10 Writing Ideas Concerning Women

Are Women Who Carry Guns Safer?

A woman at my dental office recently shared with me that she won shooting awards when she was a Marine, and recently completed a class on carrying concealed weapons. My jaw nearly dropped. I would never have guessed.

More and more women are carrying guns, and they know how to use them.

This is a great topic regardless of the side you find yourself on. You might even change your stance after you research the issue. Wouldn't that make a powerful paper?

Ideas:

• The guns women choose to carry
• Women sharpshooters
• Are women who carry guns safer?

Is a Woman's Hair a Sign of Power?

Hair is a gigantic topic. It can be lighter, serious or even sacred. Did you know that in the Sikh religion hair is sacred? Followers of Sikhism are forbidden to cut any hair on their bodies. Contrast that with the obsession many Western women have with every single hair on their bodies.

Ideas:

• Hair in the Sikh religion
• Samson and Delilah and the power of hair
• Losing hair during chemotherapy

Are Women Hypocritical About Cheating?

Cheating, no matter who's doing it, is a huge issue and a favored conflict in movies, music, novels, video games and on TV.

Sometimes, as in the book, The Bridges of Madison County, it's romanticized.

Is this hypocritical? We are drawn to stories in which cheating plays a part, and are willing to shrug off cheating when we believe it results in true love. But when it happens to your best friend, the gloves come off.

Ideas:

• Is cheating romanticized in Bridges of Madison County?
• Do women cheat as often as men?
• The psychology of cheating in popular culture

Are Taller Women More Successful?

Back in the 80s, Pepsi was criticized for something called Pepsi Pretty. To rise to the top of management at Pepsi, the critics said, you'd better be tall and attractive, whether you were a woman or a man. Looking the part was more important than knowing the job.

They say the same is true in politics. Tall people win elections. Tall men get the girl. Tall women get the job, sometimes instead of a shorter man.

Do your research. Find examples. Get permission to use photos. This would make a great PowerPoint presentation for a speech. You could even involve the class by having them play a game in which they have to choose teams. Were the tall people chosen first?

Are Women Who Ride Motorcycles Biker Babes?

Are women who ride motorcycles tattooed babes? Or are they professional business women during the week and biker babes on the weekend?

Blow this stereotype wide open by finding women who ride and interviewing them. Harley White did this for "Marvelous! Magazine" and the assignment completely changed her view of women who ride. One woman, Carrie Bristoll-Groll, owns her own engineering company and has flowers tattooed on her arm.

Ideas:

• Breaking the stereotype of women who ride motorcycles
• Motorcycle clothing and safety gear designed just for women
• Motorcycle clubs for women

Disclosure: Deb Peterson publishes Marvelous!

Are Radical Mastectomies Really Necessary?

This is a hotbed issue, and surgery choices have everything to do with diagnosis. We are not offering medical advice here. Rather, the suggestion is that breast cancer surgeries are evolving, and women have more choices today than they did five years ago. Are they aware of that?

We interviewed a woman recently who chose a surgical method that involved lifting her skin and nipples, removing the breast tissue and inserting implants. More steps are involved, but the point is, she looked natural immediately following her surgery and was thrilled.

Ideas:

• What surgical choices does a woman with breast cancer have today?
• Are women rushing to remove their breasts?
• The value of cosmetic surgery following breast removal

Read Catherine Sawyer's story in Marvelous! Magazine: Catherine Sawyer: Blonde, Brunette, Beautiful

Disclosure: Deb Peterson publishes Marvelous!

Are Women Embarrassed to Seek Solutions for Incontinence?

Topics that are taboo can make great research papers. Have the courage to write about a topic that concerns a lot more women than you might think, and might help a few women find solutions.

As women age, many of them have trouble with urinary incontinence. When they sneeze or laugh hard, they leak. It smells, and it's embarrassing. It means you have to take a change of clothes with you everywhere you go.

What are their options?

Some women who get checked out discover the problem is associated with something else and is easily solved. Some need surgery. Sometimes medication helps. And some women want to know about products to help them hide the problem.

Be bold. Choose an uncomfortable topic.

Are Women-Owned Wineries Different From Those Owned by Men?

Margie Raimondo, who grew up in a wine-making family, practiced making her own blends at the kitchen table at a fairly early age. She kept suggesting to the men in charge of the business that they bottle her blends. The answer was always no.

Today, Raimondo Family Winery belongs to Margie, and Margie has joined the still small but growing number of women winemakers. She bottles her own blends, painstakingly developed over many years.

Ideas:

• Why women are finally making wine
• Do women make different wines than men? (Design their own blends, like Margie?)
• How are women-owned wineries different from those owned by men, if they are?

Did You Know that Heart Disease Is the No. 1 Killer of Women?

When we think about diseases that kill women, breast cancer is probably the first that comes to mind, But the truth is, heart disease is the number one killer of women. Womenheart.org notes that "one in two women will die of heart disease or stroke, compared with one in 25 women who will die of breast cancer."

Choose this topic, and you'll not only educate yourself and your teacher, but you may also become passionate about the topic and spread the word to every woman you know.

That's a powerful paper.

Where to research:

• Go Red for Women, American Heart Association

How Accurately Are Women Portrayed in the Media?

This is a timeless topic and one that has plagued women for decades. How are women portrayed in the media?

Today, newscasters often look like they're headed for a cocktail party. Magazine covers depict women who are tiny and flawless. Who looks like that?

This is a broad topic, so choose one aspect that hollers your name and go for it.

Ideas:

• How does the way women are portrayed in the media affect teen girls?
• Are there still good movie roles for women actors?
• What happens to female broadcasters when they reach 50? 40?
• The Journey Toward Marvelous