Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

The authors note, “In 2008, the United Nations formally declared rape a ‘weapon of war,’ and Congo came up constantly in discussions. […] [A] former United Nations force commander […] spoke of […] rape as a war tactic and said something haunting: ‘It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in an armed conflict’” (84). Since 2008, has the international community helped protect women and girls from gender-based violence during wars? Cite examples from recent conflicts (between 2008 and the present) to support your answer.

What do Obende Kayode and Prudence Lemokouno’s case studies illustrate about the dangers of childbirth in the Global South? Which of the strategies that Kristof and WuDunn propose for curbing maternal mortality rates do you find most compelling? Why?

Do you agree with the authors that women’s rights are a humanitarian issue? Why or why not?

How does education empower women? What effect does it have on their families, communities, and society?

The authors argue that the US must bridge the God Gulf to create more effective foreign aid policy for women’s healthcare in the Global South. Considering that family planning, including access to abortions and contraception, continues to divide US conservatives and liberals, do you think the US can bridge this gap? In what areas related to family planning might the two political sides find common ground? Would coalescing around these policies improve maternal health and mortality rates?

What role do grassroots organizations and foreign aid play in addressing gender inequality? Do you think one does a better job addressing this humanitarian issue? How might the authors respond to your views?

Do you think that Half the Sky has been effective in launching a “new emancipation movement to empower women and girls around the world” (244)? Why or why not?

The US is the only established democracy in the world that hasn’t ratified the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In addition, the US has failed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee legal gender equality in the US Constitution. What do these policy failures illustrate about gender equality in the US? How does this affect the US’s global standing as a bastion of freedom and democracy and its ability to address women’s rights issues in other countries?