January In Review: They March For Women

Tyler Feder / Roaring Softly

With all the news, stories and videos shared in a month it can be tough to stay on top of everything. To help, we’ve searched the web for interesting pieces inspired by amazing women, faith and all things #girlpower to help you stay in the know.

1. Trump’s refugee policy raises a question: How do you tell a Christian from a Muslim

Assyrian Christians, who fled unrest in Syria and Iraq, attend Mass with Lebanese Christians at St. George’s Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, Lebanon. AFP/Getty Images

Los Angeles Times special correspondent Nabih Bulos writes, “In President Trump’s telling, the Middle East is a place where Christians run a daily gantlet of persecution, threatened at every corner by religious zealots eager to chop off their heads.”

Referencing the executive order Trump signed Friday, Bulos explains that the order has suspended refugee resettlement from seven Muslim-majority countries for, roughly, 120 days. The order also makes a point to include that the secretaries of State and Homeland Security have the power to decide to admit some refugees, “including when the person is a religious minority in his country of nationality facing religious persecution.”

But Bulos argues that “…in proposing what commentators have called a ‘religious test,’ Trump has not yet answered one crucial question: Just how does one differentiate between Muslims and Christians?”

2. 28 Reasons It Pays To Have A Feminist Marriage

Inti St Clair / Getty Images

The Huffington Post’s relationship editor, Brittany Wong writes, “We’re calling it: A feminist marriage, where both partners respect and treat each other as equals, is the very best kind of marriage.”

Wong goes on to list 28 reasons as to why she and her fellow editors believe this to be the case. The lists includes everything from “You both know a woman’s place is anywhere she damn well pleases ― and that if you both choose to work, it just means more income” to “Your marriage and definition of monogamy can be as traditional or unconventional as you want it to be.”

3. Did feminism have a place at the March for Life?

Sarah Frostenson / Vox

Vox’s staff writer Emily Crockett writes about her difficulties in pinning down an answer to two questions that seemed to continually pop up during the #WomensMarch on Washington: what does pro-life feminism looks like and is it possible to be a true feminist while also opposing a woman’s right to choose an abortion?

“The answers I got suggest that while the pro-life movement as a whole is eager to talk about why opposing abortion is pro-woman, many pro-lifers are wary of feminism as either a label or a concept,” Crockett writes. “And they don’t always have a clear or unified vision of what it means to be pro-woman in ways that go beyond opposing abortion.”

She goes on to breakdown her findings into three question and answer headings: “Do pro-lifers consider themselves feminists? It depends.” “What does a pro-life, ‘pro-woman’ agenda actually look like?” and “Pro-life and pro-choice feminists can agree on many things. But there are serious limits to that.”

4. Women Under 30 Are Leading The Pack In Entrepreneurship And Innovation

Lu Zhang has been a successful entrepreneur and now leads the VC list as founding partner of NewGen Capital. Jamel Toppin / Forbes

Forbes staff writer, Caroline Howard writes, “We’ve heard many other stories…from this year’s list of female innovators under the age of 30 who are rewriting the rules and overcoming the odds. And that’s the point. These conversations are leading to better head counts of young women leading the pack in creativity, invention and entrepreneurship.”

Citing a 2015 post by the authors of Feminine Capital on the Stanford University Press blog Howard argues that feminism and the entrepreneurial spirit have some commonalities, “Feminism seeks to address subordination and enhance well-being—including economic well-being; entrepreneurship offers women an opportunity to achieve economic self-sufficiency, and often to improve the well-being of others—particularly girls and women.”

Howard’s list of 20 women tells the stories of some pretty amazing ladies who are breaking barriers in business, technology, the arts and so much more.

5. A beginner’s guide to intersectional feminism

Tyler Feder / Roaring Softly

Citing an awesome guide created by writer Saroful, Siede discusses the tools needed to break things down to the basics: what exactly is intersectional feminism and how to steer away from embarrassing yourself.

This list was curated by Kaitlin Montgomery, AltFem Content Manger

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