Gender & Sexuality
Cite
Issues of sex and gender are far reaching and have vast histories. For thousands and thousands of years, societies has developed standards, mores, and laws based around a person's gender or sexuality. Historically this has been to the disadvantage of women and people within the LGBTQ community. Today millions of people actively work to support and improve the situations of these groups every day. Get information on Women's issues, LGBTQ rights, the wage gap, domestic violence, sexual abuse, women's suffrage, and other gender issues.
Women
Women make up, on average, about half of the world's population. Despite that general truth, with the exception of some remarkable human beings, women have historically been kept from positions of power and influence. To correct that injustice, women have been fighting for generations to secure their rights and equal standing. Infoplease is happy to present some helpful information about the state of women's issues today, offer some insight into the history of women's rights, and provide profiles of some of history's most incredible women.
Mothers Participating in Labor Force
20 Leading Occupations, U.S. Women, 2012
Occupations with Highest Median Weekly Earnings
20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women
Best and Worst State Economies
Median Annual Income by Level of Education and Sex
Gender Wage Gap by Selected Occupations, 2000
Facts About Women in the House and the Senate
Timeline of Women’s Suffrage Granted, by Country
The National Women's Hall of Fame
Places Where Women Made History
Abuse
It is an unfortunate fact that physical and emotional abuse occurs with alarming regularity. Domestic violence is often targeted against women and LGBTQ individuals. However, anyone can be a victim to abuse, and abuse can take many forms. If you or someone you know is being abused, seek help as soon as you can in a manner that won't further endanger the victim. You can call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or at 1-800-787-3224 (TTY for Deaf/hard of hearing). If you want to learn more about the prevalence of domestic violence in the U.S., then Infoplease has useful statistics.
National Violence against Women Survey
The Abolition of Female Genital Mutilation
Prevalence of Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse
LGBTQ
The LGBTQ community contains a wide range of people with gender and sexual identities that differ from traditionally enforced social roles. These include (but aren't limited to) people who experience sexual attractions to their own genders, to more than one gender, or whose gender differs from that assigned to them at birth. Variations on the this acronym exist that are meant to include other groups such as intersex people (those with non-gender-typical genital configurations) and more.
While these identities have existed and been seen throughout history in various forms, the push for their rights and visibility is fairly recent. Learn more about the history of LGBTQ activism, the legal protections (or lack thereof) for LGBTQ people, and other information about the state of the community today.
LGBT Pride Month: Origins and Importance
Milestones in the Gay Rights Movement
The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline
America's Most Gay-Friendly Cities
Timeline: LGBTQ+ in Pop Culture
Coming Out While Still in the Game
A Primer on Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, and Defense of Marriage Acts
2013: A Breakthrough Year for Same-Sex Marriage
U.S. Policies on Same-Sex Marriage
International Policies on Same-Sex Marriage
Characteristics of Couple Households
Gender of Sexual Partners in the United States
Same-Sex Partner Households by U.S. State
Same-Sex Partner Households in U.S. Cities
Same-Sex Partner Households With Children in the U.S.
Trending
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
