Copyright: Getty Images/ Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images.

What is the number one criteria that makes a person suitable to be a minister? Does he or she have to have a university degree or any formal education in the field entrusted upon them by the president and the nation? If your answer is no, you might like the minister of marine affairs and fisheries in the new Indonesian cabinet.

Here’s a round-up of women’s news that made it to the headlines. Did we miss something? Let us know through your comments.

This week we feature Renee Zellweger (right) as our “Woman of the week.” The actress, best known for her role in the iconic “Bridget Jones’ diary,” has been under media scrutiny since she appeared publicly nearly a week ago, looking older and very different from her previous and more vivacious avatars.

© Maksim Bukovski

It seems so, yes. If you are a 21st century woman, you might have problems finding chivalrous men that you know from your father’s or grandfather’s generation. Are men changing in the past decades? Or is it women’s perspective on men that is changing because women have become more confident?

© Fotowerk – Fotolia.com

The journey from pregnancy to motherhood is a transition I am certain I share with all women on road to motherhood, specifically first-time-mothers. However, what was shocking for me was that during this time, I became a target of the most anti-feminist and sexist comments that I had ever heard. With feminism and sexism so relative to cultures, I have documented a list of top five comments that I found most offensive.

German photographer Ann-Christine Woehrl has taken pictures of women who survived acid attacks – and discovered extraordinary strength.

Acid attacks in several Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have been plaguing women for a very long time. In fact, even men have sometimes fallen prey to obsessed lovers who use this method to take revenge. Here is a repost of an older Women Talk Online report in which an acid attack survivor, Sonali Mukherjee, spoke to Samrah Fatima about her experiences.

Women face inequality in the workplace the world over. That is a fact. We can see this clearly when it comes to pay and promotions. In many, many countries women earn less than men for doing the same job. Conservatively minded men continue to argue that a woman’s place is at home with the children. But women are playing a more and more important role in the workforce everywhere.