Women

Timaima Vulimailaucala told RNZ Pacific that today is the most important day for all Fijians.

"It is an important processor as citizens to come forward and cast your vote because whichever government of the day gets elected is because of your effort to cast your vote and make it known that this is what you wanted.

"There's a long queue here, people are going away because of the queue but I would recommend or ask them to come back. This is the only day that you can make a change.

The study, published in peer-reviewed journal Current Medical Research and Opinion, found women were significantly more likely to suffer from Long Covid than men.

Conducted by researchers from the Johnson & Johnson Office of the Chief Medical Officer health of women team in the US, the study analysed data from about 1.3 million patients.

It found women with Long Covid were presenting with a variety of symptoms including ear, nose, and throat issues; mood, neurological, skin, gastrointestinal and rheumatological disorders; as well as fatigue.

Only a handful of female leaders including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern are on the United Nations' climate panel.

The others include German chancellor Angela Merkel, Barbados' president Mia Mottley, Iceland's prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas and the head of UN Climate Change Patricia Espinosa.

Many governments claim that 45 percent of their COP26 teams are women.

Despite this, Pacific businesses continue to adapt; an increasing number have scaled back operations, with fully operational female-led businesses decreasing to 23 per cent (down from 29 percent during Survey 4 of the PTI Pacific Business Monitor), and partially operational businesses increasing from 29 per cent to 41 per cent.

Commenting on the Survey 5 findings, PTI Australia Trade & Investment Commissioner Caleb Jarvis noted that the pandemic is biting hard for all businesses – particularly those led by women.

Jacinda Ardern is visiting Apia as part of her Pacific Missions trip which also includes legs in Tonga, Niue and the Cook Islands.

Speaking at a press conference with her Samoan counterpart Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Ms Ardern announced her government has committed increased funding for a private sector development progamme in Samoa.

You know the scene — you're making dinner, calling the plumber/doctor/mechanic, checking homework and answering work emails — at the same time.

All the while, you are being peppered with questions by your nearest and dearest "where are my shoes?", "do we have any cheese?", "what time's my basketball game?", "what are we doing next Saturday night?".

But even if you know this experience well, you may not have the language to describe it.

But when the body part that's causing you trouble is inside your underwear, it's often a different story.

Women will ignore symptoms that involve their vulva or vagina because they feel embarrassed or ashamed. Some even fail to recognise when something's gone awry in the first place.

"Women need to become comfortable with their own anatomy and looking at their own vulva," said Dr Elizabeth Farrell AM, gynaecologist and medical director at the Jean Hailes for Women's Health organisation.

More than one in four middle-aged women reported experiencing difficulty falling and staying asleep four or more times during the week. More than one in three women reported getting fewer than seven hours of sleep per night, on average. Of those, perimenopausal women -- women who were no longer menstruating and on the verge of menopause -- were the least likely to sleep seven or more hours a night. This was followed closely by postmenopausal women.

And it may not be a meaning that applies to you or any way related to why you choose to be a Ms.

Ms has attracted such a range of meaning that even the editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Sue Butler, feels that it may be time to update its entry.

Ms is older than you think

The honorific title for a woman — which, like its male equivalent Mr, was meant to give no clue as to an individual's marital status — has been traced back to the early 20th century.

But she was amazed to discover that there is no specific law against "upskirting" in most of the UK - only in Scotland. After the police closed her case, Gina began a petition to get it reopened, and now she is lobbying for a change in the law.

Martin's article about her experience struck a chord with many of you. We asked readers to tell us if they had been the victim of upskirting, and whether the perpetrator was punished. Here are some of your stories - names have been changed.

"I was at the bus stop"