For Blind and Low Vision Voters, Barriers Remain
Women
September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm
From the Executive Director: A Few Words on Gloria (for now)
Women
September 3rd 2026, 4:36 pm
When “Normal” Lab Results Don’t Match How a Woman Feels
Women
August 31st 2026, 4:08 pm
Women Are Aging in Front of a Million Mirrors: How Perimenopause Changes More Than Our Face
Women
August 27th 2026, 12:30 pm
Women’s Health is Still Invisible…and my Mother Paid the Price
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
The Conversation We Didn’t Inherit: Spaces for Black Women to Discuss Menopause
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
Perimenopause Isn’t Driving Women Out of the Workforce – Silence Is!
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
Grooming Teenage Girls: The Warning Signs
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
Did You Know? Young Black Women are at Higher Risk for Early Onset Breast Cancer.
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
A Major Leap for Mothers Around the World: Historic Report Presented at UN Human Rights Council
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
Evolved to Solve: The Unique Power of Post-Menopausal Women
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
Girls With ADHD Don’t Always Finish the School Year Strong
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
WOMXN UP! An interview with Maryam Shojaei, founder of #NoBan4Women
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
The Two Cents Problem: The Long Tail of Period Poverty
Women
August 20th 2026, 7:27 pm
How the ERA Can Improve Health Outcomes for Women of Color
Women
“The failure to address civil rights goes alongside failure to address maternal mortality, poverty and women’s rights,”
September 7th 2022, 4:54 pm
Afghan Women and Western Intervention: A Conversation
Women
We need to take stock of what 20 years of Western promises to always stand by Afghan women mean now.
September 4th 2022, 7:36 pm
Want to End Abortion Restrictions? Pass the ERA!
Women
It would provide a new protective foundation for all women’s rights!
September 4th 2022, 7:36 pm
‘Proud Men’ vs. ‘Loud Boys’
Women
On Women's Equality Day, this Man Demands All Men Stand Up and Step Forward!
September 4th 2022, 7:36 pm
WEEKLY UPDATE: The Current State of Abortion – State-by-State
Women
More than 24.1 million women of reproductive age live in the 14 states that effectively outlawed abortion as of August 1.
August 6th 2022, 9:30 pm
Women’s eNews Selects 14 of its ’21 Leaders for the 21 Century’ 2022
Women
14 Pioneering Individuals and Organizations Advancing Gender Equality
July 31st 2022, 9:43 am
Our Power is in Our Voice and Our Vote
Women
The Court has become a political institution like Congress. It has warped the balance of power and is no longer the checks and balance for America.
July 26th 2022, 10:22 pm
Apply to ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ 2022 (14 Spots Remaining)
Women
Application Deadline : July 15th
July 22nd 2022, 7:03 pm
Stigmas About LGBTQ+ Disabled Women – A Closed-Minded Perspective
Women
Over 46% of LGBTQ+ disabled female and trans female employees reported experiencing discrimination or harassment in the workplace.
July 22nd 2022, 7:03 pm
How Overturning Roe will Impact the Economy
Women
No Reproductive Health Access, No Top Talent!
July 22nd 2022, 7:03 pm
The Current State of Abortion: State-by-State
Women
While there is much ongoing confusion about the states where abortion is legal, where it is illegal, and where it has been further restricted, there is one thing we can be absolutely sure of: The status of abortion isn’t settled!
July 3rd 2022, 8:49 pm
Saving Small Businesses by being ‘Just Fearless’
Women
The grant has been created to help 1,000,000 female founders generate a minimum of $1,000,000 in annual net revenue in the global community,
June 30th 2022, 8:03 pm
New Series: The Current State of Abortion–State by State
Women
Beginning today, and every Monday thereafter, Women's eNews will provide you with current information about the evolving state of abortion in the US, as state laws change, companies step up, and funding for out-of-state abortion services grow to accommodate women and girls’ urgent need for this invaluable, life-saving procedure.
