In the year of #MeToo and Time’s Up, 8 March keeps the spotlight on women calling for progress
NASA’s Planetquest reminded us of Natalie Batalha, Sara Seager, Debra Fischerand Jessie Dotson, astronomers and astrophysicists leading mission such as the Kepler spacecraft and the Hubble telescope. And don’t forget about the women at CERN, the world’s largest particle physics lab.
We don’t hear about them very often, but actually women have been working in science, in humanity and other fields of endeavors very well and just as forever.
Check out the story below of Enheduanna, the Sumerian high-priestess expected to make accurate astronomical predictions in 2300 BCE.
Examples from the last couple centuries? In 1938, Lise Meitner solved the problem of nuclear fission. Thirty-five years ago this week meitnerium was discovered, and became the only element named solely a woman who was not a mythical figure.
Katherine Johnson not only helped integrate a school in West Virginia, but also made calculations for NASA space missions. She was later played by Taraji P Henson in Hidden Figures.
Because that clearly does not cover everyone, Scientific American compiled a whole list of women in science. And so did the 500 Women Scientists project, a resource for everyone to use to highlight women’s voices.
In some fields, women have been underrepresented for a very long time. One good example? Philosophy.
The numbers of women in philosophy mirror those math, science and engineering.*
Tania Lombrozo, a philosopher from the University of California Berkeley, explored why in an NPR story.
To borrow a metaphor from a paper by [Louise] Antony [a prominent philosopher], philosophy could involve a ‘perfect storm’ of social and psychological factors that conspire to make it difficult for women to persist in the field. No single intervention is likely to change the climate.*More on that in a moment.
In other news from the swamp, a record number of women are running for Congress this year.
One of the 575 running for a US House, Senate or governor’s seat is Fayrouz Saad. She is seeking a House seat just north-west of Detroit, Michigan. Right now, 106of the 535 Congressional seats are filled by women – or 19%.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Saad said members of her family were sometimes told by strangers, “I can’t wait for Donald Trump to deport you.”
I had this moment of clarity after the election that rather than hoping someone else steps in, why shouldn’t I?... I want to run as soon as possible.”
If Saad wins, she will be the first Muslim-American female member of Congress.
Here’s an official statement from the Trump White House about women’s empowerment, accompanied by pictures of his almost entirely white male cabinet sitting around a bunch of rockets. Enjoy.
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the many incredible contributions made by women of all ages in the United States and around the world. We honor the vital role of women in our communities, businesses, civil society, and government. And we reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to succeed.Despite some recent progress around the world, too many women still face tremendous barriers to participation in all aspects of life. This must change. Women are critical to economic growth and global stability. When women are empowered, communities and entire nations thrive.
Over the past year, my Administration has championed the creation of international initiatives to promote women’s economic empowerment. Through the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), we are working to improve access to capital for women entrepreneurs in the developing world. With the formation of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, we are engaging with the private sector to reduce barriers to women’s participation in business. And through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation’s new “2X Women’s Initiative,” we are mobilizing $1 billion for investment into projects that support women in emerging markets.
Moreover, I have worked with Congress to enact policies that encourage American women to pursue careers in the international arena. In October, I signed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, which promotes the participation of women in conflict prevention and post-conflict peace efforts around the world. Involvement in these efforts will provide women with important opportunities to use their skills and abilities to mediate difficult situations and to keep our country safe.
Today, my Administration is launching USAID’s WomenConnect Challenge. In an increasingly connected world, women are lagging behind in access to the internet. In fact, 1.7 billion women in low and middle-income countries around the world remain unconnected today. The WomenConnect Challenge will help women in these developing countries gain access to the digital technology that is so foundational for productivity and participation in the global economy.My Administration is also supporting women in the United States by empowering them to continue driving the success of our Nation. In 2017, the Small Business Administration increased capital loans to women-owned businesses by more than $575 million.Through these and many other initiatives, we seek to empower women of all backgrounds to achieve their economic potential and shape our world. As we mark International Women’s Day, we remain committed to the worthwhile mission of enhancing women’s leadership in the world and building a stronger America for all.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s latest initiative works to improve education for women and girls around the world. Here’s an email we just received from the Obama Foundation:
Growing up, my parents always had a clear message for me and my brother: there is nothing more important for your future than getting a good education. Nothing.Even though neither of them had a college degree, they were determined to give us that opportunity. And let me tell you, my education changed everything for me – opening doors I never could have imagined and allowing me to pursue the career of my dreams....Girls who go to school marry later, have lower rates of infant and maternal mortality, are more likely to immunize their children, and are less likely to contract malaria and HIV. Girls who are educated also earn higher salaries – 10%-20% more for each additional year of secondary school. And sending more girls to school and into the workforce can boost an entire country’s economy....Every single one of us has a role to play in helping girls get the education they deserve, and International Women’s Day is the perfect time to make that commitment.
BBC staff protest for equal pay
A piece published this week by one of my colleagues in Washington DC highlights a male-dominated institution being pushed to change – the US Senate. One of their own, US Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, is about to be the first US Senator to give birth in office.
“I feel like the Senate is actually in the 19th century as opposed to the 21st somehow and that’s really unfortunate,” the Democrat told my colleague Lauren Gambino, during an interview in her office.
