Tag: Womens

Categories
Health

The Best Way to Celebrate International Women’s Day? By Making Yourself Money


If you have a partner, have a quick chat about the gap. This is a dialogue, not a one-and-done conversation, but you can get the ball rolling. A recent survey showed that while men increasingly expect and encourage women to work outside the home (great)…they still don’t pick up the work inside of it (um, not great). I’m not opposed to resurrecting the chore wheel.

#3. Spend intentionally.

Quick question: When was the last time you heard about a guy “splurging” on something? Not unheard of, but it’s way more common to describe how women spend money. As women, we get messages all our lives about being bad with money—when the real problem is that we don’t have enough of it.

So I’m very over restrictive budgets and condescending advice. Instead, I’m a fan of what we call “intentional spending”— that is, simply being mindful of what you’re spending on now, and matching what you’re spending now to the things that are most important to you. No judgment, no guilt, just a practice.

Today, take 10 minutes to list your money goals. That could include travel, buying a house, paying off high-interest debt, supporting causes you care about, retiring in style, starting a business and/or a family. (I’d throw in building an emergency fund if you’ve got one.) Just having these goals written down can help you be more aware of—and mindful about—your spending decisions.

#4. Work on getting paid what you’re worth.

The clock on the gender pay gap seems to be permanently stuck at around 230 years from closing for all women, and here’s the deal: No matter how much leaning in we do, we can’t promote ourselves. We’re dependent on our boss, and on the culture of our workplace…and too often, they’re not doing the work to check their own bias.

Four things you can do today to stand in your worth:

Talk to your friends. Successful women actually network differently than successful men—and the key is an inner circle of trusted contacts we can talk to about things like handling bias. And yes, talk about salary, because how do you know what to ask for if you don’t know what other people are making?

Talk to your coworkers about salary, too. That one can feel really intrusive, I know. I’m a huge fan of Caitlin Boston, who bumped her pay by 41% with the “over/under” approach. Instead of asking for exact salaries, she asked coworkers if they made over or under a number she gave them. It worked. (And she was able to pay off a quarter-million dollars of student debt, btw.)

Review the goals your boss set for you. Is your day-to-day work getting you to those goals, or are you spending time on other things? If there’s a disconnect, it’s fine to check in with your boss to see if they think your goals have changed.

Set up a reminder and a document to track your wins each week. It’s so much easier to track it now than to have to remember it later on when you’re making the ask.

#5. Support other women.

When women support women, magic happens. This weekend, shop women-owned businesses. Hell, do it for a month.

We live in the only industrialized nation that doesn’t provide paid family leave. Sign this petition and (if you don’t already), start calling it “family leave” instead of “mat leave”—if people start taking leave regardless of gender, there won’t be as much backlash to caregivers.

Sign a petition to support the Paycheck Fairness Act, the FAMILY Act for paid parental leave, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

And keep on posting your support and your stories. I can’t wait to see what you share.

Sallie L. Krawcheck is the CEO and cofounder of Ellevest, a digital financial adviser for women launched in 2016. She is a former CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and Smith Barney.



Source link

Categories
Health

This International Women’s Day, Invest in Girls


Today, as we celebrate our third anniversary, and observe International Women’s Day 2020 on March 8, I’m reflecting on the most important lesson I’ve learned since starting this work: By the time we’re talking about women’s anything, we’re too late. Our top priority needs to be investing in girls.

And we can start by taking seriously how much girls have to offer as role models for adults.

This is why I’ve come to believe, over the past three years, that those of us who are passionate about women’s rights and equality must broaden our efforts, our thinking, and our strategies for reaching this rising generation.

When I became a parent I immediately saw how badly we need better, more representative children’s books that encourage girls to be bold and take risks. The solution to this problem is simple, though I admit it sounds a little nuts: if you can’t find the kinds of stories you’d like to read to your children, write them yourself.

I never planned to publish a children’s book. But I got so sick of reading to my daughters over and over again “about a white boy and his dog,” as the activist Marley Dias has put it, that I wrote a true story about my mom and aunt when they were little girls. To my surprise and delight, it will be in bookstores this June.

