Women

The Vanuatu Rugby League stated that tomorrow’s game will be the first ever Rugby League game for women in Vanuatu.

Home ground advantage will be with the Eels as the game will be played at Mele field, in the capital Port Vila.

The game won’t be the only Rugby League on display, with the juniors kicking off at 1:30pm and the final Vanuatu Rugby League Men’s selection trial for the upcoming Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship following at 3:15pm (local time).

A petition signed by women leaders from across Vanuatu was last week submitted to government, asking it to enact a fifty per cent quota for women's representation in parliament.

There are currently no female MPs in the 52-seat national parliament, and only five women MPs have been elected since Vanuatu gained independence in 1980.

The head of the National Council for Women Leiasmanu Cullwick said, traditionally, men told their wives who to vote for.

Their call for a 50-50 system comes as the National Council of Women turned 38 years this week.

Council President Leias Cullwick says locking down equal representation in parliament will allow ni-Vanuatu women to have a real say in the decisions shaping their lives.

PRN reports Vanuatu has only had five women politicians win at the polls since independence in 1980.

It's currently one of only three countries in the world with no women in parliament.

You know the scene — you're making dinner, calling the plumber/doctor/mechanic, checking homework and answering work emails — at the same time.

All the while, you are being peppered with questions by your nearest and dearest "where are my shoes?", "do we have any cheese?", "what time's my basketball game?", "what are we doing next Saturday night?".

But even if you know this experience well, you may not have the language to describe it.

But when the body part that's causing you trouble is inside your underwear, it's often a different story.

Women will ignore symptoms that involve their vulva or vagina because they feel embarrassed or ashamed. Some even fail to recognise when something's gone awry in the first place.

"Women need to become comfortable with their own anatomy and looking at their own vulva," said Dr Elizabeth Farrell AM, gynaecologist and medical director at the Jean Hailes for Women's Health organisation.

More than one in four middle-aged women reported experiencing difficulty falling and staying asleep four or more times during the week. More than one in three women reported getting fewer than seven hours of sleep per night, on average. Of those, perimenopausal women -- women who were no longer menstruating and on the verge of menopause -- were the least likely to sleep seven or more hours a night. This was followed closely by postmenopausal women.

And it may not be a meaning that applies to you or any way related to why you choose to be a Ms.

Ms has attracted such a range of meaning that even the editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Sue Butler, feels that it may be time to update its entry.

Ms is older than you think

The honorific title for a woman — which, like its male equivalent Mr, was meant to give no clue as to an individual's marital status — has been traced back to the early 20th century.

But she was amazed to discover that there is no specific law against "upskirting" in most of the UK - only in Scotland. After the police closed her case, Gina began a petition to get it reopened, and now she is lobbying for a change in the law.

Martin's article about her experience struck a chord with many of you. We asked readers to tell us if they had been the victim of upskirting, and whether the perpetrator was punished. Here are some of your stories - names have been changed.

"I was at the bus stop"

Whether you've got one, like what they do or have always been curious, now is the time to embrace the female anatomy, with vaginas firmly in the spotlight at the festival.

The obsession — which examines the politics of pussy as well as the biology — reflects changing social attitudes, according to Fringe creative director and CEO Simon Abrahams.

"I can only assume that when we have a pussy-grabbing President of the United States that women are making extraordinary feminist work to fight back and make political statements," he said.

Parents of only children by choice are no strangers to these questions.

But evidence shows there are very few drawbacks to a one-child family, and according to one expert those passing judgement are likely envious because they have "suffered through" raising several children.

Between Canditta Natakuapa and her husband, they have 17 siblings. So deciding to have just the one child was easy for the pair who value work-life balance and giving their son "the best start in life".