Vital Voices


Book Description

How women around the world are leading powerful change Women's progress is global progress. Where there is an increase in women's university enrollment rates, women's earnings, and maternal health, and a reduction in violence against women, we see more prosperous communities, better educated, healthier families, and the preservation of equal human rights. Yet globally, women remain the most consistently under-utilized resource. Vital Voices calls for and makes possible transformative leadership around the world. In Vital Voices, CEO Alyse Nelson shares the stories of remarkable, world-changing women, as well as the story of how Vital Voices was founded, crossing lines that typically divide. For 15 years, Vital Voices has brought together women who want to enable others to become change agents in their governments, advocates for social justice, and supporters of democracy. They equip women with management and business development skills to expand their enterprises and create jobs in their communities. Their voices, stories, and hard-earned lessons—shared here for the first time—are deeply authentic and truly vital. Features interviews and first-person accounts of global leaders, such as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, and Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize-winning Burmese pro-democracy leader, as well as business leaders Draws on the work of the Vital Voices, the organization founded by Hillary Clinton in 1997 as a government initiative that transformed into a leading non-profit, which enables a network of 10,000 emerging women leaders in politics, human rights, and economic development in 127 countries. These women have gone on to mentor and train more than 500,000 Focuses on the key elements of the Vital Voices five-step model of transformational leadership, including how to find a voice, lead with purpose, cross lines that divide, and more Through the firsthand accounts of trail-blazing leaders, Vital Voices introduces unforgettable, inspiring women who are shaping our world.




Women Imagine Change


Book Description

A collection of the words of women spaning some 26 centuries from every corner of the earth and from many cultures.




Beyond Respectability


Book Description

Beyond Respectability charts the development of African American women as public intellectuals and the evolution of their thought from the end of the 1800s through the Black Power era of the 1970s. Eschewing the Great Race Man paradigm so prominent in contemporary discourse, Brittney C. Cooper looks at the far-reaching intellectual achievements of female thinkers and activists like Anna Julia Cooper, Mary Church Terrell, Fannie Barrier Williams, Pauli Murray, and Toni Cade Bambara. Cooper delves into the processes that transformed these women and others into racial leadership figures, including long-overdue discussions of their theoretical output and personal experiences. As Cooper shows, their body of work critically reshaped our understandings of race and gender discourse. It also confronted entrenched ideas of how--and who--produced racial knowledge.




The Internet of Women - Accelerating Culture Change


Book Description

Female scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians worldwide are making historic contributions to their fields. The modern workforce is closer to gender-equal than it has ever been, and many efforts are in place to support further progress. The Internet of Women provides an exciting look at personal narratives and case studies of female leaders and cultural shifts around the globe that illustrate this promising trend. From the United Nations' emphasis on girls and technology education in the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) to the increased female labor force in Zambia, a policy change that was inspired by the MDGs (UN Millennial Development Goals), The Internet of Women captures stunning examples of progress from around the world and men working hand in hand with women advocating for cultural change. Scholars and practitioners lament the lack of women leading and working in leading organizations in the technology industry. Gender equality and female participation in the tech field is critical to both developing and developed economies; nevertheless, this gap remains a global phenomenon. The lack of female leadership is particularly extreme at the highest echelons of leading technology organizations. Few publicly traded tech companies have female CEOs - in fact, most nations have zero female leadership in the tech industry. This gap does indicate a slow pace of progress for gender equality in tech employment. Women's pay still lags nearly a decade behind, according to the World Economic Forum, meaning that women's on average pay today is the equivalent to that of similarly qualified and similarly employed men in 2006. Without significant progress, the current rate of change will not lead to parity for 118 years, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). However there's significant work being done to shift this tide. Take for instance Michelle Lee, the first female Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), reflects on her childhood Girl Scout badge in sewing and cooking and how that memory inspired to create an IP badge that exposes young women to the process of invention. Social entrepreneur, investor, and Malala Fund co-founder Shiza Shahid shares her efforts beginning from mentoring young women in Pakistan to her current work directing more investment to women innovators around the globe. And Elizabeth Isele, a senior fellow in Social Innovation at Babson College, shares her research on women and ageism saying we need to retire the word retirement. The book is divided into six parts, each with unique areas of focus:• Millennials Leading: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Next Generation of Women in Technology• Men and Women Empowering One Another• Bold Leadership: Women Changing the Culture of Investment and Entrepreneurship• Educating for the 21st Century• Breaking the Glass Ceiling: A Generation of Women Forging into Technology Leadership• Emerging Fields of TechnologyThe Internet of Women gathers examples about the increasingly inclusive and progressive gender culture in technology from over 30 countries. Stories range from an entrepreneur in Dubai partnering with private and public sector entities to accelerate blockchain technology to a young British woman moving to Silicon Valley to launch an artificial intelligence platform and incubator. The book is intended for corporations, academic institutions, the private sector, government agencies, gender experts, and the general public, and its key benefit is to let the reader understand a path towards implementing diversity overall globally. It also showcases the strategies, tools, and tactical execution on how create cultural change in all parts of the world.




