Bend It Like Tibet, Real Beauty and There’s An App For That: Spark’s News Digest

Bend It Like Tibet, Real Beauty and There’s An App For That:  Spark’s News Digest

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GLOBAL: Tibetan’s First Women’s Soccer Team Blazes a Trail

Bend It Like Tibetan Women. Last year, Tibet formed their first women’s soccer team, receiving praise and concern from the community. Traditionally, Tibetan women have a very respected role in the house, but not always in society. The team’s coach vision was to create a team who can speak their truth as a tool for peace and equality. David Beckham would be proud.

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HUMAN RIGHTS: In Human Rights, What Does ‘Access to Remedy’ Really Mean?

Suing corporations for human rights violations just got harder. The Supreme Court ruled on Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum that cases under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) will now be presumptively dismissed when the alleged human rights abuses occur outside the United States. To ensure conflicts don’t escalate, it’s now even more essential that civic organizations like Accountability Counsel and BSR, are brought in to provide non-legal support. Considering the large capacity gap, how will civic groups be able to provide the support needed?

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GLOBAL: Inequality in the Pursuit of Feminism

Is being a feminist an elite proposition? While feminist advances are often measured by counting women in senior positions, the shrinking power of women at the other end of the income spectrum is too often ignored, a report says. Leaning In is important, but so is understanding the huge inequalities and increased insecurity at the bottom.

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TECHNOLOGY: Can An App Stop Rape in India?

Is it possible for an app to save lives? Circle of 6 let’s your friends know when you are in a situation that you want to get out of. It has pre-set messages that go to a pre-selected group of friends in just two taps. The White House recognizes this app as a tool in sexual assault prevention and there has been a surge of uploads in India since the rape and murder of Jyoti Singh. If a legal system is not protecting you, it’s nice to know that your friends and technology can help.

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OPINION: The Confidence Questions

Dove’s recent “Real Beauty” campaign has received a lot of press for portraying women’s self-confidence issues. When asked to describe themselves, the self-descriptions are sadder, less attractive and more closed-off than how others perceived them. Dove’s campaign propelled David Brooks to ponder the issues of self-criticism and self-assertion. He wonders if marrying the two stereotypically female and male traits could produce better results.

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Spark’s News Digest

The coolness of coding, using contraceptives and men leaning in. This is your Spark news digest.

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BUSINESS: Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field

The secret’s out, coding is cool. Women earn just 12% of computer science degrees and that needs to change. Girls Who Code and other similarly focused organizations are aiming to increase the amount of girls in tech. These groups open up the gateway for young women by teaching them how to code at a young age.

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WORLD REPORT: Contraception is good for the economy, everything else

Janet Jackson is not the only one who thinks control is a positive thing. A new study finds that giving women access to control their own fertility is a really good thing for themselves, their relationships and the economic state of the world.

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BUSINESS: Career Advice from Sheryl Sandberg and Amex CEO Chenault

Work place dilemma’s are not just when someone takes your stapler. 64% of men are afraid to be in a room alone with a female employee. In this video, Amex CEO and Sheryl Sandberg discuss creating informal mentoring programs for male bosses and female employees without feelings of discomfort.

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GLOBAL: In country of sustained conflict, two DRC women work toward peace

Spark member’s don’t just show up, they create change. Spark’s own Larkin Callaghan authored a piece about gender justice in the DRC.

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GLOBAL: Malawi’s Leader Makes Safe Childbirth Her Mission

1 out of every 36 women are at risk of dying from childbirth in Malawi. Joyce Banda, the country’s new president is out to change that. Despite a national ban on childbirth at home, most Malawians ignore it in favor of customs that have governed their lives for as long as they can remember. In order to shift the norms, Banda is working with the real power brokers of Malawi, the 20,000 village chiefs, explaining the dangers of home births while still respecting tribal traditions.

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From Lake Wobegon to Lake Havasu, Donut Security and Progress Made In China: Spark News Digest

From Lake Wobegon to Lake Havasu, donut security and progress Made In China: This is your Spark News Digest.

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NATIONAL: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Calls Out Military Leaders For “Good Order And Discipline”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a word, ROCKS. Our Senator will not accept rhetoric for an answer. Last week Sen. Gillibrand questioned military leaders on sexual assault, demanding zero tolerance in the military justice system.”I appreciate the work you’re doing, but it’s not enough,” Sen. Gillibrand told military officers during a recent Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee. We appreciate your leadership, Senator. Rock on.

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NEXT GENERATION PHILANTHROPY:  NPR Wants To Click With Those Who Tweet

Pivoting from Lake Wobegon to Lake Havasu, NPR is taking a crack at the under 30 crowd. Their presence at South by Southwest Interactive Conference (SXSW) was part of their Generation Listen campaign. Their aim is to inspire a new generation of listeners to support local stations to keep public programming alive and out of retirement.

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INTERNATIONAL: Empowering Women To Improve Food Security – What Works and Why

Food security is not just hiding the last donut from your co-workers. In Olivier De Schutter’s report to the UN on Gender and the Right to Food, he notes that one of the most promising approaches to alleviating poverty is to include gender-sensitive elements to existing food security programs.

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INTERNATIONAL: China Signals Greater Role For Private Nonprofits

Social progress – Made in China. Last week, China declared  that it will allow nonstate groups to take a bigger role in tackling economic and social issues within the country. This is a big, positive step for a government that has been repressive to social sector actors.

