Despite mounting efforts toward achieving gender equality, the Middle East and North Africa region continues to rank the lowest worldwide when it comes to women's economic participation and opportunity.
In this issue brief, Rice University's Baker Institute and The Episcopal Health Foundation ask, "Were Texans satisfied with the cost of health care and health insurance prior to the Affordable Care Act?"
By Vivian Ho, Ph.D.; Elena M. Marks, J.D., M.P.H.; and Patricia Gail Bray, Ph.D.
Vivian Ho, Elena M. Marks, Patricia Gail BrayFebruary 10, 2014
Many contemporary medical ethicists dismiss the centuries-old Hippocratic Oath as outdated because of the enormous scientific, social, economic, and political changes since Hippocrates' time. Health policy scholar Hagop Kantarjian makes a case for its relevance.
Most recent reports on sexual harassment in Egypt draw a dim picture of women’s status not only in that country, but also in most parts of the region. A recent United Nations study revealed that 99.3 percent of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the past year, primarily in the form of physical harassment. A recent public opinion survey showed that 85 percent of Egyptian women surveyed agree sexual harassment is the most urgent problem facing women and girls in transitional Egypt, despite the prevailing political and social instability in the country. Looking closely at these statistics, it is evident that sexual harassment is becoming not only a repugnant social phenomenon or political tool used by the regime to suppress women’s participation in the political and public spheres; it is also progressively becoming a barrier for women to play an active role in society and enjoy equal citizenship rights in their own country. Most importantly, harassment has become an impediment for both economic and social development in the country—a critical issue that requires immediate attention from policymakers, legislators,
and society as a whole.
The technical problems plaguing the health exchange roll-out came without warning, and health policy scholar Elena Marks, an advocate of health care reform, is not happy about it. Read her Oct. 25, 2013, blog.