Another way we can invest in girls—and help build a more equal future—is to change the way we raise our boys.

Last fall I wrote about how restrictive ideas about masculinity are changing, but not quickly enough—and how we can’t afford to leave boys behind, or let their parents off the hook. After all, as the civil rights lawyer and activist Tahir Duckett has pointed out, more than 90 percent of all perpetrators of sexual violence are boys or men. Yet people talk about sexual violence as a “women’s problem.”

We can only make progress if we start to see this problem for what it is—evidence of the urgent need to change male behavior starting not in adolescence, but in early childhood. Because that’s when the foundation, in Duckett’s words, is laid.

I’ve written about how my daughter began internalizing subtle bias against her curly hair even before her third birthday. Now that she’s in preschool, I see her classmates kicking around the same unconscious notions, trying on ideas and attitudes they’ve absorbed at home—and from the patriarchal society around them.

Some of these destructive attitudes are subtle, and therefore are all the more insidious and difficult to combat. Others are much more obvious.

When the President of the United States bullies Greta Thunberg on Twitter, for example, it’s no wonder his signature brand of harassment spreads to countless American schools.

When women show leadership and power, it’s no longer surprising when people call them angry or shrill and tell them to “chill. “

And when bullying and sexism start early—when we suggest that girls dim their lights when they’re young, and then discourage them again when they nevertheless grow into bold young women—it’s only natural that “girls’ issues” become “women’s issues,” and the vicious cycle repeats itself. Another generation fights the same battles women have been fighting since time immemorial.

International Women’s Day seems like the perfect occasion to send a message: Not on my watch.

That’s why I’m encouraging everyone I know to think bigger—by which I mean earlier—when it comes to fighting for women’s equality. It’s past time to invest in our girls.

Meena Harris is the founder and CEO of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, a female-powered lifestyle brand that brings awareness to social causes. Her children’s book, titled Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea will be published on June 2, 2020. Her new Phenomenal Girl campaign is live now.





Source link

Categories
Health

Dick’s Sporting Goods Is Investing Millions in Women’s Sports and Products


Before you ask, Dick’s Sporting Goods will not be changing its name to appeal to female customers, but it is investing millions of dollars into women’s sports and expanding its selection of products for girls and women.

On February 4, the largest U.S. sporting-goods chain revealed their multi-tiered plan to win over women—you know, over half the country. The plan starts with revamping their stores to actually include more room for women’s and girl’s products, according to Bloomberg, but also pledges a $5 million grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, a USA Softball sponsorship ahead of the sports return to the Olympics this summer, and a “national ad campaign supporting women’s sports.” All in all, the company is making a “low-eight-figure investment.”

“Today is a proud moment for our company,” Dick’s Sporting Goods President Lauren Hobart said in a statement.

The plan is promising. Social stigma and lack of role models are two leading factors behind why girls drop out of sports, according to research from the Women’s Sports Foundation. Making girls’ gear more visible and accessible is a step in the right direction.

So is supporting top female athletes. The grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation should come as no surprise to those paid attention to the World Cup this past summer. Interest in women’s athletics skyrocketed as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team took home their fourth World Cup. Yet, somehow they’re still being forced to fight against gender-discrimination and pay discrepancies—a battle being fought by female athletes across sports.

“At the crux of everything is that when we play a game—win the game, lose the game, tie the game, whatever—what we’re asking is that we’ll have the same opportunity to make the same amount of money,” Rapinoe, a 2019 Glamour Women of the Year honoree, told Glamour. “We should be treated equally.”

Dick’s three-year soccer grant will reportedly go to a U.S. Soccer Foundation program that aims to engage 100,000 girls in underserved communities by 2023.

As for the official partnership with USA Softball, the team will be returning to the Tokyo Olympics this year for the first time since the sport was dropped after the 2008 games. Dick’s will also be the official merchandise vendor for the team’s pre-Tokyo tour across 35 cities beginning this February.

Still think revisiting the whole “Dick’s” thing could also help, though!