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Speak Up, Believe In Yourself, Take Risks

Lean In closer to the debate. In this opinion piece and video, Sheryl Sandberg takes notice of the conversation swirling around her book and movement, Lean In, explaining that we need a national dialogue in order to break the barriers holding women back from achieving true equality in the workplace. Can Lean In help create a world where passions, interest, and talent are king, and stereotypes take a backseat?

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Millennials, Women, and Impact: Spark News Digest

Next gen donors, a girl’s battle at home, and contraceptive prowess. This is your Spark News Digest.

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PHILANTHROPY: Next Generation Donors And Their Plan For Greater Impact

Next generation donors, Gen Xers and Millennials are shaking up the state of philanthropy. A new report on our understudied generation states that next generation donors  ”perceive their parents and grandparents as driven by obligation, recognition, and tradition, [and] they see themselves as driven by strategy and impact.” Once criticized for being cynical and entitled, next generation donors are proving their worth by pushing philanthropic strategy to be more effective.

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INTERNATIONAL: Girl Soldiers Face Tougher Battle On Return To Civilian Life

40% of child soldiers around the world are girls, and while programs are in place to help soldiers reintegrate into society, these programs are not addressing the needs of girl soldiers. This articles discusses the alarmingly low enrollment rate of girls into disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) programs.

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EDUCATION: Women – The World’s Best Investment

Who runs the world…GIRLS! Although research links the success of women with increased GDP,  women in developing nations face limited access to education and economic advancement. Programs’s like Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) help narrow this gap by teaching women factory workers in developing countries technical and life skills.

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INTERNATIONAL: Justice Is Blind, But Not In The Case of Gender Violence

Famous South African paralympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder of his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. Similar to the gang-rape in India, this case has rightly attracted massive public attention and may be a catalyst for fighting violence against women in South Africa.

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GLOBAL: Sexularism and The Female Body

Should there be compromises in contraceptive governess? In her opinion piece, feminine theorist, Zillah Eisentein discusses the blurred lines between public and private; political and religion; church and state; and secular and religious divides and what we can do as a worldwide community to stand for a women’s rights to her own body.

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Spark News Digest

Spark is a learning community. We learn by doing and educate our peers on issues impacting women around the world. Practicing what we preach, we will be posting relevant news articles for your mind-expanding pleasure. Read, learn, discuss, share.

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An Acehnese woman straddles on a motorbike in Lhokseumawe in Indonesia, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. / AP

GLOBAL: Women’s Rights Hit Roadblock in Indonesia

In Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province, women are being shunned for being…women. The Islamist government has voiced that because of the “curves of a women’s body,” female passengers cannot straddle motorbikes as it’s too alluring. Religious-based regulations like this are happening in many regions in the world and in some places, getting worse.

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LOCAL: We must reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act

It happened. Congress failed to reissue the Violence Against Women Act before it expired last year. Congresswomen Glen Moore talks about the disappointment of  letting a bill as important as this fall to the wayside and the less-than-urgent  timing Congress has used to reauthorize it.

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GLOBAL: The Internationalization of Women Issues

“Women issues are world issues,” Michelle Bachelet, the executive director of U.N. Women and former president of Chile, said recently. “Today there is greater awareness than ever before that women’s full participation is essential for peace, democracy and sustainable development.” The globalization of women’s issues continues to be on the rise. Hopefully, this will continue to penetrate into leadership positions and change the landscape of decision making around the world.

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GLOBAL: Lawyer in India Gang-Rape Case says Victim to Blame

The latest in the India gang-rape case shares the point of view of one of the lawyers defending the three men who are charged with the rape and murder of a 23-year-old women riding a bus in New Delhi at night. He states that “until today, I have not seen a single incident or example of rape with a respected lady…even an underworld don would not like to touch a girl with respect.” Will the international lens on this case force India to strengthen its laws on rape and protection of women?

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LOCAL: What Linda Lovelace’s Story Does and Doesn’t Say about Porn Today

Linda Lovelace’s story is about to hit Sundance with Lovelace, played by Amanda Seyfried. The film has potential to kickstart some serious conversations about rape culture and sexual consent. The question remains, will the conversation help or hinder a new understanding about women and sexual consent?

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Leaning Back

By SHANNON FARLEY, Spark Executive Director

Women make up 15% of corporate boards and 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs. Many of the women represented in these paltry percentages will be in San Francisco this week for the US State Department’s Women and the Economy Summit in anticipation of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in November. The purpose of the summit is to outline policy solutions for access to finance, markets and capital to bolster women’s participation in the economies of the Pacific Rim.

In preparation, we at Spark have been reading up on different solutions to the global gender gap, from sex quotas for corporate boards to increasing women in middle management pipelines. Our research suggests that classic leadership trajectories remain implausible for women. Institutional bias in combination with a lack of role models, mentors and advocates stunt women’s progress at every rung—particularly on the path to the C-Suite. But there is another troubling trend that must be addressed. Women don’t opt out of leadership–we lean back.

A recent Harvard Business Review article unpacked the trend of leaning back in India. Educated female talent can be credited for the growth of India’s economy. Yet, like their American counterparts, when Indian women get married and have children they lean back from leadership opportunities. Some of this has to do with class and some of this has to do with culture, but it doesn’t happen to men when they become husbands and fathers. All over the world, the word woman remains synonymous with caregiver. Until men split care work equitably, we will continue to see women lean back.

Here’s a policy recommendation: Invite men to join in the conversation. 1% of the confirmed speakers for the summit are men.  How can we move the needle when we exclude half the population?

This week, as we discuss economic growth strategies for the Pacific Rim, it is critical to frame of a vision for the global economy that puts class, culture and BOTH genders at the forefront.