20 must-read gender stories of the week
Welcome to your weekly digest of stories about how the gender gap plays out around the world — in business, health, education and politics.
The new head of Facebook Africa. Nunu Ntshingila is now one of the world’s most powerful women in advertising. (AFK Insider)
From victim to partner in development. Rwandan women are a beacon of hope. (New Times)
Mining in Africa is a mixed blessing for women. There are more jobs in services but women in mining towns work less. (World Economic Forum)
World’s poorest women are excluded from volunteering, denying them opportunities for empowerment. (World Economic Forum)
Higher education helps women to the top of the career ladder. (World Economic Forum)
‘Education for girls is the civil rights struggle of our time.’ Former British prime minister Gordon Brown speaks up for girls. (Guardian)
More women need to negotiate their salaries. A failure to do so perpetuates the wage gap. (Harvard Business Review)
Working mothers are now socially acceptable in the US. “Americans have become much more supportive of men and women holding the same roles.” (KPBS)
The best and worst countries for female entrepreneurs. The US, Canada and Australia top the list. (Fortune)
Lego gets feminist. Its new line includes female vets, deep sea explorers, and mechanics. (Business Insider)
How NASA broke the gender barrier in STEM. For the first time, half of the astronaut class is women. (Fast Company)
Gender shapes views of science in surprising ways. Women tend to oppose GM-food and animal research. (National Geographic)
Scientists explore why most Alzheimer’s patients are women. The tricky part is determining how much is due to longevity. (Associated Press)
More women are keeping their maiden names. Their reasons are often practical, not political. (New York Times)
Women’s issues come to the fore in Turkey. But differences among advocates run deeper than party lines. (Al Jazeera)
Work conditions for Japanese women may be affecting marriage and birth rates. Workplace harassment makes both less attractive. (Al Jazeera)
Entrepreneurship helps delay child marriage in India. A US non-profit gives away land and teaches girls to grow produce. (Huffington Post)
The Dhaka slum being transformed by women. Women dominate a programme putting decision-making into the hands of residents. (BBC)
Afghanistan’s supreme court may soon have its first female judge. President Ashraf Ghani has nominated Anisa Rasooli. (Public Radio International)
Can women’s football maintain its momentum? There’s always renewed interest following the World Cup, but this time there’s a chance it could endure. (The Atlantic)
Statistic of the Week
The number of women-owned businesses grew by 74% between 1997 and 2015 in the US. Those owned by African-American women grew 322%, making black women the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the US.
Quote of the Week
“Empowering women is good for business, it is good for sustainable development, but above all it is good for men.”
Päivi Kairamo, Finland’s permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation
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Author: Saadia Zahidi is a Senior Director, Head of Gender Parity and Human Capital and Constituents at the World Economic Forum.
Image: Csilla Orgel, a geologist with Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission, collects geologic samples for study at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) outside Hanksville in the Utah desert March 2, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
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