Here’s some news involving or affecting women from around the Web.
Christine Lagarde, France’s finance minister, has been named the new head of the International Monetary Fund. She is the first woman to ever hold the position and she is comfortable discussing her gender as an asset to her work. According to NPR, she told ABC’s Christine Christiane Amanpour in an interview, ”I think we inject less libido and less testosterone into the equation… It helps in the sense that we don’t necessarily project our egos into cutting a deal.” And according to the Associated Press, she said of her candidacy, “she’d ‘bring all my expertise as a lawyer, a minister, a manager and a woman’ to the job.”
Last week Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) re-introduced the Equal Rights Amendment. Maloney said in a press release, “The Equal Rights Amendment is still needed because the only way for women to achieve permanent equality in the U.S. is to write it into the constitution. While it’s been thrilling to see how far women have come in my lifetime, laws can change, government regulations can be weakened, and judicial opinions can shift. Making women’s equality a constitutional right—after Congress passes and 38 states ratify the ERA—would place the United States on record, albeit more than 200 years late, that women are fully equal in the eyes of the law.”
The ERA amendment simply states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Betty Dukes, who sparked the gender discrimination suit against Wal-Mart will tesify before Congress today about the Supreme Court’s decision to block a class action suit against the retailer. Dukes has vowed to continue her suit against the company.
The war on women’s reproductive rights wages on. There are so many actions in so many states, it’s hard to keep track. Ohio just voted to ban abortions after the fetal heartbeat is heard. Kansas has passed new regulations which will force abortion clinic to close down leaving the state without a provider. Indiana has cut funding to Planned Parenthood. Texas is moving to do the same.RH Reality Check is a great resource for staying on top of reproductive rights information.
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I’ll have to check Neuroeconomics out. Thanks Jane.
Yes, certainly good news to see a woman in top position concerning finance. particularly so as a recent new book on Neuroeconomics says testosterone fuelled men are worst people to make long term financial decisions! Allez Christine!