June 26th 2022, 3:04 pm
Women’s eNews Selects Seven of this Year’s ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ Honorees
Women
These Seven Organizations Are Advancing Gender Equality
June 19th 2022, 11:16 pm
In This Culture of Violence, We Are All to Blame
Women
As Americans we pride ourselves on freedom of choice, yet some of our choices are reminiscent of the Middle Ages when women and children were considered “chattel” or property to be done with as willed by the “head of the household.”
June 14th 2022, 5:42 pm
Misdiagnosing Invisible Disabilities – A Growing Trend
Women
The responsibility falls on too many health care providers who gaslight patients by convincing them that their symptoms are not severe.
June 14th 2022, 5:42 pm
It’s Maddening Gender is Still Not Central in Mass Shootings Debate
Women
How many more lonely, alienated, disconnected, (usually) white males perpetrating murder and then suicide need we witness before admitting the irrefutable fact that the shooters are all male?
May 27th 2022, 1:24 pm
Parallel Ascent: Escaping Ukraine and Connecting Through Disability
Women
We’ve each discovered first-hand that the journey is easier when shared and even the most arduous climb can offer an unparalleled view.
May 25th 2022, 11:40 am
Deep Fakes: The Latest Anti-Woman Weapon
Women
The fakes are explicitly detailed, posted on popular porn sites and increasingly challenging to detect.
May 23rd 2022, 5:01 pm
How to Safeguard our Children from Predators
Women
As someone who experienced sexual abuse and rescued numerous trafficking survivors, I’ve learned how to prepare our children so they don’t become victims.
May 16th 2022, 3:16 pm
Apply to ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ 2022 – Special Focus on Organizations
Women
Application Deadline: June 1st
May 10th 2022, 10:08 pm
What If The Fetus is Female?
Women
File it under: "We should have seen this coming!"
May 8th 2022, 1:23 pm
Want to Protect the Right to Abortion? Pass the ERA!
Women
The Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”), which would add an explicit guarantee of sex equality to the United States Constitution, would protect the right to abortion and the full range of reproductive healthcare and is more critically needed now than ever before.
May 5th 2022, 1:49 pm
RiseUp4AbortionRights Calls for Pro-Choice Walk Outs on Thursday, May 5th!
Women
The Supreme Court’s draft is NOT YET law, and it does not have to become law!
May 3rd 2022, 2:32 pm
From Chole Kim to Eileen Gu: How does American Society Embrace Asian American Female Athletes?
Women
The violence driven by anti-Asian xenophobia is an American tradition, especially during times of crisis.
May 2nd 2022, 10:18 pm
Chained Woman Has Become the Face of Bride Trafficking in China
Women
The difficulty many men now face finding wives drives a brutal business of selling women and girls inside China and from neighboring countries.
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
The Slap Heard ‘Round The World’
Women
How tragic that Smith didn’t simply comfort his wife—and turn the other cheek, rather than slap Rock's.
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
Why Are Military Women Affected by Toxic Exposure More than Men?
Women
The fact that medical professionals seldom ask women whether they served in the military upon assigning them a diagnosis is just one of the reasons why many female veterans fail to receive the healthcare they need.
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
Women as Weapons of War: A Spectrum of Sexual Violence in Ukraine and Beyond
Women
Accountability must not be limited to the traffickers and profiteers of the sex trade; it must extend to the sex buyers themselves.
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
Fe-MAN-ist Voices: My Daughter’s First Pro-Choice Protest
Women
"I look at my little girl and think of the world I’m leaving her to embrace; the society that is actively working against her rights."
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
Next in the Series: “How Would the ERA Impact Our Daily Lives?”
Women
CHAPTER THREE: Navigating a White Male Congress (AKA “The Deadline”)
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
Fe-MAN-ist Voices: The Women Who Shaped My Words
Women
Esmeralda from ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, Princess Kida from ‘Atlantis – the Lost Empire’, Jane from ‘Tarzan’, Dian Fossey – all were characters that my grandmother had a tremendous influence in shaping.
