By UN Women researchers have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, with female scientists across the globe playing pivotal roles, from advancing knowledge on the virus, to developing vaccines, treating patients and assessing the pandemic’s devastating economic and social impact. However, the health crisis has laid bare disparities in the scientific system. Girls are significantly under-represented in Science Technology…
Produced by UN Uzbekistan. Story by Anvar Meliboev, UN Information Officer, UN Uzbekistan, with editorial support by Paul VanDeCarr, Development Coordination Office “I’m originally from a small desert town called Uchkuduk,” says Malika, age 14. “And like a lot of other girls, I took dancing and singing classes and never thought about technology,” she says. That’s a common refrain. In many places…
By Brittney Oliver Leadership in sports is one of the most enduring old boys’ clubs, but women are on a hot streak, fast chipping away at the glass ceiling that’s protected coaching positions, commissioners’ offices, and ownership opportunities. In 2020 alone, Callie Brownson, the chief of staff for the Cleveland Browns, became the highest-ranking female coach in NFL history when she stepped…
By Jessie Tu Kuwaiti fashion blogger and influencer Ascia Al Faraj has sparked a #MeToo-esque social media campaign, calling out the damaging conservatism of her country’s attitudes towards women, and encouraging them to speak out against sexual harassment. The account on Instagram, called “Lan Asket” – Arabic for “I will not be silent”, has so far featured several testimonies from women…
By Akindare Okunola Nigerian-born Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is set to become the first woman and the first African to serve as the world’s top trade official — the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) — following the withdrawal of South Korea’s candidate. Six men have served as director-generals since its founding in 1995. A former two-time minister of finance in Nigeria, and a recently confirmed…
By Jessie Tu For the first time in history, the number of female director nominees has outnumbered male nominees in the category of Best Director at the 78th Golden Globes. Chloé Zhao, Emerald Fennell and Regina King secured three of the five nominations for the coveted category, which came under fire last year when not a single woman director was nominated. This year’s nominations also…
By Kathleen Griffith Rebecca Minkoff is a designer and entrepreneur who began her career with an eponymous clothing line in 2001 and most recently launched The Female Founder Collective in September 2018 in order to empower women entrepreneurs. The Female Founder Collective aims to creates awareness around female-founded businesses so that consumers and investors can support them, as well as provide a valuable community for…
Feminist Coalition co-founder Damilola Odufuwa on empowerment of women, equality, and education. By Akindare Okunola Damilola Odufuwa is quite the force among Nigeria’s emerging young feminists. The University of Kent graduate has worked at media juggernauts like MTV, Universal Music Group, and National Geographic; and led teams at CNN, Zikoko, Konbini, and now cryptocurrency firm, Binance, leading its public relations efforts across…
By WYSK Girls don’t need to choose between being a scientist and being a princess… because being brilliant in STEM and wearing lipstick are not mutually exclusive. This is the message Reinvented Magazine and Beauty and the Bolt, two nonprofits on a mission to make science, technology, engineering and math more accessible and engaging to girls, are aiming to deliver through a 2021 calendar they’ve…
By Angela Priestley Optimists have a form of energy that can lift a room. Energy that allows them to see the challenge over the adversity, and to persist in the face of rejection. Their glass – as the saying goes – is always half full. Regardless of what’s going on in the world, and there has been a lot going on…
