The Fem Word Vol. 45

CURATING STORIES OF BOLD WOMEN IN CREATIVE SPACES.

weekly dose of female excellence ahead xx

FEM NEWS

People are having less children in the U.S. While the blame tends to lie with women, The Daily Beast argues that it takes two to tango...and men are just as responsible. While the decreasing numbers have caused alarm, this article assures that the American family is sticking around, just with a downsize. Full Story

The beauty industry is making space for one of their biggest demographics: menopausal women. Although women over the age of 50 spend over $22 billion each year on beauty products, they are not accurately represented in beauty campaigns. Companies like Better Not Younger and P&G are changing that. Learn More

Ranjana Srivastava is calling out the lack of respect that women get in medicine. Although women make up 70% of the medical workforce, they only hold a quarter of senior roles. Srivastava suggests that nothing will change in the field until women gain the respect they deserve - from patients and other practitioners. Full Article

Forbes recently released a study from Paolo Gaudiano that seeks to prove why black women make such excellent leaders. His hypothesis is this: marginalized or disadvantaged groups who are often overlooked for advancement possess more innate talent for the jobs they have. So when black women do reach positions of power, they are more than qualified. Full Study

New Balance is following in Gap’s footsteps and implementing the P.A.C.E (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) program for all its female workers across the globe. The program aims to give women the confidence they need both at work and at home. New Balance plans to first implement the program in Vietnam, eventually working across their entire supply chain. Learn More

Girls in Nigeria want their education, and they want it now. The education of girls and women is integral to reducing gender disparity, but it’s also at the heart of public health. When girls receive education, teenage pregnancy rates drop and mothers and children are healthier overall. Relief Web spoke with some girls in Nigeria who are fighting for their education, and ultimately their equality. Full Story

FEM STEM

Jess Wade spends her down time lifting women scientists into the recognition they deserve. She writes roughly 270 Wikipedia articles a year highlighting women scientists, their accomplishments, and why they’re just as important as their male counterparts. When asked why, Wade stated “I kind of realized that we can only really change things from the inside.” Learn More

FEM ART

The art world is continually working to bring forgotten and overlooked female artists back into the light. The Prado Museum in Spain is no different, and will be featuring the work of Renaissance painters Lavinia Fontana and Sofonisba Anguissola in an exhibit titled “A Tale of Two Women Painters.” Both were extremely famous in their time, but were overlooked after their deaths. Anguissolla’s works were even attributed to other male painters. Their work is now back in the light...with the proper credit this time. Learn More

FEM READS

Free, Melania: An Unauthorized Biography is a novel with a mission. It seeks to shed some light on the aloof and rather private First Lady of the U.S., Melania Trump. Some facts from the novel include how she has her own sleeping quarters at the White House, and does not shy away from giving advice to the POTUS. Learn More

SHE’S SO COOL

Filipina beauty queen Resham Saeed wants to empower young girls with her platform. Using the principles of self empowerment that her parents taught her, she dominates the pageant circuit while taking time to be the spokesperson for Sparks! Philippines and Respeto Naman - groups that work for women’s empowerment and ending gender-based violence. Learn More

FEM WOW

Eleven year old Charlotte Nebres made history last week, becoming the first black lead in the NYC Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Nebres will grace the stage with a diverse cast, one of the first of its kind for the ballet company. The importance of her role as Marie is not lost on Nebres, who stated that “there might be a little boy or girl in the audience seeing that and saying ‘Hey, I can do that too.’” Learn More