Stuff YOU Should Know
Pakistan Appoints First Female Supreme Court Justice
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has seventeen members. And as of January 24, 2022, for the first time in history, one of them is a woman. Justice Ayesha Malik was sworn in last Monday in Islamabad. Justice Malik is 55 years old, a mother of three, and has been educated in Paris, France; in the United States in New York City; Karachi, Pakistan; and London, England. She is a former law professor and became a high court judge in the eastern city of Lahore in 2012. She delivered several important landmark verdicts, most famously one that protected sexual assault survivors. She has said that she considers herself to be a person that nudges others to be better and more inclusive.
Pakistan is the last South Asian nation to appoint a woman to its highest court. But the inequality in Pakistan’s judicial system is more far-reaching than just the Supreme Court. Only 17 percent of judges are women. In the high courts, only 4.4 percent are women. (In comparison, the United States federal courts are made up of 29 percent female in 2021, according to statistics published by the National Association of Women Judges.)
Appointing a female judge is an especially important milestone in Pakistan, where violence against women is a significant social issue. In fact, Pakistan ranks 164 out of 167 countries on the global Women, Peace, and Security Index, due to its high rates of sexual harassment and abuse.
What Do You Think? In your opinion, why is it important for women to have equal representation on high courts here in the U.S., as well as in Pakistan?
England Relaxes COVID Restrictions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been facing a lot of COVID-related criticism lately. Members of his own Conservative party are unhappy because they would like for him to remove COVID restrictions and return to “normal” life. Meanwhile, other members of the government are angry at Johnson for hosting large parties during the 2020 quarantine, while the rest of the country was isolating. Johnson is now facing a “vote of no-confidence,” which could remove him from power.
The number of reported COVID cases in the United Kingdom is down by 2 percent in the last week and the number of people hospitalized has declined by over 11 percent. Starting this week in England, you no longer must wear a mask or work from home. Venues and events aren’t requiring a negative COVID test or COVID passport. Patients in nursing homes can have unlimited visitors. And even if you test positive for the virus, you don’t have to self-isolate or wear a mask.
But what about the rest of the United Kingdom? Scotland is relaxing many rules as well, though masks are still required for public transportation and in most indoor spaces, including secondary schools past the elementary grades. In Wales, masks will still be required in indoor spaces such as schools, stores, and hospitals, and while using public transportation. Students in middle and high school must test for COVID three times per week. But nightclubs in Wales can re-open, gatherings are no longer limited, and there is no more legal requirement to work from home. Northern Ireland is keeping many of its previous COVID restrictions in place, though nightclubs will re-open and rules about how many people can sit together in a restaurant have been relaxed. Masks will still be required at indoor events, stores, secondary schools, and for public transportation.
What Do You Think? Do you think that it was a good idea for the prime minister to relax COVID restrictions? Explain.
Ida B. Wells Barbie
You may have seen pilot Barbie, teacher Barbie, veterinarian Barbie, and even President Barbie–but did you know about Ida B. Wells Barbie? Mattel is putting out this newest version of the popular doll as part of its Inspiring Women series. The collection includes important historic and current figures such as Helen Keller, Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and more.
Ida B. Wells was an enslaved person who later became an educator, newspaper editor, and civil rights activist in Memphis, Tennessee. As a journalist, she travelled the South in a crusade against lynching. She was one of the founders of several important civil rights organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In the summer of 2021, the city of Chicago erected a monument in her honor. She also received a posthumous 2020 Pulitzer Prize for her work.
The Ida B. Wells Barbie wears a dark blue, floor-length dress. Her dark hair is in a bun on top of her head. She also comes with a miniature copy of the Memphis Free Speech, where she was an editor and co-owner. The doll costs $35. Mattel says that it believes in using Barbie to celebrate real-life role models and hopes that the Inspiring Women series will inspire young girls to follow their dreams.
Dig Deeper Choose another Barbie from Mattel’s Inspiring Women series and write a short paragraph about why this woman was important. What was she known for? What was her legacy? How did her actions impact the world?
SAT Goes Digital
The SAT is being modified to make it shorter and more user-friendly. According to the College Board, the company that administers the test, the new test (which will be administered starting in 2024) will be taken completely online and paper-free. It will also be shortened from three hours to two hours. The reading passages will also be shorter, and the math sections will allow calculators. The digital test will save your responses as you go, in case you suddenly lose Internet connectivity. Scores will be made available more quickly as well–in days instead of weeks.
The College Board began testing out the new digital versions of the SAT in November 2021. It learned from these experiences that about 80 percent of students preferred the online version. Another reason to shift to digital is because the pandemic made it much more difficult to administer paper tests in person. Finally, the College Board is trying to keep the test relevant at a time when a lot of colleges have stopped considering the SAT as an admissions requirement. Studies have shown that standardized tests have a racial and economic bias. Wealthier students can afford to hire tutors and take the test multiple times. As a result, in 2021, only about 1.5 million students took the SAT, compared to 2.2 million in 2020. The College Board hopes that changing the test to make it more relevant and easier to take will make those student numbers begin to rise.