August 2019 – Page 2 – Bridge Agents

We Need to Examine the Role Masculinity Plays in Mass Shootings

August 8, 2019 Bridge Agents

United States (Conversation) – The United States is a world leader in mass shootings. In less than 24 hours, two mass shootings by single individuals, have left dozens of people dead. Meanwhile, ongoing gun violence in cities such as Chicago over the same weekend saw seven people shot and killed and 46 wounded. Much of the attention within the US and globally has now centered on the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. There, a lone white gunman killed 22 people and wounded more than 20 more. Both incidents have…

How Muslim Women Break Stereotypes by Mixing Faith and Modesty With Fashion

August 3, 2019 Bridge Agents

World Wide (Conversation) – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision to wear a headscarf following the Christchurch mosque attacks in March has earned her worldwide praise. But in an online backlash, critics pointed out that women in conservative Muslim countries have no choice and risk public rebuke, fines or even arrest if they don’t cover up. This is a longstanding controversy around the Muslim veil. Is it a tool for oppressing women or can it also carry other meanings? Our explorative research, based on interviews with young Muslim women living in…

Sexually Objectifying Women Leads Women to Objectify Themselves, and Harms Emotional Well-Being

August 1, 2019 Bridge Agents

Australia (Conversation) – How does a woman feel when a man wolf-whistles at her from across the street? Or when a male coworker gives her body a fleeting once-over before looking her in the eye? These examples may seem relatively innocent to some, but our research has found they can have negative consequences for women’s emotional well-being. We asked women to record any incidents of sexual objectification on a smartphone app, alongside rating their feelings several times each day for a week. When women experienced sexual objectification, in many cases…

Texas Might Spend up to $20 Billion to Protect Houston From Hurricanes. Rice University Says It Can Do It for a Fraction of That.

August 1, 2019 Bridge Agents

Texas, United States (TexasTribune) – For about a decade, two of Texas’ top universities have pushed dueling plans to protect the Houston-Galveston region from hurricanes. A concept championed by Texas A&M University at Galveston appears to be winning out as the federal and state governments pursue a plan similar to one proposed by A&M oceanographer Bill Merrell in early 2009, months after Hurricane Ike smashed ashore at Galveston Island. But that project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office, which calls for the installation of beachfront…