Company Culture
A group of 50 self-identified sex trafficking survivors are suing Salesforce (3.9 stars) for allegedly aiding (and profiting from) sex trafficking efforts on Backpage.com. “Salesforce didn’t just provide Backpage with a customer-ready version of its data and marketing tools,” the lawsuit says. “Salesforce designed and implemented a heavily customized enterprise database tailored for Backpage’s operations, both locally and internationally. With Salesforce’s guidance, Backpage was able to use Salesforce’s tools to market to new “users”—that is, pimps, johns, and traffickers—on three continents.” Fast Company
Remember how pumped we all were for NASA’s (3.8 stars) upcoming all-women space walk? Well, scratch that. The two women selected for the space walk, Anne C. McClain and Christina H. Koch, both required a medium-size torso component for their spacesuits, and apparently, NASA only has one available. NY Times
United Airlines (2.9 stars) has become the first U.S. airline to allow passengers to select a gender identification other than “man” or “woman” when booking their tickets. The updated gender selection options now include “U” for undisclosed, or “X,” for unspecified. Additionally, passengers may choose to be addressed by the gender-neutral title “Mx.” online and in-person when interacting with the airline, without any need for producing proof of gender. Skift
Read more:Gender Pay Gap Closes Day Before Equal Pay Day
Quick Hits
Here’s a simple, but provocative question: Should workers have a place on company boards? In places like Germany and a few other European countries, worker representation on company boards is required, but the U.S. has been slow to embrace the idea. That’s why Cynthia Murray, a Walmart (2.5 stars) employee of 19 years, is working with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) to reintroduce the Reward Work Act, a piece of legislation that would allow workers to elect a third of their company’s board members. The New Yorker
Misogyny in the workplace goes far beyond pay gaps and being passed over for promotions. Sometimes it manifests more insidiously, in the form of an offensive joke or inappropriate query. The fourth annual Women in the Workplace report from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Co found that 64 percent of women have experienced gender-based microaggressions in the workplace, with women of color facing the brunt of the remarks. Inclusivity consultant Dr. Pragya Agarwal says calling out inappropriate and offensive behaviors is the best way to reduce microaggressions in the workplace. Forbes
Did you include Native American feminists in your Women’s History Month readings? If not, here’s a list of 15 Indigenous activists, scholars, and writers to get you started. Bitch Media
Director Jordan Peele’s newest horror flick, Us , opened last week, and thanks to actress Lupita Nyong’o’s stellar performance, the film has had the highest opening weekend gross for a movie headlined by a Black woman! BET
Read more:How to Give Two Weeks Notice: Letter Examples & Leaving on Good Terms
Around the World
Italy: The founder and all-female editorial board of Women Church World , a monthly glossy produced alongside the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano , has resigned. In a letter of resignation, the board cited increasing male intervention in the magazine’s content and leadership. In recent months, Women Church World had become an outlet for discussion of exploitation and sexual assault faced by nuns. When L’Osservatore Romano changed hands Women Church World’s board felt controlled by the new director. NY Times
United Kingdom: In a last-ditch attempt to gain support for her Brexit plan, Prime Minister Theresa May promised to resign from her post if her party, the Tories, approve of the deal. The Guardian
Mexico: Mexico’s #MeToo movement has finally taken off after activist Ana G. González took to Twitter to detail the alleged abuses of 10 women at the hands of writer Herson Barona. NY Times
Read more:Words Matter: How‘Bossy’ and‘Fiesty’ Undermine Female Employees