“One of Europe’s most powerful women delivered a searing and specific denunciation Monday of what she said was sexist treatment at the highest levels of global affairs – even after her title became Madame President.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that she had been denied a chair and equal billing alongside European Counsel President Charles Michel because he is a man and she a woman.
“I cannot find any justification for how I was treated in the European treaties. So, I have to conclude that it happened because I am a woman. Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie? von der Leyen said.” [WP 4/26/21]
On the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index, the United States ranks 30th. 26.1% of board members at listed companies are women and 42% of senior and managerial positions. [The Broadsheet 4/27/21]
Sally Buzbee, executive editor of the Associated Press, has been named as the executive editor of the Washington Post. She succeeds Martin Baron, who retired in February. Buzbee is the first woman to hold that position. [WP 5/11/21]
Chloe Zhao becomes the first woman of color, and the second woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar. She was the director of “Nomadland”.
On May 11, 1918, the Duluth, Minnesota streetcar company announced that the company would hire women as conductors for the first time and that they would be receiving the same pay as male conductors. (WW was born, raised, and attended college in Duluth.) [Zenith City Press 5/11/2021]
As Perseverance, the NASA rover, landed on the Martian surface Friday, millions of miles away in the US space agency’s control room, a woman’s voice
rang out, “Touchdown confirmed!”
The announcement came from Indian American scientist, Dr. Swati Mohan, who leads the guidance, navigation, and control operations of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. [The Economic Times 4/23/21]
Female entrepreneurs are especially common in developing nations like Angola as well as in developed countries on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Americas. The following is a list of selected countries by a share of the female population engaged in entrepreneurial activity (2020)
| Angola | 51.10% |
| Panama | 29% |
| Saudi Arabia | 18% |
| United States | 14% |
| South Korea | 11% |
| The Netherlands | 9.60% |
| Egypt | 5.40% |
| Germany | 4.40% |
| India | 2.60% |
| Poland | 2.40% |
| Italy | 0.90% |
[Statista 5/11/21]
President Biden will nominate Coast Guard Vice Admiral Linda Fagen for Vice Commandant, which would make her the first female four-star admiral in Coast Guard history. Fagen is currently the Coast Guard commander for the Pacific Area, having served on all seven continents. [Axios 4/19/21]
Vanita Gupta is the first Indian American woman to be appointed as an Associate Attorney General of the United States.
Kelly Kleine, the Denver Broncos’ new executive director of football operations, is believed to be the highest-ranking women in scouting in the history of the NFL. [USAToday]