Sexist schoolbooks and other top gender stories

Welcome to your weekly digest of stories about how the gender gap plays out around the world – in business, health, education and politics.

Is the World Economic Forum a hotbed of feminist thought? Yes. And we’re proud of it. (World Economic Forum)

Japanese women push back against leaning in. Many fear the pressure of working on top of childcare and running a household. (Global Voices Online)

Closing the gender gap in the Muslim world. Changes that took the US half a century are being compressed into a decade. (World Economic Forum)

The Afghan woman mentoring a generation of girls. “The best way I can help is to give young women the opportunity to become the doctors, lawyers, engineers, and astronauts that Afghanistan needs.” (PRI)

Sexism in schoolbooks. “Boys are described as daring and brave. The girls are essentially nonentities.” (NPR)

13-year-old Indian girl asks headteacher to save her from marriage. Parents say it is hard to find a match for older girls. (India Times)

The marriage squeeze in India and China. A preference for sons a generation ago is damaging society. (The Economist)

Delhi’s first female bus driver takes the wheel. Her appointment comes amid growing anger about sexual harassment. (BBC)

How reading the Torah got these Jewish women into trouble. A group fighting for freedom of worship broke regulations at a holy site. (Haaretz)

From beggars to businesswomen. Kenyan entrepreneurs reveal the power of aloe vera. (The Star)

Ms Geek inspires Rwandan girls to make it in science. Female high school and university students battle it out for the prized title. (New Times)

Critics slam study suggesting women in STEM have it easy. Their own research doesn’t back up the conclusions. (Slate)

Bitcoin’s male domination will be its downfall. If there’s ever going to be widespread adoption of the currency, it needs to be useful to women. (Fusion)

Why women need to stop giving their services away. “If you don’t value yourself, no one else will, either.” (World Economic Forum)

Sexism both hindered and helped me. A US journalist reflects on her career. (LA Times)

Do tampons pose a health risk? There is no data to prove they are safe. (Guardian)

Sex and gender aren’t perfectly binary, why should clothes be? Why gender-neutral fashion makes perfect sense. (Quartz)

Are women the key to peace in Colombia? How the government disarms female fighters could define the coming truce. (Foreign Policy)

Statistic of the Week

There is a $300 billion gap in lending capital for formal, women-owned small businesses.

Quote of the Week

“Having an economy or society run under women’s distinctive ways of thinking will bring us a richness that we were unable to experience before.”

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe gives an example: female designers developed a car with doors that open wide, making it easier for people holding children to get in and out, so creating the top-selling vehicle for five months in a row.

Author: Saadia Zahidi is a Senior Director, Head of Gender Parity and Human Capital and Constituents at the World Economic Forum.

Image: Japanese job-hunting students dressed in suits attend a business manners seminar at a placement centre in Tokyo May 28, 2012. REUTERS/Toru Hanai