When/if you get married*, do you plan to take your husband’s last name? I bet you’ve thought about it at least once … For some women, it’s about tradition and the idea of becoming bound as one with your spouse. For others, taking on your husband’s name feels like giving up much more than your personalized tote bags. What if you learned that the decision to keep or change your name post-nuptials had a real effect on your income potential? Would that affect your decision?

Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin, London – all places I’m considering for a fabulous New Year’s vacation with the girls. With the first official day of summer this week, you’ve probably got more BBQs and bikinis on the brain than noisemakers and Auld Lang Syne, but you might want to start looking up flight deals once you hear how a vay-cay with your girls can help ease stress and improve your relationships.

I just got around to seeingBridesmaids this weekend and it was a riot. The movie was the second of the day’s double-header – I sawHangover 2 first – and was unquestionably the funnier film. When the movie ended and the nearly all-female audience started pouring out of the theater, I had two thoughts; I better beat it to the the ladies’ room because this line is going to be bonkers and was Bridesmaidsa feminist flick?

I did something pretty scary last week – I quit my job. I quit because I felt under-valued, under-compensated and under-utilized. I took stock of my worth – what skills, experience, expertise and potential I brought to the office – and decided that if I did nothing, I’d have the security of my job but I would continue to be a frustrated and unfulfilled employee. While there may be other factors at play that prevent you from moving up and earning a salary commensurate with your potential, I cannot stress …

Chris Rock once said, “There are only three things women need in life: food, water, and compliments.” I can think of a few other things in life that might come in handy but yes, a good, well-timed compliment can elevate your whole day. But ask any woman from NYC to LA if the man imploring her to smile because “it can’t be that bad,” or she’s “too pretty not to,” is giving her a compliment and she’ll tell you that he is really just working her nerves.

I need a late pass. I was supposed to write this post on March 10, joining a number of bloggers and the Red Pump Project in observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. I must admit that my procrastination along with a weeklong stay in Austin, TX for South by Southwest pushed back the publish date of this post. Nevertheless, here I am with my 2011 NWGHAAD post. Better late than never.
This is the third year I’m joining up with the Red Pump Project to write about …

I recently shared this Marie Claire (UK) article about women waiting longer to give birth and it sparked a few questions that got me to thinking even more.
‘The rising numbers of women conceiving for the first time in their 30s or 40s follows a trend we have seen over the past decade, although the number conceiving over 40 is still relatively small,’ says Elizabeth Duff, a senior policy adviser at the National Childbirth Trust.
ONS [Office of National Statistics] figures show that in 1990, 229,400 pregnancies occurred in women over 30, with …

This post has two parts: (1) an update on ella™ and (2) barriers to access for men.
Last Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was approving the sale and use of ulipristal acetate (UPA), a new form of emergency contraception (EC) to be sold under the name ella™.  Already available to and used by women in Europe, UPA has been determined to prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraception has been available in the US, most popularly under the name Plan B. …

So Forever 21 has a new maternity line, Love 21 Maternity, set to arrive in select stores. Maternity clothes don’t usually generate much buzz beyond the mommy set but since Forever 21’s target demographic is young women and teens, the initial reaction from many is shock and judgment. Not to mention the fact that 3 out of the 5 select locations chosen for Love 21’s debut (Arizona, California, and Texas) happen to overlap with the states with the highest percentages of teen pregnancy according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen …

It’s an 80+ degree day in New York City. Today I am wearing a dress. The dress is blue and white, reminiscent of that nautical theme that’s been popular lately; it’s got a bubble hem, is sleeveless, and has a cowl-neck. The dress is not tight but not voluminous either and the hem reaches about 3 inches above my knee (I literally just measured it). On most other people in my office, this dress would be simply “cute.” On myself, however, I wonder whether it’s pushing the boundaries of office …