Source link

Categories
Health

Megan Rapinoe Won’t Visit the White House if the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Wins the World Cup


UPDATE:

On Friday evening (June 29), following the U.S. Women’s soccer team’s victory over France in the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez invited U.S. co-captain Megan Rapinoe and her fellow teammates to the House of Representatives for a tour. “It may not be the White House, but we’d be happy to welcome @mPinoe & the entire #USWMNT for a tour of the House of Representatives anytime they’d like. ??,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

And it looks like the team is down: “Consider it done @AOC,” Rapinoe responded, adding a celebratory emoji.

Original Story

The U.S. Women’s soccer team is currently battling it out in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The team just made it to the quarterfinals, but their success in the tournament wasn’t what made headlines on Wednesday (June 26); instead a social media frenzy exploded around co-captain Megan Rapinoe’s recent comments.

When asked whether she was excited to go to the White House (if the team does indeed take the tournament) by a reporter from the outlet Eight by Eight, she responded, “I’m not going to the fucking White House.” She then added, “We’re not gonna be invited…. I doubt it.”

For context, Rapinoe’s reaction is in keeping with her past political statements. She’s been an outspoken critic of President Trump and was one of the first white players to join Colin Kaepernick and other footballers in taking a knee during the national anthem back in 2016. Rapinoe is also part of her team’s discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.

Later on Wednesday morning, Trump responded to Rapinoe’s comments in a series of three tweets. “Women’s soccer player, @mPinoe, just stated that she is ‘not going to the F…ing White House if we win.’ Other than the NBA, which now refuses to call owners, owners (please explain that I just got Criminal Justice Reform passed, Black unemployment is at the lowest level…in our Country’s history, and the poverty index is also best number EVER), leagues and teams love coming to the White House. I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven’t yet….invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose. Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!”

While Rapinoe has yet to speak out about Trump’s tweets, many others have taken to social media about his remarks. Adam Serwer, a staff writer at The Atlantic, wrote, “Trump is now going after Megan Rapinoe because the ‘f**k your feelings’ president flips out when members of groups targeted by his policies criticize him rather than knowing their place. I might add that for all the thoroughly insincere ‘free speech’ rhetoric from his supporters, Trump most frequently deploys his authority as head of state to chill criticism of himself. Like it’s not even close.”

Journalist Jemele Hill also came out in support of Rapinoe. “So as I’ve said previously about @mPinoe: Given this administration’s attitude toward the LGBTQ community (which they’ve enacted into policy), how do people not understand why she is upset,” Hill tweeted.

But some applauded Trump for inviting the team to the White House in the midst of his tweets. “Megan Rapinoe insults the president and the president still invites the US Women’s Soccer team to the White House win or lose after the World Cup. This is a big win for Trump. He makes Rapinoe look small here,” wrote Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis.

Rapinoe isn’t the first athlete to decline an invitation to visit Trump’s White House. Last year, after the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title, the team opted out of meeting with the president.





Source link

Categories
Health

Lucy Flores Spoke Out About Joe Biden to Prove That Women’s Feelings Have Value


Lucy Flores once encouraged me to come forward after a man acted inappropriately toward me. Your experience matters, she explained. Let him know he was inappropriate—and help women in the same situations feel less alone.

I chose not to come forward, for some of the same reasons that so many women stay silent. But I was struck by her crystal-clear insistence that what happened to me and how I felt about it was important—and I’m blown away by her courage today.

Last week Flores published an essay that described how former Vice President Joe Biden touched her shoulders and kissed her on the back of the head at a 2014 campaign event, and explained how he made her feel “uneasy, gross, and confused.”

In my experience, and in her more recent revelation about Biden, Flores had the tenacity to say: These men make us feel uncomfortable. Their hands. Their lips. Their breath. I felt embarrassed. I felt my space invaded.

And in her decision to come forward about, Flores is stating loudly: Women’s feelings matter.

Flores’ bravery goes beyond speaking out against inappropriate men. She has the courage to claim that her feelings are worth equal consideration. Imagine: a woman of color, with the nerve to assert that her feelings are just as important as a powerful white man.

