This year’s #International Women’s Day theme is accelerating action for gender equality. In partnership with Report for the World, we’re proud to spotlight journalism exploring issues of equity and equality, in the U.S. and across the globe.
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REPORT FOR AMERICA
NC addiction treatment programs partner to reduce maternal deaths from substance use
By Rachel Crumpler, North Carolina
Among the 76 pregnancy-related deaths that occurred in North Carolina in 2018 and 2019, 20 deaths were from overdoses. Many more pregnant women are in the grips of addiction and nearly die, or are unable to access treatment that could help them for fear of being stigmatized for their substance use. Despite the prevalence of perinatal substance use disorders, gaps in care across North Carolina often make treatment difficult to access. Six perinatal substance use disorder programs across the state are on a mission to change that. The programs partnered to form the North Carolina Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Network to harness their collective expertise and share best practices for treating people with perinatal substance use disorder statewide, expand access to treatment and advocate for policy changes.
DEI pullback and decreased support hurting Black women-owned businesses
By Mirtha Donastorg, Georgia
In the wake of 2020, racial justice protests, corporations committed $340 billion to racial equity initiatives between 2020 and 2022, according to a McKinsey analysis. But new research has found that a majority of Black women business owners didn’t see a cent of those commitments, the support of their businesses was short-lived and some are now worse off financially than before 2020. A black woman-owned business in Atlanta, She Prints It, was in the small percentage of companies for which 2020 was a boon for business, with revenue growing about 70%. After November’s presidential election and increased conversations about banning DEI initiatives, the owner Cher’Don Reynolds noticed that once reliable clients disappeared. “I don’t know what 2025 will hold,” she said, “but if we’re not having some honest conversations about replacing diversity with discrimination, we’re going to end up in a very slippery slope.”
How women and people of color are changing the face of hunting
By David Escobar, New York
As of 2022, women accounted for 22% of hunters nationwide. Megan Plete Postol, northeast regional director for the National Deer Association, attributes part of this gap to lingering attitudes within the hunting community. Plete Postol has helped organize mentorship programs that pair seasoned hunters with women new to the sport to encourage more women to join. Representing an even smaller minority in the sport, 3% of hunters are non-white. As the number of state-issued hunting licenses decreases, the state’s population continues to grow more racially diverse. Brandon Dale, New York ambassador for Hunters of Color, said both trends should serve as a wake-up call for all outdoor enthusiasts. “This is literally how we fund conservation in America,” he said. “We can’t just keep reaching out to the same people.”
REPORT FOR THE WORLD
Science, Not ‘Cow Agenda’, Benefits Women Organic Farmers
By Shreya Raman, India
The natural farming project, an initiative by the Indian government that promotes the use of excrement from indigenous cows to create fertilizers and pesticides to replace chemical versions, has been promoting this style of natural farming since 2019-20, despite limited evidence about its success, as reported by an ICRIER-NABARD study. In the first of a three-part series, BehanBox explores how these policies have impacted women farmers, how effective they are and why a science-based approach would be more effective. The focus on the indigenous cow, partly driven by a Hindu nationalist political agenda, has also led to unnecessary expenses since some farmers buy cow excrement because trainers have told them that it was the only alternative for chemical pesticides.
The cultivation of oysters, a wave of hope in Yucatán
By Jessica Itzel Chan, Mexico
In Rio Lagartos, a coastal town in the northern Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, the fishing industry has gone through major changes. Instead of a previous reliance on sea cucumbers, fishers have transitioned to cultivating oysters to avoid overfishing and have started a collective dedicated to preserving the species. With this shift, the industry and the collective, Pepineros de Río Lagartos, has become increasingly women-led. Compared to traditional fishing, oyster cultivation is more accessible to women because it allows them to be close to their children and family while providing for them through counting, cleaning and caring for shells. In the previous harvest cycle, the collective cultivated over one ton of oysters and said they hope that in the next cycle, they can produce even more and distribute them to restaurants all over the Yucatán Peninsula.