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
Housing the Disabled Amidst Today’s Inflation Crisis
Women
Disabled Americans have been impacted the hardest due to their fixed incomes.
April 30th 2022, 8:46 am
What American Abortion Activists Can Learn From Their Latin America Sisters
Women
Tomorrow, on International Women's Day (March 8th), the symbolic green handkerchief will be worn on streets of America to push back against the increasing attacks on women's legal right to abortion, and every American's right to privacy.
March 7th 2022, 6:47 pm
Aren’t We All Pro-Life?
Women
“We are all pro-life, only that some of us are in favor of allowing women to live a life in which their dignity is respected, and they can exercise their rights fully.”
March 3rd 2022, 6:18 pm
Portrayal of Disabilities in Media: Where Are We Going?
Women
Disabled talents' success in winning awards has sent a powerful message that times have changed for viewers and the ways entertainment is presented.
February 22nd 2022, 1:59 pm
What’s Still Missing from the Winter Olympics? Women’s Voices
Women
The NBC commentating team did not include a single woman play-by-play announcer for these Beijing Games.
February 20th 2022, 4:44 pm
New Series: Fe-MAN-ist Voices
Women
We take what we were given as children and work with that to give the world smarter, stronger, and better versions of ourselves.
February 13th 2022, 6:01 pm
ONE BILLION RISING ANNOUNCES 2022 CAMPAIGN THEME: RISE FOR THE BODIES OF ALL WOMEN, GIRLS & THE EAR
Women
Events to take lace globally from February to April, highlighting the parallel between the exploitation of women’s bodies and the destruction of the Earth.
February 3rd 2022, 7:33 pm
Indigenous Women Leaders Podcast: An Interview with Lakota Elder Madonna Thunder Hawk
Women
From Alcatraz to Wounded Knee, Thunder Hawk has earned her name... again and again!
January 20th 2022, 4:59 pm
As the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Arrives, Pro-Choice Rallies are on the Rise
Women
"There can be no going back and no surrender!"
January 16th 2022, 7:14 pm
Climate Feminism: Where Compassion and Climate Justice Meet
Women
Instead of the way patriarchy treats nature, as something to conquer, to dominate. to use, "We are ourelves part of nature, not its masters.’”
January 13th 2022, 1:11 pm
Paraguay’s Draconian Abortion Law Punishes Rape Survivors
Women
Strict abortion prohibitions do not stop women and girls from having abortions; they just force them to have unsafe abortions, putting their lives and health at risk.
January 4th 2022, 5:30 pm
Introducing ‘Where the ‘L’ are the Women?’ A New Podcast from Women’s eNews
Women
Although Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people have existed as long as humanity itself, female members of the community have often been omitted from historical records. Women's eNews is out to change that!
December 27th 2021, 6:43 pm
A HISTORIC STEP TOWARD EQUALITY: SPAIN’S PRIME MINISTER VOWS TO ABOLISH PROSTITUTION
Women
It’s time to recognize that prostitution is femicide by a million cuts and must end.
December 8th 2021, 12:12 pm
Marvel’s First Deaf Superhero: A First Step for Disabled Filmmakers
Women
Makari is also the first Black Deaf female superhero to be portrayed in a major picture series on the silver screen.
November 30th 2021, 8:05 pm
During these 16 Days of Activism, Don’t Leave the LGBTIQ Community Behind
Women
Although this time period is typically viewed as a fight for women and girls, it also needs to be inclusive of LGBTIQ people. Especially now!
November 22nd 2021, 9:31 pm
Working with the Taliban for Women’s Rights: It’s Like Speaking to Fish about Land!
Women
The fight does not lie in convincing them of progressive ideals; the fight is to get the best outcome for those directly impacted by Taliban rule.
November 21st 2021, 5:00 pm
One Week From Today: Our ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ Annual Awards Gala!
Women
We're providing you with a Sneak Peek at this year's Gala Program!
