Mother's Day, women in combat and other top gender stories of the week

Sheryl Sandberg calls for US policy changes to aid working mothers. (Bloomberg)

Leading Silicon Valley VC firm takes a step towards diversity. (Recode)

The gender pay gap: blame motherhood. (New York Times)

Sexism Valley: Is misogyny a warning sign that a business is in trouble? (Wired)

One of Descartes’ most famous ideas first articulated by a woman. (Quartz)

Farming will end sex trafficking, says Kerala minister. (Indian Express)

More children and women dying in Venezuela as economy collapses. (Bloomberg)

Marines release first-ever ad spotlighting woman in combat. (NPR)

Indian women’s groups seeking to ban verbal divorce. (Al Jazeera)

Senator Warren: Women not an ‘optics problem’. (Bloomberg)

Mother’s Day: empowering or feminism commercialised? (The Atlantic)

Mums: your kids hijacked your brain. For life. (Wired)

Chart of the week: Women and social protection: 200 million older women live without regular income from social protection against 115 million men.

Sources: UN Women, International Labour Organisation

Quote of the week

“As a woman in public life, the violent threats take on another sickening dimension. Threats of violent abuse, of rape, are far too common. A woman in public view may expect to receive them almost daily.”

Lara Giddings
First female premier of Tasmania, Australia
‘Former Tasmanian Premier Reveals Stalking, Threats In Office’, Huffington Post, May 2017