Armed Conflict, Women and Climate Change


Book Description

The gender-differentiated and more severe impacts of armed conflict upon women and girls are well recognised by the international community, as demonstrated by UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and subsequent resolutions. Similarly, the development community has identified gender-differentiated impacts upon women and girls as a result of the effects of climate change. Current research and analysis has reached no consensus as to any causal relationship between climate change and armed conflict, but certain studies suggest an indirect linkage between climate change effects such as food insecurity and armed conflict. Little research has been conducted on the possible compounding effects that armed conflict and climate change might have on at-risk population groups such as women and girls. Armed Conflict, Women and Climate Change explores the intersection of these three areas and allows the reader to better understand how military organisations across the world need to be sensitive to these relationships to be most effective in civilian-centric operations in situations of humanitarian relief, peacekeeping and even armed conflict. This book examines strategy and military doctrine from NATO, the UK, US and Australia, and explores key issues such as displacement, food and energy insecurity, and male out-migration as well as current efforts to incorporate gender considerations in military activities and operations. This innovative book will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, international development, international security, sustainability, gender studies and law.




The Paradox of Change


Book Description

When William Chafe's The American Woman was published in 1972, it was hailed as a breakthrough in the study of women in this century. Bella Abzug praised it as "a remarkable job of historical research," and Alice Kessler-Harris called it "an extraordinarily useful synthesis of material about 20th-century women." But much has happened in the last two decades--both in terms of scholarship, and in the lives of American women. With The Paradox of Change, Chafe builds on his classic work, taking full account of the events and scholarship of the last fifteen years, as he extends his analysis into the 1990s with the rise of feminism and the New Right. Chafe conveys all the subtleties of women's paradoxical position in the United States today, showing how women have gradually entered more fully into economic and political life, but without attaining complete social equality or economic justice. Despite the gains achieved by feminist activists during the 1970s and 1980s, the tensions continued to abound between public and private roles, and the gap separating ideals of equal opportunity from the reality of economic discrimination widened. Women may have gained some new rights in the last two decades, but the feminization of poverty has also soared, with women constituting 70% of the adult poor. Moreover, a resurgence of conservatism, symbolized by the triumph of Phyllis Schlafly's anti-ERA coalition, has cast in doubt even some of the new rights of women, such as reproductive freedom. Chafe captures these complexities and contradictions with a lively combination of representative anecdotes and archival research, all backed up by statistical studies. As in The American Woman, Chafe once again examines "woman's place" throughout the 20th century, but now with a more nuanced and inclusive approach. There are insightful portraits of the continuities of women's political activism from the Progressive era through the New Deal; of the contradictory gains and losses of the World War II years; and of the various kinds of feminism that emerged out of the tumult of the 1960s. Not least, there are narratives of all the significant struggles in which women have engaged during these last ninety years--for child care, for abortion rights, and for a chance to have both a family and a career. The Paradox of Change is a wide-ranging history of 20th-century women, thoroughly researched and incisively argued. Anyone who wants to learn more about how women have shaped, and been shaped by, modern America will have to read this book.




Women Leading Change in Academia (First Edition)


