Grant shapps

TO MARK International Women’s Day, we asked readers how the pandemic has impacted you – and the results make for sobering reading. It’s been a year like no other. While the pandemic has been tough for everyone, multiple studies suggest that women have been disproportionately impacted by it, both at home and at work. Globally, women are 1.8 times more likely to have lost their jobs in the last year, while the Women And Equalities Committee has warned that the government risks turning back the clock on gender equality unless it takes proactive steps to support women through the pandemic. So this International Women’s Day , a year since coronavirus swept the country , we spoke to almost 3,000 readers to find out how the toughest year on record has really impacted them. The results make clear that the pandemic has hit women’s mental and physical health hard. One In Ten readers lost their job during the pandemic Nearly half have felt more … [Read more...] about We asked four readers why it has been the toughest year ever for women

For nearly two decades, women in Afghanistan have played an active part in social and political life by holding political office, working in professions and running businesses. Advances for women have extended from the country's elite in the cities all the way to the less-privileged communities in the provinces. However, Afghan women now fear their place in society will again be marginalized as the Islamist militant Taliban consolidate their power under a peace deal with the US. There are big questions about how the social landscape in Afghanistan will shift under Taliban influence, and what conditions will be forced upon women. Fawzia Koofi, a member of the Afghan government delegation negotiating with the Taliban, said it is difficult to determine how the Taliban have changed nearly 20 years after being removed from political power. Afghanistan, however, has turned into a different country. "When they [the Taliban] get to know the new Afghanistan and see the media, the … [Read more...] about Afghan women risk losing their rights in a new political setup