November 9th 2021, 1:25 am
Saying Goodbye to Safety: All-Female Mills College Turns Co-ed
Women
When Kate Valente packed for college, she did not pack pepper spray. Now, she may have to add to her packing list.
November 4th 2021, 2:19 pm
Longing to Leave Texas? These Firms Can Help!
Women
This job fair will showcase the many roles available in PR and communications, in places that don’t subject women to dangerous restrictions or impose reckless vigilante justice on women’s bodies.
October 31st 2021, 6:15 pm
Child Brides: Closer Than You Think
Women
In most U.S. states, the minimum marriage age for minors that have parental consent ranges from 12 to 17 years old.
October 28th 2021, 12:25 pm
Child Brides: Closer Thank You Think
Women
In most U.S. states, the minimum marriage age for minors that have parental consent ranges from 12 to 17 years old.
October 27th 2021, 11:56 am
Announcing the Recipient of the Edie Windsor Champion for LGBTQAI+ Equality Award, 2021
Women
Karine Jean-Pierre is the first openly gay woman to serve as the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary.
October 9th 2021, 9:01 pm
The Equal Rights Amendment and the Equality Act: Two Equality Measures Explained
Women
As the ERA gains renewed momentum and as sexual minority groups gain recognition and visibility in the sex equality movement, the same fear tactics that were used to stall the ERA in the 1970s and 1980s are being repurposed to once again pit women against each other, particularly when it comes to the Equality Act.
October 5th 2021, 7:25 pm
All-Inclusionary Theater: Where The Show Must Go On!
Women
"Our vision is an anti-racist, trauma-informed, accessible, ensemble production that embodies the complex identities and outstanding talents of our team."
September 29th 2021, 10:24 am
SATURDAY 9/25: Global Day of Solidarity Action For and With Women of Afghanistan Take Place Worldwid
Women
Events in Mexico, Croatia, Eswatini, Congo, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Italy, UK, Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Thailand, Nigeria, Portugal, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Zambia, Austria, and the United States.
September 22nd 2021, 6:59 pm
Hey Texas Dads: It’s Time to Get NIPPed
Women
The Non-Invasive Pre-natal Paternity test (NIPP) couldn't be easier: It's requires just a simple cheek swab, guys, so get in line!
September 21st 2021, 5:44 pm
No Justice, No Freedom: Medical Abuse in Private Prisons
Women
Almost one year later, survivors of these horrific abuses are still in precarious situations and require immigration relief.
September 16th 2021, 8:26 pm
‘Not Going Quietly’ – By Losing His Voice, He Speaks for Others
Women
This film allows Ady Barken to freely explore the disabled experience, illustrating how disabled people refuse to be defined by tragedy.
September 15th 2021, 11:25 am
Texas Abortion Ban: Further Endangering Sexual Violence Victims
Women
When a woman does not have control over her own body, she no longer has control over her own life. Abusers know this, which is why they want power over reproductive choice.
September 6th 2021, 7:17 pm
New ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ Honorees Announced, as the 2021 Event Goes Virtual
Women
Here is the list of our second outstanding group of honorees!!
September 1st 2021, 1:21 pm
ADHD: Too Often Misdiagnosed in Females
Women
“It wasn’t until mid-10th grade [after the ADHD diagnosis] that I actually realized that I am smart and capable of doing things that everyone else can.”
August 29th 2021, 6:06 pm
How Three Armed Teenage Girls Provided Five Leadership Lessons
Women
Women have traditionally been portrayed as victims but they are actually better leaders in times of conflict and crisis.
August 26th 2021, 10:52 pm
Sliding In Sideways: New York’s First Female Governor
Women
Governorships have remained particularly elusive for females, regardless of their successful track records, regrettably for them...and for us.
August 22nd 2021, 10:47 pm
Female Olympians Face Extra Hurdles
Women
'One cannot simply outperform inequality or be excellent enough to escape discrimination of any kind.” - Megan Rapinoe
August 12th 2021, 9:16 pm
Indigenous Women Speak Out: August Podcast
Women
"I’m super raw and candid because I think it’s important not to sugarcoat things - that will not create the change that is necessary." -Kluane Adamek, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Yukon Regional Chief.
