Lawyers say sex-based disinheritance of Asian women is common in Canada, with wives and daughters sometimes excluded from the will of a family patriarch. But the phenomenon is now under scrutiny after a successful challenge based upon British Columbia’s wills and estate law, unique in Canada, that lets non-dependent adult children challenge the fairness of a parent’s will.

“Dear directors, we are older but we are wiser,” the 41-year-old actress Hai Qing said on stage as two other renowned film stars stood next to her. “But to be honest,” she said, “the market, subject matter and other factors have barred us from working on quality films.”

Originating in the US as a set of techniques for men seeking sexual success with women, the pick-up artist (PUA) movement has been criticized for sexism and misogyny. In 2014, three countries — Britain, Australia and Singapore — banned Julien Blanc, a US-based pick-up artist trainer. Critics said Blanc “dresses up his seminars as dating advice but actually focuses on tricking women into having sex, in order to make money.” But in China, PUA has taken an even darker route, according to police.

A crowd of more than 40,000 supporters packed the streets of Taipei as they celebrated Taiwan's legalization of same-sex marriage. And yet only 100 or so people attended the annual Women’s Day March, which aimed to highlight issues including gender violence, social inequality and reproductive rights. Why is there such a stigma in Taiwan about highlighting women’s rights?

Two and a half years ago, the biggest viral fad in China was the A4 waist challenge: in which young Chinese women held up an A4 sheet of paper to their tiny torsos, to prove their waists were smaller than the paper. The social media contests drew raised eyebrows from Western and Chinese observers concerned about body shaming, but in mainstream media, China’s traditional beauty standards barely wavered. But now a handful of confident international fashion influencers are determined to give plus-sized women in China a voice.

A young woman educated in Texas is now governing a Chinese town with 1.4 million people. Yuan Lin, 28, was appointed deputy governor in the southeastern county of Fuqing last week as part of a government program to recruit young elites.

Li says boys and girls alike should be encouraged to express their emotions, show support to others and explore both activities traditionally considered “masculine,” such as sports and science, and “feminine” activities, such as cooking and dancing.