Society
Welcome to our section on society.
From gender and sexuality to science and technology, our coverage speaks to the societal shifts fundamentally changing our daily lives. Here, we unpack health inequalities and the varying accessibility of education internationally.
This is also the home of our coverage of crime, justice and where we discuss the ways in which the law impacts different members of civil society.
The brave and the blameless: women survivors of war-time rape
A global summit to end sexual violence in conflict takes place this week. Subi Shah reports.
Motherhood is a personal journey
Rather than criticizing others’ parenting styles, let’s just be the best we can be, says Iris Gonzales.
We need to look past, not at, disability
People living with disability face fear, prejudice and awkwardness in their interactions with others, says Koren Helbig.
PHOTO ESSAY: India’s city of widows
David Shaw captures the haunted existence of the country’s unwanted women.
The death penalty: killing them nicely?
Debating what constitutes as ‘humane executions’ allows politicians to avoid discussing abolition, argues Robert Walsh.
Aunty Ji, how do I kiss?
Loreza Bacino investigates a new Hindi-language site giving answers to all the questions Indian youth were afraid to ask.
Should halal and kosher methods of slaughter be banned?
Viva! campaigner Tony Wardle and social commentator Mohammed Ansar go head to head.
Should there be a basic income?
Basic Income UK co-ordinator Barb Jacobson and author and sociologist Francine Mestrum go head to head.
World Vision USA’s gay marriage U-turn is callous and cowardly
The homophobia of this evangelical aid agency beggars belief, says Leigh Daynes.
What does locking up migrants say about society?
As a new immigration centre opens in Dorset, Horatio Morpurgo asks why refugees are treated so badly.
Can porn be ethical?
Porn performer and lecturer Kitty Stryker and feminist writer and activist Louise Pennington go head to head.
Let's talk about sex in... the Arab world
Shereen El Feki hopes to reclaim the spirit of her ancestors who lived when sex was a pleasure - for both men and women.
Clampdown continues on Nigeria’s LGBT community
But the global voices of dissent are growing louder, reports Chris Matthews.
Benjamin Zephaniah: ‘It is my duty to help and inspire’
Mischa Wilmers talks to the poet turned professor about mentoring, Mandela and making a difference.
Sex, lies and complicity in India
Rita Banerji on girl-hating sex selection, rape and the chances of a ‘true feminist revolution for India’.
Malaria battles in Sierra Leone
Bankolay Turay comments from Freetown on the tussle between traditional beliefs and pharmaceuticals in treating the epidemic.
Rising cornflakes
Danny Dorling on why the London mayor has unwittingly done us all a favour by exposing what our élitist leaders erroneously believe.
Country Profile: Central African Republic
The UN says it is at risk of descending into complete chaos. Ruby Diamonde provides an overview of a country in crisis.
Has this been the decade of gay rights in Britain?
From Section 28 to equal marriage, legal gains have been achieved but there is still work to be done, says Adam Long.
Rolling towards progress
Jody Mcintyre takes the notion of disability to task with a personal exploration of difference and defiance.
Country Profile: Bolivia
A flourishing economy, more jobs and less poverty - is Bolivia a Latin American success story?
Who are the Roma people?
To counter some of the recent accusatory news coverage, Philip Brown shares a few facts.
As the cuts bite, why bother with the global South?
Jonathan Glennie opens our Internationalists series, calling on rich nations to reject nagging stinginess and embrace radical redistribution across borders.
How Somalia's coastal communities called time on the pirates
Diaspora uncles and 'fathers against pirates' were as decisive as the frigates in ending the piracy scourge. Jamal Osman speaks to Hazel Healy.
Argument: Should 16-year-olds get the vote?
Politics academic Andrew Mycock and UK Youth Parliament member Chanté Joseph go head-to-head.
Responsibility for rape is a male issue
Male bonding is normalizing sexual violence. Men must stop this, argues Matthew Vickery.
Change-makers: women of the African diaspora
A long tradition of positive social action sets international standards, writes Minna Salami.
Argument: Are exams bad for children?
Teachers Stephanie Schneider and Matt Christison go head-to-head.
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Philippine ‘comfort women’ still waiting for justice
Osaka mayor’s words anger women raped by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War, as Iris Gonzales explains.
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Aimé Césaire: a leader of the (cultural) struggle
Philip Crispin celebrates the centenary of the Martinican poet, playwright and politician who showed that Empire ‘writes back.’
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Corporates cashing in on mental-health diagnosis
Some of the experts who put together a popular psychiatry manual have fingers in Big Pharma pies, reports Adam McGibbon.
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Tibet: the destruction of Lhasa
Pete Speller describes his anger on discovering that the old city is due to be replaced with a tourist attraction.
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Does multiculturalism have a future in Britain?
Inspired by the rightward lurch of British politics, The Prisma newspaper set up a debate to try to answer this question. Amy Hall reports.
Cameroon's women call time on breast ironing
Amy Hall reports on a little-known tradition with devastating impacts on girls in African communities.
Argument: Should prostitution be legalized?
Human rights lawyer Dianne Post and writer and filmmaker Bishakha Datta go head-to-head.
