly ordered the release of Yekaterina Samutsevich, but upheld the two-year prison camp sentences against her two bandmates Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.
The trio were contesting their conviction for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after they performed a song mocking President Vladimir Putin in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Russia's top church, in February.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the liberal television channel REN-TV that is set to be aired on Saturday, Samutsevich denied there was a split in the band.
"All of us have the same convictions. We've never thought about changing them," she said, sporting the same clothes she wore at the Wednesday hearing.
"Maybe it was a move by the authorities," the 30-year-old said in the interview, excerpts of which have been posted online.
"Some strange game of the authorities is beginning.
"To me, it is a campaign of calculated harassment by the authorities," she added, referring to what she said was state television's distorted coverage of the controversial affair that polarised the predominantly Orthodox country.
Samutsevich's release came after her announcement at the first appeals hearing on October 1 that she was changing her lawyer.
The Pussy Riot defence team said it was not entirely aware of all the circumstances behind the change in her position.
The judges said Wednesday Samutsevich had received a suspended sentence as she played a more minor role in the performance dubbed "The Punk Prayer", having been apprehended by security before it had properly begun.
In a highly unusual move, the judge who delivered Wednesday's ruling held a news conference in Moscow, seeking to deflect criticism that her decision might have been influenced by pressure from the Kremlin.
"No-one ever puts pressure on us, and no-one put pressure on us especially over this case," Larisa Polyakova told reporters.
Her colleague who participated in the appeals hearing said Samutsevich had been freed because she did not shout in the church.
"Like the rest, Samutsevich put on a hat, uncased her guitar, got into a fight with a guard and took away his walkie-talkie," said judge Yury Pasyunin.
"At the same time the rest began to shout, make noises, express their emotions. Samutsevich simply did not have the time to shout, she was taken outside."
Polyakova added the three judges at the hearing had come to the conclusion Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova's behaviour could not be corrected unless they were isolated from society.
Observers said the Moscow city court's unexpected ruling could generate new tensions.
"Which new game exactly have our authorities begun?" mass-circulation newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets said on its frontpage.
"Are we once again talking about an attempt to apply the time-honoured formula 'divide and rule'"? it asked.
The spokeswoman for the Russian prisons service told AFP the two jailed members of Pussy Riot should be sent to a penal colony within the next 10 days.
Kristina Belousova declined to say where the two young women, who both have small children, will serve their sentence.
"According to law on personal data, only their relatives will know about it," she said.
Samutsevich said she was hoping to continue being part of the band in the future, inviting others to join it.
"The band is always open to new people. People want to work with us."
source: interaksyon.com
ABORTION LAW
MADRID (AP) – Hundreds of Spaniards protested Sunday against the conservative government's proposal to roll back women's abortion rights, including in cases where the fetus is deformed. The protesters in Madrid included one young woman who wrote the slogan ``Judges and priests away from my body'' on her belly. Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon has said he will ask Parliament to change the existing law, including implementing a requirement for parental permission in cases where 16- and 17-year-olds want to end pregnancies.
source: mb.com.ph
source: mb.com.ph
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