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Anne is reading …

Imagemore Co., Ltd./CorbisWriting for The Daily Beast, Lizzie Brockers reports on the ‘code of masculinity’ that researchers link to the reality that men are 9-10 times more likely to be a mass murderer than women.

“There’s a proclivity to aggression [in men] that’s biological, but it takes a social trigger to engage it,” says William Pollack, the director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital in Boston and a psychology professor at Harvard Medical School. “We socialize healthy, normal boys to ‘stand on their own two feet’ for fear that otherwise they won’t be real boys,” says Pollack, whose New York Times bestseller, Real Boys, dissects the inner emotional lives of young men. “They’re taught not to tell anyone when they feel pain, because they should be stoic, and they certainly shouldn’t cry.” As a result, Pollack says, men have a preconditioned level of tolerance for violence that makes it easier for them to act on it without remorse.

Women are diagnosed for depression much more often than men, Pollack continues. Yet depression is one of the common mental afflictions of mass murderers. Generally, depression in young men is twice as likely to go undiagnosed as in young females. Men are often taught that empathy equals weakness.

Indigenous cultures not only had rites of passage for young men, but training on how to use aggression in positive ways. Today’s young men have — hazing?

Women at London Olympics

Women’s rights organizations have called on the Olympics, urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “to ensure there are equal numbers of sports and medals for men and women.”

Annie Sugier, spokeswoman for the International League of Women’s Rights, said that at the London Games starting Friday and ending on August 12, women are competing in 30 fewer events than men, with 132 gold medals for women versus 162 for men.

The list included having the same number of medal events for men and women, ensuring women held 50 percent of positions in leading sports bodies, and enforcing neutrality in sport by banning the wearing of political or religious symbols. via Reuters

Mitt Romney continues to trail President Obama with women voters: 52% support Obama’s reelection campaign, compared to 50% who support Romney, according to a poll released Monday night by Purple Strategies. The view of Romney in Ohio is even more negative with 56% of Ohio women viewing him unfavorable.

Gallup Poll Reveals Best, Worse Gender Gaps for Working Women National Journal

Countries most likely to have women working at desired capacity for employers include Kuwait, Singapore and Sweden. In the US, 61% of women are working full-time or part-time (and not wanting work), compared to 70% of men.