Company Culture
Women don’t often serve as mentors to junior male employees, but when they do, they give more holistic advice, a Western Carolina researcher says. Women mentors tend to focus on building a relationship with mentees based on trust, and encourage them to make the professional decisions that make them happy, rather than those that simply get them the promotion. CNN
A recent study revealed that when female representation on company boards increases, it's usually due to government-mandated gender quota systems. Large American companies have an average of 2.5 female directors — a number that hasn't significantly risen since 2012. InHerSight
Women account for roughly half of architecture graduates, yet make up only about 20 percent of licensed architects. This New York Times article explains some of the challenges women face in the field, like lower salaries than male peers, few leadership opportunities, and inaction of employers on behalf of workers’ well-being. NY Times
Quick Hits
TIME’S UP and eBay have partnered to launch a fundraising initiative ahead of the movement’s one-year anniversary. Through December 20, the online marketplace platform will auction off 35 unique celebrity experiences, like a selfie with Reese Witherspoon on the red carpet and a meet-and-greet with Kerry Washington to raise money for the TIME’s UP Legal Defense Fund. eBay
Graduating from an elite university boosts earning power for women, a joint Tulane University and University of Virginia study has found. Women who graduated from an elite school make 14 percent more than women who attend less prestigious universities. Men of similar grades and scores make basically the same amount regardless of where they went to college. Bloomberg
When the new Congress takes office in January, the number of Republican women in the House will drop from 23 to just 13. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wants to change that. NY Times
Speaking of Congress, members of the House and Senate have finally come together to agree on legislation to update its sexual misconduct policy. Some of the proposed changes include publicly naming offenders, removing some of the barriers to reporting, and holding the accused personally liable for sexual harassment complaints against them rather than allowing them to use taxpayer money for settlements — yeah, this was a thing apparently! Refinery29
The Smithsonian National Museum of History has announced its new director will be Anthea M. Hartig, the first woman director of the museum in the institution’s own 54-year history. NY Times
Janet Jackson and Stevie Nicks were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Thursday. The Hall certainly has a lot of catching up to do to recognize the worthy women and woman-centric bands deserving of the honor, but it’s a start. Rolling Stone
The Miss Universe Organization has made a lot of branding changes this year, like eliminating the swimsuit contest and not judging contestants on physical appearance (supposedly). Its latest change? The pageant will finally have an all-female judging panel. ABC
Health and Safety
Just in case you haven’t heard, Kotex has recalled its U by Kotex line after reports that some of the tampons had unraveled inside of users, causing infections, irritations, and other vaginal injuries. If you use this brand, check your boxes for these affected lot numbers.Refinery29
A recent study has found that women are less likely than men to receive appropriate treatment for cardiac arrest. According to the study women were: 2.8 percent less like than men to receive aspirin, 4.6 percent less likely to ride to the hospital in an ambulance with lights and sirens on, were 1.3 percent likely to be resuscitated by emergency medical workers, and 8.6 percent less likely to receive cardiac defibrillation. These discrepancies might seem small, but cardiac disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US. NY Times
A new app called SafetiPin is helping women stay safe in cities by allowing them to rate the safety of urban areas in terms of lighting, visibility, people density, gender diversity, security and transportation. The app then aggregates this data for use by developers, to foster urban planning that keeps women in mind. The Guardian
Around the World
After a disappointing trial where five men were found not guilty of raping a teenager, Spain’s lax rape law will be toughened to define any kind of non-consensual sex acts as “assault” or “rape,” rather than merely as “sexual abuse.” BBC
Pakistan has announced its very first cricket team for blind women will play its first match in January in the second-ever international series for blind women’s cricket. BBC
The #MeToo movement in Argentina has taken off after actress Thelma Fardin publicly shared the story of her rape by an older male colleague when she was just 16. Thousands of women took to social media to share their own abuses with the chilling hashtag #MiraComoNosPonemos which translates to “look what you do to me,” a riff off of the phrase Fardin’s abuser said to her before the attack. NY Times
By Mitra Norowzi