August 2nd 2021, 5:32 pm
Disability Discrimination: Innocent but Blatant
Women
The feeling of separation hurt me; I saw myself as capable, intelligent and equal, and that this odd leg should be a characteristic that was overlooked...
July 26th 2021, 3:09 pm
The ‘Reverse Selfie’: Blurring the Lines of Reality and Fantasy
Women
"By design, these tools have led young women to fixate over supposed problems with their appearances that they'd never previously been concerned about,"
July 22nd 2021, 9:48 am
From Scientific Bombshells to Scientific Breakthroughs: Women are in the Lead
Women
“The vaccine you are going to be taking was developed by an African American woman and that is just a fact.” - Dr. Anthony Fauci
July 14th 2021, 8:45 pm
Announcing: Our First 7 Honorees for ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ 2021!!
Women
Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 19th at The Glass Ceiling in NYC!
July 6th 2021, 7:24 pm
As We Leave Afghanistan, Don’t Abandon Women and Girls
Women
Countries retreating from Afghanistan show little concern for the dark future they are leaving behind for women and girls. Let us not look away.
July 1st 2021, 1:35 pm
What is Women’s Health? It’s More Than You Think
Women
When we hear “women’s health,” we should picture everything from the food labels that warn us about the hidden, unhealthy ingredients in packaged food to the policies that ban smoking in public spaces to the birth certificates that grant girls access to education.
June 28th 2021, 6:48 pm
Welcome to our New Series and Podcast: Indigenous Women Speak Out
Women
The descendant of four chiefs, leadership is in her veins.
June 22nd 2021, 7:51 pm
From the Executive Director: Welcome to our New Website!
Women
Learn about our New Website, the '21 Leaders for the 21st Century' 2021 Gala, and How YOU can get Published in Women's eNews!
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
South Asian Authors: Opening Minds Beyond the Page
Women
These authors possess the drive to write stories that reflect our multihued and multicultural world.
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
In Honor of Pride Month, our Executive Director Comes Out…Again
Women
Because there is nothing as powerful a true life story, our Executive Director recalls 'coming out' to her college professor, 33 years later...
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
Boy Scouts: Will You Earn One More Badge?
Women
The Boy Scouts is at a crossroads of preserving its future and atoning for its past.
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
Join Us at THE GLASS CEILING: Oct. 19, 2021
Women
Announcing our Honorary Gala Chair and Co-Chairs...
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
Book Review: The Rooftop Party
Women
Admit it…how many of us have fantasized about taking revenge on a man, any man, who brushed up a little too close against us at a business lunch, placed his hand on our body without permission at a company cocktail party, or tried to get us to have one drink too many at a corporate retreat? Well, for one writer, this fantasy came true, at least on paper.
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
ReelAbilies Film Festival: The Best Summer Ever
Women
Despite the significant number of disabled characters in the film, it never addresses disability directly, but also does not avoid it completely; instead, it incorporates and normalizes it.
June 22nd 2021, 11:14 am
On Mother’s Day: Never Gone
Women
As a child, I adored my mother. As a young woman I judged and criticized her life’s choices. But since she passed from this earth, I have longed to understand her.
I was seven years old when I decided never to become my mother in any way. Even at a young age, I recognized the toxic relationship she had with my father. I grappled with the need to look up to her for protection and guidance but was always left disappointed. I knew, without a doubt, she loved me. I knew that from the way she smiled at me; the way her eyes met mine when I needed her to acknowledge me. It was as if I swam in her love. Her love was genuine. She took her role as mother seriously but her toxic relationship with my father turned her into someone I couldn’t count on as a female role model. So when my father beat her to unconciousness one night while she pleaded with me and my siblings to stay under the covers to stay safe, I also knew I will never become my mother.
