Hi folks. Not sure where our regularly scheduled diary is, so I’m posting a place holder with the links from this week’s message threads. I’ll take it down if the real one is just running late.
Economics and Workplace Issues:
Fifty years after a woman first joined the New York Stock Exchange, it finally has its first female president.
Workers hit McDonald's with new sexual harassment claims.
The Number of Female Chief Executives Is Falling
The number of women leading the largest companies has always been small. This year, it got 25 percent smaller.
The reversal is leading to a search beyond the usual explanations for why women don’t become chief executives — things like not being competitive enough, failing to chase opportunities for promotion and choosing work-life balance over high-powered jobs.
That’s because evidence shows that the obstacles for female executives aren’t just because of their individual choices. There are larger forces at work, experts say, rooted in biases against women in power, mothers who work or leaders who don’t fit the mold of the people who led before them.
Violence and Harassment:
Jury awards rape survivor one billion dollars.
Amnesty International came out with a report about “how the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) – a militia who work alongside them – have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote ‘satellite camps’ where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food. Amnesty International has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in the camps in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, since 2015.
FanXCon drew criticism from several women participants for poor handling of harassment complaints. When author Shannon Hale attempted to address this with co-founder Bryan Brantenberg, he responded on Twitter - and included her private email address. The con is now doing damage control, apologizing and claiming the doxxing was unintentional - but is that supposed to make anyone feel safe reporting harassment?
Media:
Queen Sugar, the series on the Oprah Winfrey network, is only hiring women directors. Some men in the industry are upset. Executive Producer Ava DuVernay says “…sue me so that I can sue every studio that has left women out. . .”
Reproductive Rights:
In a historic vote, Ireland legalizes abortion.
As always, thanks to the awesome WOW crew! Now check out WOW2 for a amazing amount of women’s history!