A study at Northwestern University looks at the way we judge politicians to help explain the gender gap in politics. The study denies that people rationally consider candidates, and instead states, “research indicates that people use shallow decision heuristics, such as impressions of competence made solely from facial appearance when deciding whom to vote for.”  73 students (38 women and 35 men) looked at facial photos of ... Read More

What happens when women are denied abortions? Sometimes, like Savita Halappanavar, they die. More typically, they give birth, keep the baby, fall below the poverty line, are forced to rely on public assistance, and are unable to keep a full-time job. The first scientific study on women denied abortions was presented last month, and science and entertainment website io9 has the details. Although abortion is a huge political issue, it is very ... Read More

A new study out of St. Louis confirms what all of us could have guessed: when given access to free birth control, women are less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy or get an abortion. More than 9,000 poor or uninsured women were given a choice of birth control methods available at no cost as part of the study conducted by the University of Washington in St. Louis on Thursday. The availability of free birth control led to only 4.4 to ... Read More