Gender
Sexism is bad for the economy. These 4 charts prove it
Gender equality and women's empowerment can be a major boost to economies, according to a new report by the United Nations. Bringing women's income level with men, and increasing their participation in the economy can offer potential gains for basic human rights, human development and economic Read More...
Social entrepreneurship: Where the glass ceiling is already smashed
There is a growing sector where women are rising to the top, smashing through the glass ceiling as never before, and transforming the world with big ideas. It’s called social entrepreneurship and it’s disrupting the traditional status quo, fostering innovation and developing Read More...
9 countries that desperately want people to have more sex
dragon jeremiah/Flickr There are few things more important than fertility in determining a nation's future viability. Demographers suggest that a country needs a fertility rate of just over two children per woman to hit "replacement fertility" — the rate at which new births fill the spaces Read More...
Colombian women made sure gender equality was at the center of a groundbreaking peace deal with the FARC
The Colombian government and the FARC, the country’s largest guerrilla group, signed a peace agreement to end their 50-plus-year war last week. The deal settles the main issues over which the two parties had been killing themselves and some 180,000 civilians (link in Spanish) over the course Read More...
Why we still need Feminism
Writer and feminist Sophie Cunningham has watched with growing frustration as women are increasingly marginalised: in the arts, in the media and in public life. In this provocative address, she'll argue that disinterest in women -- the overlooking of them, the disavowal of them, the occasional Read More...
Four reasons to practice mindfulness during pregnancy
Mothers-to-be don’t spend their entire 40 weeks of pregnancy glowing radiantly; there are also midnight worries, endless shopping lists, and swollen feet. Somewhere around 18 percent of women are depressed during pregnancy, and 21 percent have serious anxiety. Research is starting to suggest Read More...
Why American women are having fewer babies than ever
The U.S. fertility rate has plummeted to the lowest point on record, according to new federal data. The first quarter of 2016 brought 59.8 babies for every 1,000 women, ages 15 to 44. That's nearly half the rate at the peak of the baby boom in the late 1950s. The numbers show an Read More...
Africa calling: mobile phone revolution to transform democracies
Mobile phones will account for almost one-tenth of African GDP by the end of the decade, as mobile broadband connections triple in five years, underlining how the explosive growth in the telecoms industry is having a major economic, social and political impact on the continent. Market analysts Ovum Read More...
With more women at the top success looms for global climate talks
It’s just possible that on any given day, not a dark suit and tie will be spotted on the main podium of the global climate change negotiations, a forum long dominated by greying men. As of this week, the six most influential positions within the UN process are all held by women. France Read More...
Bloomberg launches new gender-equality stock index
Investors can change the behavior of companies. But for that, they need information. This week, Bloomberg launched an index that scores financial-service companies on how well they treat women and whether they are promoting gender equality. The index, called the Bloomberg Financial Services Read More...