When I turned eight years old she disappeared. ‘She had to escape‘, is what I kept telling myself. I awoke one day, and she wasn’t there. Poof. Gone. Vanished. She’s gone. We were later told that Papa’s abuse didn’t stop at home; he had crippled her financially. Mama was the breadwinner as the owner of a pharmacy business, but she had allowed him access to her money. He squandered it through many failed business ventures until there was no more money to risk. Bankruptcy was the cancer that ended her financial independence. She therefore left her home and children to join her sister Maria, the first one to leave the Philippines and make America her new home. I believed that she had to make the painful decision of leaving her five babies to earn the mighty dollar in the land of opportunity—the USA. Her survival and ours depended on it. She had no choice. She had to escape. I had to continue surviving in my father’s regime. If I didn’t, I might be the next to disappear.’
It wasn’t until four years later, at twelve years old, when I was reunited with her in the USA. My siblings and I were snuck out in the middle of the night with the help of our uncle and nanny. From there, we took a secret trip to Manila where we were greeted by a petite, light-skinned woman, who I recognized as my mother. It wasn’t until then that I realized that four years of letters and phone calls couldn’t substitute for a physical mother by my side. She wasn’t there to show me how to become a woman when my menstruation cycle arrived at nine years old. She wasn’t present for any competitions, awards, or celebrations. She wasn’t there to protect her children from the wrath of my father and from the world. But that would change now. That’s what I told myself.
I shook the past four years away and jumped into my new life to be the daughter that she needed. As the second oldest of five, I was expected to be responsible. Be the second mother. My mother seemed to be shrinking under the weight of being a poor single mother in a one and a half bedroom apartment in Newark, New Jersey. Food stamps helped feed us, along with the miscellaneous odd jobs she took on the weekends and her 9-5 as a lab technician. But it took its toll.
Three years after our reunion she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, ravaging her physically and mentally. Within two months she succumbed to the disease’s unforgiving nature. Death was inevitable. I stood by her bedside making another promise to her and myself. I will be the mother now.
I gained full custody and guardianship of my baby brothers, and at only 21 years old I bulldozed through life for the next 10 years, ultimately attaining financial success as an entrepreneur. But my inner child still yearned for a mother to be there for me. That launched me on a journey to understand who my mother was, in order to develop a healthy perspective of what a mother and child relationship could be. I did so through psychotherapy and coaching, including traditional talk therapy, mediumship sessions, and energetic intuitive practices. That’s when I finally accepted the reality: my mother was gone. She had done her job. She rescued us from our father. She had done the best she could with the resources she had. I am here–alive and well–to live the American dream from the sacrifices she had made. It doesn’t negate the unhealthy choices she made in love and marriage. But that was her journey. I didn’t have to repeat it. I decided to honor her memory and existence rather than criticize and judge her. This process revealed the gift of healthy boundaries.
Today, as the mother to a sassy, stubborn, headstrong and impressionable five-year-old girl, the most important characteristic I provide as her parent is to be present. I do not project my past onto her, but I also don’t deflect my truth. My trauma was mine and not hers. My healing journey towards my mother showed me that as a parent, I do not know it all. I am humble enough to learn from my child, while setting safe and healthy boundaries. Society will judge her. Life will challenge her. But home is where she can feel safe, secure, and live without judgement. In hindsight, I thank my Mama Eva for allowing me to blossom into the mother I am today.
About the Author: Krista Nerestant is the author of Indestructible: The Hidden Gifts of Trauma
May 14th 2021, 12:51 am
STEMMing the Tide of Women’s Progress
Women
Women and girls weren’t doing very well in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine) before the Covid 19 pandemic. Despite accounting for over half of the college-educated workforce, women in the United States made up only 29% of those employed in science and engineering occupations in 2017. Further, a 2018 report from Microsoft found that girls and young women were still less likely than boys to imagine or pursue careers in STEMM.
