(NEW YORK TIMES) 21 April 2008:

A problem not faced by previous generations is now rearing its head. In a double career family, what’s the right time to retire? When the man is ready? The woman? does it even have to be the same time for both?

Given that in the generation now beginning to retire many women didn’t really start careers until the children were older, even until they had left home, it can turn out that 20 years into their career they’re not ready to stop: while the man might have been working 40 years and would love to fold his hand.

It’s going to be interesting to see how it all works out.

(MSNBC.COM) 13 March 2008:

Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer resigned today after getting caught in a prostitution scandal. Politicians and scandals are nothing new, but this is the same guy that built a reputation on being scrupulously honest and railed against crime and corruption throughout his political career.

The scandal erupted only two days ago when allegations that the family man spent thousands of dollars on a hooker at a Washington hotel on February 13.

He’s not out of the woods, however. He is working on a plea deal in this public corruption scandal.

(JEZEBEL.COM) 12 December 2007:

A new reality show titled “Crown” debuted last night. In this latest reality offering of the CW network, mothers and daughters compete in teams against each other. They share living space during the competition, and former ”Queer Eye” cast member Carson Kressley is the judge. Opinion writers are having a field day with the concept, and  Washington Post writer John Maynard had this to say:  “There’s something a little creepy about these family units. These mothers, in their 40s and 50s, admire their offspring to the point of worship yet also seem envious of them, doing everything medically possible to look like their daughters. The producers also throw in a couple of sob stories in an attempt to lend poignancy to this tawdry affair: Melinda…received a kidney transplant last year, and more tragic, Moya…lost her husband in a helicopter crash…Their stories are presented in such an exploitative manner, though, that you’re more likely to feel anger than sympathy.”

(WALL STREET JOURNAL) 12 July 1007:

Some intriguing numbers about who feels happier (women more than men) seem to coincide with the numbers of those who feel freer (women more than men). This is something of a surprise as it is normally assumed that men’s freedom is greater, both in the economy and the family.

However, said freedom is in the eye of the beholder and religious participation amongst women is much higher than that among men. It isn’t that women are objectively more free, rather that they feel themselves to be: the conclusion being that their greater concentration upon the spiritual means that they actually are freed somewhat from the physical constraints of the world around us.

(THE DAILY TELEGRAPH) 25 April 2007:

Intriguing research into how to keep your husband from straying has been published by the University of New Mexico. The more children a marriage produces the less likely he is to stray.

There are two views as to why men do in fact conduct affairs or change partners. One is simply that variety is interesting while the other is that men invest less in physical terms in having children.

The new research rather turns both on their head. The more children there are in a relationship the less men are likely to stray from it. It isn’t just that with many children there isn’t time to stray, but that with many mouths to feed men become more paternal and comitted to the relationship.

Intriguing indeed, as the rise in divorce in recent decades closely tracks the fall in family size.

(REUTERS) 29 January 2007:

A Saudi couple have been forced to divorce against their will by a top court because of arcane tribal customs which allowed the woman’s family to seek a split, the pair’s lawyer said on Sunday.

Abdul-Rahman Al-Lahem said the court had upheld a ruling from a lower court and backed the divorce on the basis of the man’s family background.

“The appeals court in Riyadh has supported the divorce because of ‘inappropriate lineage’,” he said in a statement.

The family of the Saudi woman, called Fatima, began legal action in 2005, saying her husband was not of sufficiently prestigious tribal stock to marry her, and had lied about his tribal background.

(REUTERS) 1 January 2007:

India has done well over the decades to create a multicultural society: they’ve had to, given the multiplicity of groups and religions in the country. The large Muslim minority, for example, have always been allowed to follow Islamic family law. However, the burka, a cultural import from other more Islamic countries is making an appearance, not to the joy of Poona’s jewelers. The problem is that several burka wearing shoppers have been filmed stealing gold jewelry: but as the burka covers the face, no one knows who they are.

(THE DAILY COLLEGIAN ONLINE) 8 October 2002:

While there is no evidence conclusive enough to prove the theory, some scientists believe that women who live in close quarters or who spend a lot of time together develop menstrual synchrony, which means they tend to menstruate around the same time of the month.

Studies by Leonard and Aron Weller found that menstrual synchrony occurs between co-workers and between women in some closely knit family units.

Other studies found a greater degree of menstrual synchrony among women who were close friends than among women who did not have close relationships, she said.

A study that examined a women’s basketball team for an extended period of time found no correlation between the women’s menstrual patterns.

Some scientists attribute pheremones to this phenomenon, others say it’s because of similar lifestyles or use of oral contraceptives.  While they disagree on cause, most scientists that have studied the phenomenon acknowledge that synchronized menstruation does exist.

(TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL) 21 August 2006:

Researchers at RTI International say the results of a recent study indicate that concerns about balancing career and family prevent many young women from entering male-dominated fields.

The study examined 137 female high school seniors in 1990 who aspired to male-dominated jobs. Seven years later, 83 percent of those women had changed their occupational aspirations to female-dominated fields or neutral jobs, according to a written statement released by RTI on Monday.

The study found the most significant factor prompting young women to change career plans was the desire for a job that allowed the flexibility to have a family, RTI officials said.

The study’s authors concluded that employers need to provide childcare and a flexible work schedule without compromising promotions or other career opportunities.