Dogged in defence

A research report published recently in the Journal of Women’s Health by the US Army Research Institute could bring about a paradigm shift in the way the performance of women in the defence services is looked at.

More than 10 years of research has proved that assumptions about the health risks associated with military service are completely wrong. For instance, hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, the report observes, are less important for performance than had been thought before. Neither does exercise associated with military service increase a woman’s risk of amenorrhea or bone mineral loss, says the report.

In high-altitude flights too, women were found to have similar levels of G-force tolerance as men, said the report, titled ‘Biomedical Research on Health and Performance of Military Women’. US under secretary for health, department of veteran affairs, Jonathan Perlin, felt the findings would invigorate women and spur them on to join the military. The report offers “tremendous opportunities to improve the quality of life for servicewomen across the world,” he said.

Science fillip

The Women Scientists Scheme, likely to come into force soon, will allow women scientists in India who take a break from their career for motherhood or other reasons to resume working part-time or from home, and thus enable them to keep their careers on track. Announcing the scheme, the Union science and technology minister, Kapil Sibal, said last week, “A task force is examining the modalities of the scheme which is likely to be implemented by the middle of next year.”

Poll roll

They stormed the male-dominated ranks of the terrorist organisation Hamas a few months ago, and have now set their sights on their country’s parliament. A record number of women will take up seats in the Palestinian parliament following January’s legislative elections. The number of female representatives will increase to 13, up from its current total of five. And if the 2004 municipal elections in West Bank, in which 139 women contested, were anything to go by, women look set for another record in the January polls.

Granny army

You could have thought of a thousand ways to protest against the Iraq war, but try beating this. A group of old women in the US, who, between them, have 48 grandchildren, enlisted in the army last week to tell the Bush administration what they thought about its Iraq misadventure. “We would like to go to war, not see our grandchildren spill blood. We’re old, we’ve lived our lives, so take us,” said Sue Ann Martinson, one of the protesters. “It’s absolutely wrong, it’s an immoral war, and we have to find creative ways to bring it to a stop,” said fellow protester Mary Lou Ott. But Recruiter Captain Volent Bernat remained nonchalant. “They are overage,” was his curt reaction to the granny offensive.

OH, MAN!

In your mid-thirties and alone ? it’s the classic Bridget Jones situation that is said to make women depressed and weepy. Well, Hollywood stunner and Kill Bill star Uma Thurman too feels that mature women who are single have a torrid time finding Mr Right. “It seems harder and harder to make contact, especially for mature women. How does anybody do it today?” she told an American film magazine. But Thurman remains upbeat. In fact, she is on a manhunt, she confesses. “I see all potential dates as prey and am available if anyone’s interested. I love all the guys out there.” Hey Uma, does that include Bill too?

Overheard: Sex therapists and doctors in the UK are reporting the first cases of young women seeking help for “performance anxiety”. The women say they are unable to make love because they feel under pressure to deliver ‘fantastic sex’.