But now comes the really bad news. A new National Academies of Sciences study finds that the pandemic may “roll back” women’s gains in STEMM. Researchers concluded that although women had been making some gains in the past few years, “these trends have been hindered as difficulties with remote work and increased caregiving responsibilities have piled up during the pandemic.” One associate professor quoted in the report said, “I am on the verge of a breakdown. I have three children doing virtual school full time who need my attention throughout the day. . . . I try to wake up before them and work after they sleep, but this is hard given they wake up at 7am for school and don’t go to bed early.”
Meanwhile, the group Girls Who Code reports that by 2027, this ongoing decline will mean that only 24 percent of girls will remain in computer fields. Additionally, a report in the Journal Nature finds that, “Early analyses suggest that female academics are posting fewer preprints and starting fewer research projects than their male peers.”
This all comes in the light of an ongoing media storyline over many years that “Science” finds great differences between men and women, especially in the areas of math and science. This myth is like a chimera: lop off one head and two more pop up to replace it. Columnist George Will wrote, “There is a vast and growing scientific literature on possible gender differences in cognition. Only hysterics denounce interest in these possible differences.”
And a Google engineer, James Damore, caused a national uproar in July 2017, by posting an online claim that women’s biology makes them less able than men to work in technology jobs. Columnist Ross Douthat of the New York Times found his scientific arguments intriguing. Damore said that many men in the company agreed with his sentiments. That’s not unexpected, because the idea that women just can’t hack it in math and science has been around for eons. It has been argued that women’s lack of a “math gene,” their inherent psychological traits, and their brain structures make most women unfit for STEMM careers.
Such ideas are nonsense, as we wrote in Recode at the time of the Google dustup. “We have been researching issues of gender and STEMM for more than 25 years. We can say flatly that there is no evidence that women’s biology makes them incapable of performing at the highest levels in any STEMM fields.” Despite the facts, bias against women in these fields keeps growing. It’s disturbing to hear that Covid is yet another brick in the wall of discrimination against women in science. Such bias is especially rampant in the booming high-tech industry.
Professors at Columbia, Northwestern and the University of Chicago, found that two-thirds of managers selected male job candidates, even when the men did not perform as well as the women on math problems that were part of the application process. Ernesto Reuben, assistant professor of management at Columbia Business School, writes, “…our experiments show …that hiring managers possess an extraordinary level of gender bias when making decisions and filling positions, often times choosing the less qualified male over a superiorly qualified female.”
Another major issue is that many women in tech believe that when they fail, they don’t get second chances. This fear was uncovered by the Athena Factor project in 2008, sponsored by IBM, Microsoft, Dell, and Cisco. Athena found that for females, jobs are “Hard won and easily lost.” Just getting a job with high status isn’t enough. you have to keep it. Keeping a high-level job is easier for men than women; Men’s mistakes are often forgiven. Not so with women. One mistake, and you may find yourself on the skids. As one of the researchers, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, noted, “In tech firms, that the way to get promoted is to do a diving catch: Some system is crashing in Bulgaria, so you get on the plane in the middle of the night and dash off and spend the weekend wrestling with routers and come back a hero.”
But what if you don’t make the catch?
“Women have a hard time taking on those assignments because you can dive and fail to catch. If a man fails, his buddies dust him off and say, ‘It’s not your fault; try again next time.’ A women fails and is never seen again.” One female engineer says, “Men play differently…men will make decisions to move forward and do things that are high risk. That’s because men are able to walk away unscathed from a mistake—women aren’t.” So women wind up in a lose-lose situation that they didn’t see coming.
Our research found much the same. As cited in our book, The New Soft War on Women,: ‘Tech leaders often see themselves as the “good guys “ of the corporate world. “Don’t be evil” is Google’s motto. But in the tech industry and the startup community, the level of sexual harassment and its health consequences for women are very high. In First Round Capital’s 2017 survey of venture-backed startup founders, HALF of the founders told of a personal experience with sexual harassment. They also split on public perception of the issue: 70% of female founders said sexual harassment in the industry is still underreported vs. 35% of male founders. And men were four times more likely than women to say the media’s overblown the issue (22% vs. 5%).
