All posts tagged: stigma

EastEnders aiming to ‘tackle stigma’ around mental health with new storyline

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter A new storyline on the BBC soap EastEnders, developed in collaboration with the charity Samaritans, aims to “help tackle stigma” surrounding mental health. The plot currently follows character Ravi Gulati, portrayed by Aaron Thiara, as he contemplates suicide. The narrative is set to reach a critical point later this month, leading to his family securing the necessary support. Samaritans, an organisation dedicated to assisting individuals experiencing mental health crises, worked with the soap’s producers to guarantee the sensitive and accurate portrayal of the storyline. Executive producer Ben Wadey said: “EastEnders always takes great care when researching storylines such as Ravi’s and we’re grateful to Samaritans for the advice they have given us, helping us ensure Ravi’s story is told with the care and sensitivity it deserves.” The plot currently follows character Ravi Gulati, played by Aaron Thiara, as he contemplates suicide …

Dads Battle Flexibility Stigma and Outdated Media Portrayals

Published by Jenni Sidey

This is Part 2 of a 2-part series. Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice is publishing two new studies, “Building Men’s Solidarity for Workplace Equality: A Guide for Workplace Leaders,” and the “State of the World’s Fathers 2026” report, based on data from 8,000 parents across 16 countries. I interviewed Dr. Taveeshi Gupta, Senior Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, and Christopher Hook, Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships of Equimundo, to understand some of the highlights. In the first post of this two-part series, we discussed how parents are losing sleep worrying about money and the future and giving up simple pleasures. Modern fathers are feeling pressured to be breadwinners as much as caregivers. So, where does this leave us, and where can we go from here? Gupta and Hook shared insights from the research and their personal experiences. Fathers Face Flexibility Stigma The “fatherhood flexibility stigma” operates in parallel to the well-documented “motherhood penalty.” We know the motherhood penalty is real—when women take leave after childbirth, their careers can suffer. But the fatherhood …

Abortion stigma persists at moderate levels in high-income countries

Published by José Betancourt

A systematic review of 19 studies examining abortion stigma in high-income countries found that it is present at moderate levels. Abortion stigma was stronger in males, people with lower income, political conservatives, and religious individuals. The paper was published in Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. Abortion stigma refers to the social discrediting and negative labeling of individuals who seek, provide, or support abortion services. It operates through moral judgments that frame abortion as deviant, irresponsible, or sinful. Stigma can be expressed interpersonally through gossip, shaming, exclusion, or hostility. It also functions through restrictive laws, institutional barriers, and policy discussions. Individuals experiencing abortion stigma may internalize shame, guilt, or secrecy. This internalization can affect mental health, help-seeking behavior, and disclosure decisions. Stigma may vary across cultural, religious, and political contexts. It can be amplified in highly polarized environments where abortion is framed as a moral identity issue. Healthcare providers may also experience stigma, sometimes referred to as “courtesy stigma,” for offering abortion services. Study author Jana Niemann and her colleagues wanted to examine the situation with …

Schools need to end the silence and stigma

Published by skeptic

Teachers are one of the more affected groups when it comes to infertility. So why are adequate and supportive policies few and far between, asks Devon-Louise Oakley-Hogg It’s been nearly two years since I undertook three rounds of egg collection for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in the hope of having the baby we were desperate for. While I have certainly tried futilely to forget it, every appointment, every disappointment still lives within me, on a cellular level. Every phone call taken in-between lessons. Every smile fixed in place so my students wouldn’t see the cracks. Every cover lesson put hastily together, still there. Worst of all, the guilt of leaving my classes to fend for themselves while I was fighting to create life. A quiet crisis in schools My experience is far from unique. Around one in six adults globally are affected by infertility, and research suggests those working in education are more likely to experience subfertility than many other professions. Yet despite this, teachers undergoing fertility treatment have no legal entitlement to fertility leave, …

Medieval elite still received fancy burials despite disease stigma

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Wealth confers privilege, and for many people during the Middle Ages, this privilege extended into the afterlife. For centuries, rich Christians often flaunted their money by purchasing gravesites as close to their church as possible. The trend often mirrored their relationship with religion before their deaths, too—nobility and knights frequently ensured they sat in the front pews of services. Money is only one facet of social relations, however. Communities have long discriminated against and ostracized residents with debilitating illnesses—especially those with outward physical effects. And in Europe, the medieval era was particularly disease-ridden. But what happened when money and social stigma collided? To find out, an international research team recently surveyed skeletal remains from five medieval cemeteries in Denmark—three in urban areas and two in rural regions. They were especially interested in identifying bodies with clear indications of two of the era’s most prevalent and highly infectious diseases: tuberculosis and leprosy. Although a person can host a tuberculosis infection …

Skeptic Society Magazine

for honest conversations

Years

Authors

Filter by Month

Filter by Categories

Filter by Tags