These incredible surgeons, GPs, gynecologists, and more are paving the way. By Aaron Rakhetsi and Nomthandazo Xaba The world of medicine truly evolved in 1847, when British physician Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to be admitted into a medical school in the US — and, two years later, when she was the first woman to receive a doctor’s degree. In the 1800s, women faced…
In rural Yemen, many people have no access to power or are reliant on polluting diesel generators. A project is working to change that, while empowering women By Veronique Mistiaen In Yemen, opportunities for women to earn an independent living are few. One group of women have found ongoing employment by building a solar microgrid providing energy for their rural…
By Khanyi Mlaba Women make up half of the world’s population and yet they are still largely excluded from politics and decision-making power. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global organization of national parliaments, released its latest annual Women in Parliament report just a few days before International Women’s Day on March 8, and it indicated that the world is not yet on track…
Young women in the west African are lifting car bonnets and challenging the notion that mechanics is a man’s job by Jean-Marc Caimi Being a young woman in an African Muslim country usually means staying at home and raising children. But in the hot and dusty outskirts of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, girls and women from often disadvantaged…
by Lucy Purdy London’s Luminary Bakery helps women who have fallen on hard times rise up and reach their potential. The almond, chocolate and cherry cake is a tongue-flirter of provocative proportions, while the salted caramel brownies – if gifted and guzzled – would release you from anyone’s bad books. The goods on display at Luminary Bakery in Stoke Newington, London, scream…
By Nhuquynh Nguyen and Liana Slomka For the first time, women hold the highest editorial positions at all eight Ivy League papers. The path to leadership, and the development of a love for journalism, began well before these women arrived on their respective college campuses. Hadriana Lowenkron and Sarah Braka, editors-in-chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian and the Columbia Daily Spectator, respectively, actually…
A breakthrough with tiny thrusters blasted this entrepreneur into the small satellite industry. By Signe Brewster As Natalya Brikner worked her way through a PhD at MIT’s Space Propulsion Laboratory, she assumed she’d go on to become a professor in the field. She grew up in a small town in northwest Oregon watching the stars and thinking about the aliens among…
By Khanyi Mlaba Samia Suluhu Hassan has officially been sworn in as Tanzania’s first woman president after the unexpected death of former President John Magufuli on Wednesday March 17. Hassan, who was previously the country’s vice president, automatically became acting president following the passing of Magufuli, and was officially sworn into the position two days later. “I, Samia Suluhu Hassan, promise to be…
The women of Umoja could soon own titled land, 30 years after the all-female village was founded By Dominic Kirui UMOJA, Kenya, March 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — When Jane Nolmongen’s husband banished her from their family home in northern Kenya after discovering she had been raped by a British soldier, she went somewhere she knew she would be safe: a…
By Stephanie Palmer-Derrien Women-focused angel group Scale Investors has appointed two new co-chief executive officers, following the departure of Ariane Barker from the role last month. Chelsea Newell and Samar Mcheileh will share the top job, as they focus on bringing more women investors into the fold. Over the past eight years or so, Scale has built up a network of more…
