Many Women in Iran See Leaving as Their Only Choice

The oppression of women and a feminist movement is helping to drive an exodus of female graduates in Iran. 

This exodus, particularly of women academics, has intensified in recent years. The director of the Iran Migration Observatory in Tehran pointed to the high level of unemployment among women as the main driver.

Official figures show 60% of students in Iran are women, but that share drops to just 15% on the job market. Massive repression of nationwide protests late last year after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini and a crackdown on women's rights have further fueled female brain drain. 

https://www.dw.com/en/iran-crackdown-on-womens-rights-fuels-female-brain-drain/a-66932202

Birckhead Becomes First Black Female State Military Leader

Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead looked hard for a way to finance a college education.  Accepting an ROTC scholarship, she began her military career and is now holds the top military position in the state. 

She now is the only Black woman to lead a state military, responsible for the combat readiness of 4,600 soldiers and airmen. 

In early 2021, Birckhead was appointed by the National Guard Bureau as the task force commander for over 14,000 guard members guarding the U.S. Capitol after the Jan. 6 attack. She also led the Maryland National Guard's security mission for President Biden's inauguration.  

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/24/1173815128/maryland-national-guard-janeen-birckhead-adjutant-general

Father of Daughters Champions the Birth of Girls in India

Sunil Jaglan is responsible for saving the lives of hundreds of girls in Haryana in India, and is gaining national recognition for his efforts.

Because of his work, his village and many others across Haryana, the birth of girls is now celebrated with the banging of pots and pans by family members, a ritual earlier reserved for the birth of a boy.

In four years, the sex ratio in the village improved from 37 girls/63 boys per hundred newborns to 51 girls/49 boys, according to government health records.

Despite an official ban on prenatal sex testing, advertisements for the service were pasted on market walls and highways across Haryana, and aborting fetuses because they were female was common. 

In India, gender inequality remains deeply entrenched. In many households, especially in rural areas, girls are considered a social and financial burden whose parents still pay thousands of dollars in dowry gifts to a husband’s family after arranging a marriage.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/world/asia/sunil-jaglan-india-haryana-womens-rights.html