It’s enough to shake the foundations of our country.

The absurd response to Flores’ revelation—from Biden, his supporters, and the inevitable brigade of defensive white men—has been entirely focused on Biden’s feelings. You see, they explain, Biden felt the situation was perfectly appropriate. First Biden’s spokesperson provided Biden’s assessment of Flores’s comfort: “Neither then, nor in the years since, did he or the staff with him at the time have an inkling that Ms. Flores had been at any time uncomfortable.” Then Biden himself expressed his own complete comfort with the situation: “Not once—never—did I believe I acted inappropriately.” And most recently Biden’s allies explained that Biden’s goal was Flores’ comfort and relaxation: “He often drew close to people who were nervous in an effort to relax them.”

Built into this stream of defenses is the assertion that Biden’s feelings of comfort and appropriateness should negate Flores’ feelings of discomfort and unease. If Biden was comfortable, the rationale seems to go, if his goal was to make her feel good, then nothing else matters.

Setting aside Biden’s intent, his line of defense speaks volumes. In our society, a man’s level of comfort is more important than a woman’s unease. We live in a world where a man can defend himself by merely explaining, “Felt fine to me!”

In the week since Flores spoke up, numerous former aides have also stepped forward to say they felt completely comfortable around Biden—as if their experiences negate her own. Former staffer Kendra Barkoff Lamy tweeted, “I was never uncomfortable with how he treated me.” Former chief of staff Sheila Nix reiterated Biden’s claim that “he had no intention of making anyone feel uncomfortable.” Even MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski chimed in, “I don’t think there is bad intent on his part at all.”

The conversation around Lucy Flores is not a debate over what happened on that stage. Even Biden himself doesn’t deny it. Instead Flores is forcing us to look in the mirror as a country and think: Whose feelings matter? Why is the pain and discomfort of women, and especially women of color, so often dismissed? Flores has the temerity to demand that men consider the comfort of others as much as they consider their own. She is asking men who have always touched women’s backs, thighs, shoulders, and waists how that might make us feel.





Source link

Categories
Health

Ivanka Trump Says She's Not ’President of All Women’s Issues’


Ivanka Trump has faced criticism for staying silent amid some of her father’s most controversial moments, despite positioning herself as an advocate for women’s rights and for families in America. But in a rare interview on Good Morning America on Friday morning, she essentially told people not to expect her to speak out against some of the administration’s more sexist policies because she’s not “president of all women’s issues” and it’s not her job to share her opinion when it diverges from her father’s.

In the interview, Abby Huntsman asked Trump how she reconciled her support of certain women’s empowerment initiatives with the White House’s decision to enact practices like the zero-tolerance program that led to the separation of thousands of families at the U.S. border. Many people had called Trump out because she wasn’t more vocal, although months later she referred to it as a “low point.” Donald Trump also revealed to lawmakers that it was his daughter who encouraged him to sign an executive order to end the separations.

“My job as a member of this administration is not to share my viewpoint when they diverge,” she told Huntsman. “Subsequently, I was asked the question and I gave an answer. But my role in this regard is not to—is not ‘president of all women’s issues’ or running all women’s issues across the United States government.”

She also said that when she does come forward, it‘s probably because people aren’t listening in the White House. “I think that when you hear me start to speak publicly on an issue that’s active, it’s because my voice isn’t being heard privately,” she said.

Trump’s view of her job likely won’t sit well with her detractors, who noticed how forthcoming she was about her relationship to parenting and women’s rights back when her father was campaigning. Her repeated absence during polarizing debates, like the Christine Blasey Ford hearing and allegations of her father’s sexual misconduct, also suggests that Trump frequently taps into her self-identified role as “wife, mother, sister, daughter” when it serves the administration—but not always when women and families actually need her to exert her influence.

Huntsman also asked Trump about the FBI’s probe into the administration’s involvement with Russia and wondered if she’s concerned about “anyone in your life that you love being involved.” Trump was uncharacteristically firm as she declared “no.”

“There’s nothing there, yet it’s created weeks and weeks and months of headlines,” she said. “So no, I have zero concern.”



Source link