How gender norms influence women’s food choices
With societal expectations and cultural conditioning still fundamentally guiding women’s eating habits, it’s time we addressed the often-overlooked issue of gendered appetites. In kitchens and dining rooms across the globe, an unseen force shapes the way that women interact with food. From portion size to preference, gender norms have long...
Current in People
England & Wales to enforce ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics
The decision aims to tackle cases of harassment outside clinics across the country. For years, anti-abortion protesters in England and Wales have employed tactics ranging from the passive-aggressive to the blatantly invasive in an effort to sway women from terminating pregnancies. Come the end of October, however, this may no longer...
The implications of Australia’s social media ban for young people
TikTok, Instagram, Twitch and Steam are some of the platforms to be banned for young people in Australia by the Albanese government. The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced in mid-September that social media will be banned for minors. There will be an age verification trial conducted, as the first...
Controversial topics reintroduced to India’s medical curriculum
In a surprising U-turn, India’s National Medical Commission has revised the medical curriculum, reintroducing controversial topics related to sexuality and gender. This decision has sparked a debate on education, LGBTQ+ rights, and the intersection of law and medicine in the country. India’s apex medical education regulator, the National Medical Commission...
Should we be using AI powered tools in the academic environment?
AI can be a great tool, but what happens when these tools are not well trained? In recent months, a series of new tools that use Artificial Intelligence have emerged, including ChatGPT and Gemini. Each one of them has been marketed as having the ability to make our lives easier. Whether...
Exclusive – Kiana & Ali Rahmani on efforts to free their mother, Narges Mohammadi
We spoke to Kiana and Ali Rahmani about the global campaign called ‘Free Narges Coalition’, launched at the Nobel Peace Center on September 5th - led by PEN America, Reporters Without Borders, and Front Line Defenders - to free their mother, Laureate Narges Mohammadi. Narges Mohammadi has been imprisoned for...
Opinion – early release for UK prisoners is the start of another sentence
Labour’s decision to release thousands of prisoners early is in the government's best interest, leaving inmates as vulnerable as ever. In the midst of a rising crisis in the UK’s prison system, the Labour government has rolled out a plan that is, in their words, both pragmatic and necessary. Short-term, the solution involves releasing eligible prisoners on licence after serving just 40% of their sentence. Long-term, it’s about building...
Kids in Sweden to have less screen-time and more school-time
In an overhaul of the country’s education system which signals a pivot from play-based teaching for younger children, it will soon be compulsory that they start attending lessons at just six-years-old. The centre-right coalition government has also announced plans to ban access to digital devices in classrooms. On the one hand, recent efforts to safeguard children’s wellbeing in Sweden are commendable. In 2023, the country’s public health agency suggested that toddlers...
Opinion – cynicism shouldn’t be our default setting
For many, it’s a reasonable response to the world – one that our culture engineers. Unless we address its heightened prevalence in modern society and work to collectively move past it, however, our trust in others, mental health, and desire to engage in impactful activism will continue to deteriorate. In the age of 24-hour news, it’s almost impossible not to be a cynic. This is because we’ve A, never been...
Opinion – we need to take self-care from the screen to the streets
Though scrolling on social media gives us the short-term dopamine hits we crave, ceaseless overexposure to tragedy means that many of us have developed a guilt complex. To combat this, we’re increasingly switching off in the name of self-care, but what if we redirected that to bringing about tangible change and helping others the way we’re helping ourselves? Without doubt, social media is having detrimental impact on our mental...