In some instances, sexual-harassment training has even been shown to backfire. One study from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, found that while training increased knowledge about what constitutes sexual harassment, it also sometimes had a corrosive effect on workplace culture. “What was disturbing was that the males who had gone through training showed a backlash effect …they said they were less willing to report sexual harassment than the males who had not gone through the training,” noted Time Magazine. Perhaps male participants who took part in the training, identified with the men, circled the wagons, and blamed the women. Research finds that when men focus on the advances women have made, they often do just that.
McKinsey reports that during the pandemic women make up 39 percent of global employment but account for 54 percent of overall job losses. “One reason for this greater effect on women is that the virus is significantly increasing the burden of unpaid care, which is disproportionately carried by women. This, among other factors, means that women’s employment is dropping faster than average, even accounting for the fact that women and men work in different sectors.” Further, Global Trends writes: “Given trends we have observed over the past few months, in a gender-regressive scenario in which no action is taken to counter these effects, we estimate that global GDP growth could be $1 trillion lower in 2030 than it would be if women’s unemployment simply tracked that of men in each sector.”
Concurrently, super smart computers are taking jobs away from human beings at a stunning rate. Hod Lipson, director of the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University, says, “Automation and AI will take away pretty much all of our jobs…If not within our lifetime, then within our grandchildren’s lifetime. This is a new situation in human history, and we’re not prepared for it.” In this process, women are more at risk than men. In 2019, the first study of job consequences of Artificial Intelligence for women by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that while women make up just under half the U.S. workforce, they will make up nearly 60 percent of the workers at highest risk of being displaced by this technology.” Worse news: these cuts will be in relatively high-paying positions, the ones that women use to get ahead in a work culture that favors men. Add the pandemic to this problem and things look very bleak.
The chair of the committee behind the Academy of Sciences report, Eve Higginbotham, told STAT that the ongoing pandemic could have worse effects on women’s careers in STEMM in the future: “If institutions do not aggressively correct for this, then we will see fewer women being promoted to professor, to leadership positions. It’s just going to look like the 1950s again. So I would say that it would be the gender recession that we’re seeing in corporate America.”
And the fairy tale that women can’t do science and math could live on for many years to come.
May 14th 2021, 12:51 am
Don’t Miss: Mothers & Daughters – Women Writing About the Women Who Shaped Them (May 15-16)
Women
In honor of Mother’s Day, mothers and daughters can now explore this special relationship…
It was just three ago when I signed up for a writing workshop with author, speaker and writer, Amy Ferris. It turned into my first of many, since it allowed me to honestly, and transparently, write about my relationship with my mother. I left feeling lighter, freer, empowered.
Knowing and understanding our relationships with our moms and, in turn, our daughters, provides insight into who we are, often releasing previously untapped creativity. With annual Mother’s Day celebrations just behind us, these feelings in us are now even more fresh, raw and, even, pure.
Here’s a little bit about the workshop, and you can learn more by clicking the link below:
Saturday, May 15: This class features two mother/daughter duos who have made their mark in writing and production. Legendary television writer and producer Marta F. Kauffman and her daughter Hannah Canter are a real-life creative team on the hit series Grace & Frankie and Marta’s company Okay Goodnight. And Carol Jenkins and her daughter Elizabeth Gardner Hines co-authored the book Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire. They’ll share their stories of collaboration, along with writing prompts about the conversations you had—and didn’t have—with your mother or daughter.
Sunday, May 16: Kristine Van Raden and Molly Davis, co-authors of Letters to Our Daughters (featured on Oprah), will lead a discussion on writing about and to your mother or daughter. And Alka Joshi, author of the New York Times bestseller The Henna Artist, will share an intimate look at getting to know her mother as the two traveled to their native India for Alka’s book research. These celebrated authors’ prompts will help you use writing as a tool for understanding, healing and celebrating one of the most essential relationships a woman can have.
The weekend will include plenty of writing prompts, Q&A and opportunities to share your writing within a creative and supportive community.
