Nine phrases women use and what they mean (courtesy of Jonathan Stobart): 1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up. 2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house. 3. Nothing: This is the ...

How goes the crusade? Not well: Earlier this year a report by Womankind, Taking Stock: Afghan Women and Girls Seven Years On, revealed that violent attacks against women, usually in a domestic setting, are at epidemic proportions – 87 per cent of women complain of such abuse, and half of it is sexual. More than 60

Women between the ages of 15 and 44 are at greater risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, traffic accidents, war and malaria, says the UN. It says violence against women has been reported in every international or non-international warzone and that half of all women murdered are killed by their current or former partner. You can read more on the BBC here

Today we have published Women and Recession, a report considering the impacts that this downturn will have for women in formal employment. While we are not arguing that women will be affected more than men we highlight that women will be hit more by this downturn than previous recessions, and that...

LABOUR has decided against all-women shortlists in half of the seats in Scotland where sitting MPs are standing down at the next election.

Labour's Deputy leader Harriet Harman MP today hosted the first ever women's summit at Labour Party conference. The event was the biggest political meeting of women in any political party in recent times, bringing together Labour women activists, new members and elected representatives from across the UK. Party membership has risen by 35,000, 40% of whom are women. Women now form the hig...

Researchers examining the link between sexual habits and alcohol consumption among 3,000 women found that half preferred sex after a tipple. Women said alcohol helped them lose their inhibitions and become more adventurous between the sheets. The study found that 75 per cent of women like to drink a glass of

Minister for Women Harriet Harman today published a new report “Women’s Changing Lives” which charts progress made on the Government’s priorities for women. The report coincides with Government announcement of new laws on homicide which will end the provocation defence for example in cases of domestic homicide where the husband escapes murder charge by blaming his wife for ...

Scottish Parliament Motion entitled Inspiring Women Politicians S3M-03660 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): That the Parliament notes with concern, following International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March 2009, the recent report by Girlguiding UK that found that 19% of UK women MPs are failing to inspire young women to become interested in politics; further notes that on average fewer t...

With sexual violence against women being somewhat endemic, it's good to see the Equality and Human Rights Commission making a statement about how not providing services for victims of abuse and violence is tantamount to waging an unspoken war against women. The fact that a third of councils have not considered the health and well-being of half their constituents is apalling. I am not saying t...