I backed same-sex weddings in New York for the sake of democracy. British lawmakers should tooAcross Europe and the US support for same-sex marriage is growing, and for a simple reason: it is consistent with democracy’s promise of equal rights for all …
Women’s Institute votes to launch a campaign to rescue local shops
Call to action over disappearing high streets is carried at annual meeting despite criticism of ‘vague’ wordingThe Women’s Institute yesterday voted to make retail regeneration its next major campaigning issue to end the “crisis” of the continuing decl…
Thousands of childcare places lost as Labour says poorest families hardest hit
Fewer childminders and Sure Start centres as birth rate in England continues to climbThe number of childcare places available to parents in England has gone down sharply and providers have been dropping out of the industry, according to Ofsted figures….
Women’s minister to offer parents guide to boosting girls’ ambitions
Maria Miller to launch info packs to help guide daughters’ career choices amid falling numbers of women in executive positionsMinisters are planning to produce information packs for the parents of daughters to help them to bring up “aspirational” young…
Bridget Jones: older, yes, but still mad about the boys | Observer profile
Helen Fielding’s calorie-counting singleton was the chick-lit success of the late 20th century. Now a long-awaited third novel takes her into the era of Twitter and internet datingThe extract was tantalisingly brief. “11.27pm. Just presss d …
Meet the new wave of activists making feminism thrive in a digital age
Madonna and Beyoncé are championing female empowerment, Spare Rib is to relaunch, and Facebook has had to respond to pressure to tackle misogyny. Tracy McVeigh reports on the return of the F-wordIt was a remarkable victory when the social networking g…
Size zero campaigners take body image debate to the heart of fashion
Women’s group is to stage provocative debate on the beauty industry at the London College of FashionThe size zero debate has raged for years, drawing in models, fashion designers and magazine editors, politicians and doctors – and it shows no sign of…
‘It just went for me’: victims of dog attacks tell their stories
One woman had to have 18 years of reconstructive surgery. A dog-lover needed 50 stitches in her face. And a father went for a kickabout with his kids in the park and ended up in hospitalSarah Barron, 41, a full-time carer for her disabled son, from Stu…