Europe | Russia | Leadership

Eurasian Women’s Forum: Women in the Changing World

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Women play an increasingly important role in resolving issues that society and the state encounter and in the modern world, they should not face the choice between family and self-fulfillment, According to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the third Eurasian Women’s Forum held in St. Petersburg on October 13-15. “It is completely obvious that in modern conditions a woman should not face the choice between children and family or professional fulfillment. That is why in Russia the conditions are consistently created for a woman after childbirth to begin or resume her professional ca
Europe | Sweden | Politics

Swedish Finance Minister Tipped to Become Country’s First Female PM

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Magdalena Andersson is favourite to become Sweden's prime minister when her Social Democrat colleague Stefan Lofven steps down in November, but major challenges face the current finance minister if she is to keep the top job longer than a few months. If Andersson is picked to head her party in November, she is likely to become Sweden's first female prime minister - 40 years after neighbour Norway got its first woman leader and more than 60 years behind Sri Lanka, which was the first country to do so.
North America | United States | Business

Bumble Cofounder Becomes World’s Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire, Thanks To IPO

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Whitney Wolfe Herd ended the day Thursday with a net worth of $1.5 billion based on Bumble stock closing at $70.31.] Shares of dating app Bumble soared in its IPO on Thursday, turning its 31-year-old CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd into the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire. Her nearly 12% stake in the company was worth $1.6 billion as of 12:40 p.m. EST on Thursday. Bumble stock opened at $76, much higher than its initial IPO price of $43 per share. The company made its debut hours after the markets opened on Thursday.
North America | United States | Courts

Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed To Supreme Court, Takes Constitutional Oath

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The Senate has voted 52-48 to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, just about a week before Election Day and 30 days after she was nominated by President Trump to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a White House ceremony following the vote Monday evening, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the constitutional oath to Coney Barrett. President Trump spoke at the event, thanking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and calling today a "momentous day" for America, the constitution and the rule of law. He also praised Barrett's intellec
Europe | U.K. | Intergrity

Little girl writes letter to Tesco CEO to demand pockets for girls’ school trousers

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A little girl has written to the CEO of Tesco accusing the supermarket of sexism after discovering that only boys’ school trousers had real pockets. Nine-year-old Eleanor Waterman was very annoyed when she discovered that the school trousers she had chosen from Tesco had fake pockets. She was so annoyed, in fact, that she wrote a letter to the supermarket’s CEO Dave Lewis expressing her outrage. Her mum explained that Eleanor had written the letter because she just couldn’t understand why the boys got real pockets, but the girls didn’t. ‘At the start of term, Eleanor put
International | Entertainment

Geena Davis: damaging stereotypes on screen limit women’s aspirations

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The promises of positive change for women on screen that followed her role in the groundbreaking film Thelma and Louise have failed to materialise, leaving girls today with few role models, according to the actor Geena Davis. The media continue to have a huge influence on how the world views women and girls, and how they view themselves, she said. But few current roles show women in powerful positions, and continue to reinforce damaging gender stereotypes. Davis was speaking to the Guardian as research into the film industry showed that of characters in leadership positions, women were
North America | United States | Business

Female CEOs are 45% more likely to get fired than males. Here are 6 high-achieving women who bounced back after a major firing

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Are high-ranking women more likely than high-ranking men to get the axe? A troubling new study shows that the answer is yes for female CEOs — 45% more likely, in fact. The researchers don't have a lightning bolt of a reason why this is the case, but they do note that it happens even when the company is performing well. But here's the thing to realize, whether you're fired from the C-suite or on your way there: There's hope! Some of the most well-known and well-regarded women in almost every industry have lost one big job — or big client — at one point in their career. The good news f
Africa | South Africa | Activism

Revealed: Meghan told entrepreneurs in Cape Town that she’s determined to ‘fulfil her heart’s desires’ and refuses to let her own needs ‘fade away’ amid her royal duties

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Meghan Markle is determined to 'fulfil her heart's desires' and not let her own needs 'fade away' now she's a member of the Royal Family - and wants to be a role model for young boys as well as girls. The Duchess of Sussex, 38, reportedly made the remarks during an event for inspiring female entrepreneurs at Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town earlier this week during her tour of South Africa with husband Prince Harry. Woodstock Exchange, the UK-SA Tech Hub, focuses on skills development and access to markets by assisting entrepreneurs, particularly women, to acquire skills, resources and
Africa | Liberia | Activism

Advancing Sexual Health and Rights for Liberia’s Next Generation

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In Liberia, cultural norms, patriarchy, and government inaction all puts girls at risk. Discussing sex is considered taboo, which keeps girls disempowered and puts them at risk for exploitation by men in positions of authority (such as teachers). While the government has passed laws that support and affirm the sexual and reproductive health rights of girls and women, these laws often directly contradict accepted cultural practices, and implementation of the laws aren’t well enforced. (For example, the Children’s Act—which guarantees the rights of children and specifically addresses issue
North America | United States | Activism

It’s All About Health for Women and Girls: Ghada Khan on Ending FGM

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An estimated 3.9 million girls around the world are at risk of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) every year. About 513,000 women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of or have undergone this procedure. Ending FGM/C is an issue that many funders can engage in; those who are interested in gender equality, who want to end gender-based violence and child abuse, who want to defend women’s bodily autonomy, and who want to make sure all girls are safe, educated and empowered. Dr. Ghada Khan is a health program analyst and the network coordinator for the U.S. End FGM/C Network, a colla
Europe | U.K. | Business

Supermodel turned investor: what Natalia Vodianova did next

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The statistics on the struggles of female entrepreneurs are a depressing read: 90 percent of funding goes to all-male founder teams in the UK, and, in the US, all-male teams are four times more likely to get investment than if they have even one woman in the team. But the story is different if you cross paths with Natalia Vodianova, the supermodel. The 37-year-old is putting to good use the money earned in a two decades-long fashion career from huge contracts with brands such as Calvin Klein and Guerlain. Now she spends her days managing a portfolio of “impact investments”: busine
Europe | U.K. | Activism

HearHer Is The UK’s First All-Female Festival Giving Women In Music The Space They Deserve

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In 2018, UK festival line-up statistics were still rather disappointing. 70 percent of festivals featured all-male bands, leaving many to wonder why female artists were still being dismissed. These figures come from the founding members of the UK's first all-female festival, HearHer: three days of musical bliss performed exclusively by female artists. Set to take over Dorset's Sandford Holiday Park from Oct. 11 to 13, HearHer has enlisted over 20 incredible performers to share their talents with the nation. The festival has been curated by singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and actress-slash-mu
International | Society

Are women better ultra-endurance athletes than men?

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Through thunderstorms, scorching heat and icy rain, Fiona Kolbinger cycled 2,485 miles (3,999km) in a little more than 10 days over some of Europe's most demanding terrain. In doing so, the German cyclist became the first woman to win the Transcontinental Race this week. That in itself was remarkable: it was the first time she had formally competed in an ultra-cycling event. But what was all the more remarkable was the fact she finished the brutal journey from Bulgaria to France a full 10 hours ahead of her closest opponent. "I am so, so surprised to win," she said. "When I was coming i
Middle East | Saudi Arabia | Culture

Saudi Arabia grants women right to obtain own passports, travel without male guardian

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Just over a year since women were granted the historical right to drive, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has now passed another monumental reform to enable females to finally obtain passports and travel alone. According to the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Information, the amendment – which was signed by the Saudi Cabinet on Thursday – overturns the longstanding regulation that women must gain approval from a male guardian to receive a passport or were granted a page in their guardian’s passport, rendering it illegal for them to travel abroad independently. Effective as of the end of August,