It’s a reflection of a real need for more women in leadership across our country, whether it’s legislatively or in boardrooms or the military.”Duckworth was one of the first women to fly combat missions in Iraq, lost both her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade hit hit her helicopter in 2004, and became the first disabled woman to serve in Congress in 2012.
However, when Duckworth takes her upcoming leave, she will have a host of challenges thanks to current Senate rules. More from Lauren’s piece:
The upper chamber does not allow votes by proxy, which means Duckworth could be summoned while on leave to take critical votes. Unlike in the House, children are not allowed to accompany members on the floor. Meanwhile, if she needs to breastfeed during a vote, her best option would probably be the women’s restroom off the Senate floor.
Hello from New York, and many thanks to Elle Hunt.
Here in the US, cities as far flung as Los Angeles and Toledo, Ohio have scheduled protests and networking events for women. As well, many women celebrities marked the occasion by tweeting about campaigning – yet relatively unknown – women.
The first female presidential nominee of a major US political party, Democrat Hillary Clinton, called out the US women’s hockey and soccer teams, who demanded equal pay.
The New York Times published obituaries for 15 “remarkable women” previously “overlooked” by the paper. Some of the famous names the paper excluded – photographer Diane Arbus and Ida B Wells, a, 1890s newspaper editor in Memphis, Tennessee who chronicled lynchings in the South.
While we acknowledge women today, it is also worth noting US-specific work that needs to be done. America is one of the only industrialized nations to lack paid family leave. Many the lowest paid professions – such as teacher’s assistants, personal care aides and restaurant hostesses and waiters – are dominated by women. It is also one of the most expensive places to give birth, and has some of the worst birth outcomes.
As well, not all of the ways America marked International Women’s Day have escaped scrutiny. Many criticized businesses such as McDonald’s as only paying lip service. The restaurant chain dominates one of the lowest paid industries in America, which is both dominated by women (65% of the workforce) and which pays women broadly less (median weekly earnings of just $370 for women, $413 for men).
Many thanks for all the contributions made so far to this blog. Keep them coming, I’ll be looking below the line for more!
Before I hand over our rolling coverage to Jessica Glenza, my colleague at Guardian US in New York, I wanted to share some of the incredible photographs of women on strike today in Spain – thanks to this commenter for the reminder.
Photograph: Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images
More than 5m women are estimated to have taken part in Spain’s first nationwide “feminist strike” on Thursday, with the protestors’ slogan: “If we stop, the world stops”.
And with that, Jess is on with the blog ...
For the International Day of the Girl in October last year, Beyoncé lent her song Freedom to a campaign to achieve gender equality by 2030. Today, on International Women’s Day, one of the writers credited on the song has spoken of the challenges she herself has faced in the music industry.
Carla Marie Williams, who co-wrote Freedom for Beyoncé’s widely-acclaimed Lemonade album, says women are held back in the male-dominated world of music, and called for more investment by record labels and publishers to bridge the gender gap.
“Equality in the music industry definitely doesn’t exist, it’s male-dominated through and through,” the Brit-winning and Grammy-nominated writer told my colleague, Nadia Khomami.
The music industry has not escaped the spotlight being shone on sexism in the entertainment industry at large. At the end of last year, hundreds of female musicians in Australia published an open letter demanding “zero tolerance for sexual harassment, violence, objectification and sexist behaviours”.
Madonna and Grimes both recently expressed frustration with how their respective teams were handling their new material, interpreted as evidence of “an industry that loves to sell the idea of female independence but does not like to enable it”.
And last week, Kim Deal – of the Breeders and formerly the Pixies – spoke franklyabout how far that discrimination went in the industry: “I’ve said before that misogyny is the actual backbone of the music industry, and without misogyny the music industry would crumble.”
A Guardian analysis last year found that more than two-thirds of the live music acts that performed in the UK on one night in October were male-only, prompting many women working in music to offer their advice to others hoping to break in to the industry.
McDonald's IWD stunt loses Momentum
McDonald’s has flipped its iconic golden arches to become a W, “in celebration of women everywhere, and for the first time in our brand history” – to which many have responded, “try again”.
For its own commemoration of International Women’s Day, McDonald’s overturned its logo on Twitter, Instagram and its other digital channels; supplied 100 restaurants in the US with special branded garb; and – at one franchise in California – went so far as to install a new sign.
McDonald’s global chief diversity officer, Wendy Lewis, said in a statement to Business Insider that the stunt was “in honour of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere, and especially in our restaurants”.
But her vow that the company was “committed to their success” was called into question by social media users who called on McDonald’s to pay its employees a living wage.
A @McDonalds in Lynwood, California has flipped its arches upside down in honour of #InternationalWomensDay on March 8th..!!
In response to the campaign, Momentum put out a video highlighting how McDonald’s low wages and zero-hours contracts meant some women workers faced poverty and homelessness. The videos, produced in collaboration with the Bakers’ Union, are in support of striking McDonald’s workers.
“This empty McFeminism has nothing to do with women’s liberation and everything to do with McDonald’s attempt to sanitise its image,” said Laura Parker, Momentum’s national coordinator. “If they actually cared about women, they’d pay their workers a living wage and stop forcing them onto zero hours contracts.
“It’s completely unacceptable that zero hours contracts at McDonald’s have left women workers without enough money to feed their children – and have even
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