Extreme weather and women's rights – your week in news

Women and girls changing their worlds — and ours. No Images? [Click here]( [Across Women's Lives]( Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Fear not, sign-up and receive your own copy weekly in your inbox. [Subscribe]( Letter from the Editor This week’s extreme weather — Hurricanes Harvey and Irma close to home, and flooding and floods and drought in South Asia and East Africa — have prompted attention to the impact of human-induced global warming, but not to [the gender issue]( driving climate change: overpopulation. People create greenhouse gases. And in the 20th century alone, the human population grew from 1.6 billion people to 6.1 billion people. And in the next 50 years, population is projected to grow past 9 billion, with most of the growth in developing nations. [Scientists have found]( that giving women access to contraception, as well as keeping girls in school, are among the most effective ways to reduce global carbon emissions. Yet these two fundamental rights are rarely connected to the global conversation about the environment. Too often, they're relegated to “women’s issues” verticals on news sites, while electric cars and windmills make the front page. Notice the lack of hyperlinks above? There’s nothing to hyperlink to because so few are talking about this! What do you think? In other news this week, we saw the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and journalist Katy Segal at The Hill is keeping a close eye on women, immigration, DACA and the Violence Against Women's Act. Here’s her [good backgrounder.]( I’ve got three books on my September reading list — Suzy Hansen’s "[Notes On a Foreign Country](," Catherine Mayer’s "[Attack of the 50 Foot Woman](" and, of course, I want to hear from Hillary Clinton in her own words. Her book "[What Happened](" will be out on Sept. 12. Resuming this month is a sister newsletter, [Foreign Policy Interrupted](, run by Lauren Bohn and Elmira Bayrasli. They call our attention to the many women now “interrupting” the foreign policy discussion, like [Robin Wright]( on North Koreain the New Yorker. I’m also nerding out on a [new podcast series]( on women in national security. Join me, and let me know what you find relevant and interesting. Best, Christina Asquith, editorial director of Across Women’s Lives [This week from AWL.]( [In New York, this statue causes some students to shudder]( Every day, Seshat Mack wakes up and takes the bus to school. She’s a doctoral student in science, from Harlem. Every morning, the bus drops her off in front of a statue of a man looking down kind of heroically, kind of benevolently at passers by. Seshat can’t stand the statue. [Share via Twitter]( [Listen to the story]( [She once served in North Korea’s army. Now she thinks Trump is a ‘cool guy.’]( Lee So-yeon once reviled the Americans with an almost religious fervor. She didn’t have much of a choice. Lee was a sergeant in North Korea’s army. All-consuming hatred of the imperial Yankees was a job requirement. “They taught us that Americans are jackals, devouring all other creatures. Americans are also vampires,” Lee says. “Oh, and barbarians, too.” Those were the days when Lee, like most in North Korea, was quarantined against information from the outside world. She defected from her isolated homeland in 2008 and ultimately became a citizen of South Korea, one of the most technologically advanced societies on the planet. Lee, now 41, is a woman with a unique vantage point. [Share via Twitter]( [Who is the 'Pink Lady' who anchors North Korea's most important TV broadcasts?]( The official announcement of North Korea’s nuclear test earlier this week was made by the distinctive voice of Ri Chun Hee. She has been the face and voice of North Korean TV for more than 40 years. [But who is she?]( [Share via Twitter]( [Why some Indian women are saying their husbands names for the first time]( In many parts of rural India, it's normal for a woman to avoid using her husband's name. As a sign of respect, a woman is expected to abstain from using the name under all circumstances. However, men are free to speak their wife's name. Now a small group of activists is seeking to question the convention, along with other traditions that they consider sexist. Video Volunteers have filmed women saying their husband's names out loud for the first time in public. [Share via Twitter]( Across Our News Feeds 👀 Weekend reads and dinner party fodder The Guardian [Proposals to increase number of female MPs in House of Commons rejected]( The UK government has rejected all six proposals to give parliament more equal female representation (prepared by the House of Commons’ women and equalities committee) including fines for parties that do not select enough women as candidates. NewsDeeply [Raging civil war makes giving birth harder than ever for Yemen’s women]( Before the war started, Yemen already had one of the world’s highest rates of maternal mortality. But now, with an increasingly impoverished population and hospitals struggling to function, the outlook for pregnant women has become even worse. KHSU [Through the eyes of Women: How DACA could affect this HSU student]( Humboldt State University student Karla Sanchez waited in anticipation of what the Trump administration would decide to do to the DACA program. Ending the program, according to US Sen. Kamala Harris, could impact the state's economy, culture and higher education system, because the most DACA recipients reside in California. NY Times [In Indonesia, three muslim girls fight for their right to play heavy metal]( The three teenage girls — shy and even seeming slightly embarrassed as they peer out from their Islamic head scarves — do not look much like a heavy metal band. But a dramatic change occurs when they take the stage. All pretense of shyness or awkwardness evaporates as the group — two 17-year-olds and one 15-year-old — begin hammering away at bass, guitar and drums to create a joyous, youthful racket. The Lily [Vocal therapy helps some transgender people find their voice]( “The guy called me miss as I walked up to the counter,” Gorelick says. “But when he was making my sandwich and I had to tell him what I wanted, he started calling me sir.” As a transgender woman, this wasn’t the first time Gorelick had been misgendered because of her low voice. NewsDeeply [Rape: A weapon of war with long-term consequences]( Sexual violence continues to be used on all sides of the Syrian conflict, but in a society that forces victims to suffer in silence, documenting instances of rape is nearly impossible and the consequences for survivors are devastating. Across Women’s Lives is PRI’s ambitious multi-platform journalism and engagement initiative about the connection between the empowerment of women and girls, and economic development and improved health around the world. This newsletter highlights our reporting and the work of PRI staff in calling attention to the ways that women are shaping a better future for their communities. [Donate Today]( PRI Public Radio International Hear a Different Voice [Like]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](