Book Description

In Women Leading Change in Academia: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper, a groundbreaking collection, Callie Rennison and Amy Bonomi convene the perspectives of diverse women academic leaders who discuss their rise to key leadership positions and effective change-making in higher education, despite underlying structural barriers and bias that disadvantage women. Contributors underscore the revolutionary power and innovation that women leaders bring to bear to improve upon business as usual in the academy--even in the "glass cliff" scenario when their risk of failure should be highest. Women across leadership positions--presidents, provosts, deans, and department chairs--discuss leading strategic planning, culture change, and navigating the "double bind," along with strategies for successful negotiation, networking, mentoring, and work-life balance. Contributors also underscore strategies for leading powerful innovation and change in the academy early in their careers when they do not hold formal leadership roles and experience marginalization due to their identity. Opening chapters examine institutional power structures, intersectionality, bias, along with enacting change-making leadership in spite of these barriers. Additional chapters offer insight on the power of mentorship, strategic networking for women in the academy, negotiation strategies, professional development and work-life. The collection addresses moving on, up or out of formal leadership in the academy, how to create institutional change, and strategies for rising, revolutionizing, and redoubling efforts to support women leaders. Women Leading Change in Academia is intended for women, allies, and institutions committed to equitable conditions for women leaders to be maximally impactful. The text is co-sponsored by Division 35 of the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychology of Women, an organizational base for all feminists, of all genders and of all national origins, who are interested in teaching, research, or practice in the psychology of womxn. Contributors include: Amy Bonomi, Ph.D., MPH, Director of the Children and Youth Institute and Co-administrator of the Women''s Leadership Institute--Michigan State University Heather M. Bush, Ph.D., Kate Spade & Co. Foundation Endowed Professor in the Department of Biostatistics--University of Kentucky Tabbye Chavous, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Psychology, Director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity--University of Michigan Kendra Spence Cheruvelil, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development-Lyman Briggs College--Michigan State University Ann L. Coker, Ph.D., MPH, Verizon Wireless Endowed Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology--University of Kentucky Margaret Dimond, Ph.D., President and CEO-McLaren Oakland Region--McLaren Health Care of Michigan Verna Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., President of the HERS Institute Yolanda Flores Niemann, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Psychology--University of North Texas Catherine "Katie" Kaukinen, Ph.D., Professor and Chair in the Department of Criminal Justice--University of Central Florida Laura Kohn-Wood, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education and Human Development--University of Miami Layli Maparyan, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Wellesley Centers for Women, Professor of Africana Studies--Wellesley College Patricia McGuire, J.D., President--Trinity Washington University Debra A. Moddelmog, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Professor of English--University of Nevada, Reno Beronda L. Montgomery, Ph.D., MSU Foundation Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Assistant Provost for Faculty Development - Research--Michigan State University Donde Plowman, Ph.D., Chancellor--University of Tennessee, Knoxville Callie Marie Rennison, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Public Affairs--University of Colorado Denver Terri A. Scandura, Ph.D., Warren C. Johnson Professor of Management, Miami Business School--University of Miami Mariko Silver, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer--Henry Luce Foundation; Immediate Past President, Bennington College Elizabeth H. Simmons, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Physics, Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs--University of California, San Diego Dionne Stephens, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology--Florida International University Jill Tiefenthaler, Ph.D., President--Colorado College Vasti Torres, Ph.D., Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education--University of Michigan Nelia Viveiros, MSc, LLB, Ed.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Operations--University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus




The Moment of Lift


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “In her book, Melinda tells the stories of the inspiring people she’s met through her work all over the world, digs into the data, and powerfully illustrates issues that need our attention—from child marriage to gender inequity in the workplace.” — President Barack Obama “The Moment of Lift is an urgent call to courage. It changed how I think about myself, my family, my work, and what’s possible in the world. Melinda weaves together vulnerable, brave storytelling and compelling data to make this one of those rare books that you carry in your heart and mind long after the last page.” — Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Dare to Lead “Melinda Gates has spent many years working with women around the world. This book is an urgent manifesto for an equal society where women are valued and recognized in all spheres of life. Most of all, it is a call for unity, inclusion and connection. We need this message more than ever.” — Malala Yousafzai "Melinda Gates's book is a lesson in listening. A powerful, poignant, and ultimately humble call to arms." — Tara Westover, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Educated A debut from Melinda Gates, a timely and necessary call to action for women's empowerment. “How can we summon a moment of lift for human beings – and especially for women? Because when you lift up women, you lift up humanity.” For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down. In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, “That is why I had to write this book—to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.” Melinda’s unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention—from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world—and ourselves. Writing with emotion, candor, and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another. When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.




Women and the Family


Book Description

Despite the pervasive changes that have taken place in women’s lives in the past twenty-five years--increased participation in the labor force, the attainment of higher levels of education, and higher salaries--comparable changes in the division of family labor and in the roles of men have lagged considerably. In this timely book, the editors and other experts in feminism and family studies examine the effects of two decades of influence by the women’s movement on sex roles and child rearing. While applauding some positive changes, the contributors point to powerful forces of resistance to equality between the sexes, especially “the question of family”--the fear of depriving children of maternal attachment and the belief that working mothers are placing their own interests above those of other family members--as an issue that, until fully addressed, prevents genuine equality between the sexes.




Small Change


Book Description

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the social role of educated women and the nature of domesticity were the focus of widespread debate in Britain. The emergence of an identifiably feminist voice in that debate is the subject of Harriet Guest's new study, which explores how small changes in the meaning of patriotism and the relations between public and private categories permitted educated British women to imagine themselves as political subjects. Small Change considers the celebration of learned women as tokens of national progress in the context of a commercial culture that complicates notions of gender difference. Guest offers a fascinating account of the women of the bluestocking circle, focusing in particular on Elizabeth Carter, hailed as the paradigmatic learned and domestic woman. She discusses the importance of the American war to the changing relation between patriotism and gender in the 1770s and 1780s, and she casts new light on Mary Wollstonecraft's writing of the 1790s, considering it in relation to the anti-feminine discourse of Hannah More, and the utopian feminism of Mary Hays.